A local voluntary adoption agency and charitable trust, Families for Children, is questioning why there are no adopters coming forward in Somerset.
As numbers of children waiting to be adopted has grown by 8% since last year, Families for Children are urgently appealing for people to come forward to adopt.
Jim Fitton, Somerset Practice Manager says, “We are at a loss as to why we have so few enquiries about adoption within the county. We are reminding people that whilst Local Authority Agencies are regionalising their services in the South West people still have a choice as to who can take them through the adoption process. Families for Children is the alternative to Local Authority and we need adopters today.”
Recent statistics from the Adoption Leadership Board report that there are currently 2,500 children in the UK waiting to be adopted. For every year they wait, their chances of being adopted decreases by 20%.
Jim continues, “We are still feeling the effects of the situation we were in 2 years ago where there were very few children with adoption orders and we had an abundance of adopters waiting for children – this is now not the case and we hope to raise awareness in the county about the urgent need for adopters for all kinds of children waiting.”
Recently awarded ’Outstanding’ from OFSTED for a third consecutive time, the Agency is launching a campaign to let potential adopters know that they have a choice when it comes to adoption. Choosing Families for Children means that potential adopters would be benefiting from over 25 years’ experience as specialists in adoption and have access to an adoption support service that is individually tailored to the needs of children, young people and families – something which is unique to the agency. Families for Children has a dedicated team of skilled social workers locally, who will be with you every step of the way
from the moment you pick up the phone.
Families for Children is not limited to placing children from the local area and are able to search UK wide to match a child with the right adoptive family.
A local adopter says, “The Agency has always gone the extra mile to do everything possible to support us and guide us through the process. I would greatly recommend them to anyone considering adopting or seeking advice on adoption.”
Families for Children would be pleased to talk to anyone who is considering adoption and urge you not to wait. We can reassure you about some of the common myths around adoption and talk about the process and its possibilities for you.
All kinds of people can adopt regardless of marital status, disability, gender, religion or sexual orientation. It doesn’t matter if you own your own home or whether you have had children or not. We are just asking for you to be able to provide a safe and loving home for one of these many children, so please pick up the phone and find out more.
This year also marks two special milestones for the charity. One is 25 years since the charity began and the second is celebrating 70 years of adoption records which are held by the charity, relating to children placed in the South West. During that time, Families for Children has placed over 750 children with adoptive families in Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and Somerset and wants to continue that success.
Families for Children’s next information meeting will be held on the 19th May 2018 from 10 am at Monks Yard, Horton Manor, Ilminster TA19 9PT
If you would like to book a specific slot or the above or just for an informal discussion about adoption please call 01271 612004
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