Charity encourages more people to adopt

The campaign, which coincides with National Adoption Week (4-10 November), has been launched by adoption information service First4Adoption.

It draws upon Government figures for March 2012, which shows that there were 4,600 children in England waiting to be adopted.

First4Adoption, run by charities Coram Children’s Legal Centre, Coram and Adoption UK, has launched its campaign alongside new research, published on behalf of the Department for Education, that shows people’s likelihood of adopting varies depending on where they live.

The research of more than 4,900 adults shows that Londoners are most likely to offer a child a home. Of the four million people in England who said they are ‘certain’ or ‘very likely’ to adopt, the largest group - 309,800 people - live in London.

Those less likely to adopt live in the South East, East Anglia, Yorkshire & Humber, and the South West.

The research also shows that myths, for example that you cannot adopt if you are over 40, single, gay or living in rented accomodation, continue to be a major barrier to people coming forward to adopt.

According to First4Adoption, nearly a quarter of those who live in London and almost a fifth in the West Midlands, who have contacted the service to find out more about adopting, are single.

First4Adoption says that around a third of adults across the country that have called them are women aged 41-50 years old.

Gemma Gordon-Johnson, head of service at First4Adoption, said, ‘There are thousands of boys and girls who would massively benefit from the love and security that a new loving family could give them.

‘It is really encouraging that so many people who are aged over 40 or who are single are starting to come forward to find out more about adopting. However, we need to continue to bust those persistent myths around who can adopt so that more people come forward to adopt one of the thousands of children who urgently need new homes.