October 16, 2017
Today marks the start of National Adoption Week 2017! The theme this year is ‘Siblings’. Like other adoption agencies across the country, we’re taking the opportunity to encourage people to consider whether they could adopt a sibling group of two or more children.
According to new information published today, 55% of the children in the East of England waiting for adoptive families are brothers and sisters in groups of 2. Figures from national adoption information service, First4Adoption, based on the latest government information*, show that sibling groups wait longer than single children to be placed with a “forever family”.
Alison Miller, CEO of St. Francis’ Children’s Society says, “The majority of people adopting for the first time choose to take a single child into their family. However, it is often in the best interests of children in sibling groups that they find a family together, rather than experience further trauma by being separated from their brothers and sisters. This presents an extra challenge for social workers and these factors account for the high proportion of siblings in our region waiting for an adoptive family.”
The new research, by Adoption Match and based on data from the Adoption Register for England, also reveals that:
Alison Miller adds, “We’re asking anyone who may be considering adoption to think about whether they could parent siblings. There’s no denying that having more than one child comes with real challenges but it also has advantages and brings great rewards. If you’re interested in finding out more, please contact us for an informal chat.”
We’re marking National Adoption Week by hosting two special events at our offices this week – an information evening at 6.30pm on Wednesday 18th October, and a Lunchtime Drop-In between 12 noon and 2pm on Friday 20th October.
If you would like to find out more about adoption, please do come along – no pressure, no commitment. Or if you’d just like to have an informal chat at a time that suits you, please don’t hesitate to call us on 01908 572700 – we’ll be delighted to talk to you.
If you’re taking your very first steps towards adoption, you can always find out about adoption on our I’d like to adopt page. We’d also encourage you to look through our extensive online resources and read some of our real adoption stories for inspiration. And if you have any questions about anything you read, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us – we’ll be happy to help.
Happy National Adoption Week!
*Based on information from Adoption Match which operates the Adoption Register for England on behalf of the Department for Education.
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