New figures show 7% increase in children awaiting adoption in the UK
10 May 2018New data from the Adoption Leadership Board shows an increase in the number of children waiting to be adopted in the UK. The latest figures, published this week, also reveal a 17% decline in the number of people approved as adopters.
At the end of March 2017 there were 2,470 children waiting to be adopted (a 7% increase on December 2016) while the number of people approved as adopters fell from 3,610 (2015/16) to 2,980 in 2016/17. First4Adoption Head of Service, Gemma Gordon-Johnson said : “Sadly, these statistics reinforce the urgent need to find the right adopters for children who so desperately need them. We urge anyone who feels they may have what it takes to become an adoptive parent to contact us and find out more”.
The findings are published in a document entitled “ALB Business Intelligence Quarter 4 2016-2017”. The report also shows that :
34% of adoption approvals were made by councils within 6 months – compared with 30 per cent the previous year.
The average time between a placement order being issued and a match with a child was 6 – compared with eight months the previous year.
The number of adopter registrations in 2016/17 fell by 2% compared with 2015/16.
Read the full report here
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