Call for prospective parents as 200 children waiting to be adopted in London

Dr Homden said Coram will talk to anyone in the capital considering adoption.
Shutterstock/Motortion Films
Anna Davis @_annadavis14 October 2020

Two hundred children are waiting to be adopted in London, new figures show, as the capital’s biggest adoption agency called for more prospective parents from London to come forward.

Carol Homden, Chief Executive of Coram, the oldest children’s charity in the UK which also operates as an adoption agency, said: “Children across London are waiting…if you are a Londoner and are considering adoption, we want to hear from you.”

It comes as education secretary Gavin Williamson today called for an overhaul of the “overly bureaucratic” adoption system.

He said “too many lifestyle judgements” are made on potential adopters, meaning there are not enough adoptive parents to go around. The shortfall is resulting in children being “bounced around the system” as they wait for a family.

People who rent instead of own their property, or who are not “a perfect ethnic match” find it harder to adopt because of the “narrow mindedness or even snobbery” in the system, Mr Williamson said in a speech to mark National Adoption Week.

He also announced £2.8million in funding for Voluntary Adoption Agencies to allow them to continue to work during the pandemic.

Dr Homden said Coram will talk to anyone in the capital considering adoption.

She said: “London needs more adopters. Children across London are waiting and we need to ensure everything is being done to ensure they wait no longer. The government's commitment to recruitment of new families today is welcome, and we are working hard to encourage adopters from all backgrounds to come forward and find out what is involved. If you are a Londoner and are considering adoption, we want to hear from you."

The charity has seen a 24 per cent increase in enquiries from prospective adopters during the past six months, and believes this is because the increased time at home during the pandemic has created a new focus on the importance of a loving family.

Despite the increase in enquiries, there is still an urgent need for more prospective adopters. Dr Homden said: “The latest data shows that there are over 200 children waiting to be adopted in London alone and more adopters are likely to be needed to meet their diverse needs, especially if there is a rise of children coming into care due to the pandemic. Many of these children are very young and cannot afford further delay.”

Coram runs special “family finding events” where children are matched with adoptive families. These have been adapted with social distancing measures in place so that children who have been waiting the longest can still be placed with adoptive families.

Across the country there are around 2,400 children waiting for adoption, but just over 1,800 approved adopters.

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