Adoption agency widen their recruitment offer to meet high demand for adopters

Leading adoption agency, Adoption Matters, is widening it’s recruitment of adopters to meet the high level of demand of children waiting.

Data from the Adoption Leadership Board (ALB) published this month by the Department for Education shows that the number of approved adopters has declined during the last year. A new report, “Children looked after in England including adoption: 2016 to 2017” also reveals that the number of adopter approvals has dropped to around 700 each quarter, as opposed to over 1,000 in 2014-15 (approximately 2,800 a year). Meanwhile, the number of Adoption Placement Orders (which is an order that allows a child to be adopted) has remained relatively stable with approximately 1,000 orders being granted each quarter (around 4,000 a year).

Adoption Matters Chief Executive, Norman Goodwin, CBE commented: “There are currently more children than families currently waiting to be matched in the North West, which is also a national trend.

In the last 2 years the agency tightened our recruitment criteria to meet the high level of demand for sibling groups, children aged 4 and above, children from a BAME background and children with additional needs to help reduce the wait these children were experiencing in care. Whilst we would still encourage people to contact us if they could consider a child in these groups, we are also keen to accept enquiries from people interested in all aspects of adoption, including babies and toddlers as there is currently such a high demand for adopters”.

Adoption Matters placed 76 children with their forever families last year through adoption and they have been in operation for over 70 years, placing over 4,100 children. The agency, through their partnership service, The Centre for Adoption Support, offers ongoing support to their families for as long as they need.

As the agency is a independent not for profit charity, they work with local authority adoption teams across the whole of the UK, meaning they offer their families a wider ‘pool’ of children to consider for adoption.

You can be single, married, LGBTQ, working or retired to adopt and the agency provides full training and support. What you do need is the love and commitment to offer these many children a stable home.

Contact Adoption Matters on Freephone: 0300 123 1066 or click here to download a free information pack or informal chat.