National Adoption Week 2021

18th-23rd October

In the UK, there are almost 3,000 children in need of an adoptive family and the number of adoptions in England has fallen by a third in four years. In response, a new national recruitment campaign has been launched.  #YouCanAdopt aims to bust myths around who is eligible to adopt and explore what the adoption process involves. It also seeks to highlight that there are still children out there who are waiting too lonf for their “forever family”.

The nationwide campaign is being delivered by a group of Regional Adoption Agencies, Voluntary Adoption Agencies and key stakeholders working in adoption in England. It is supported by the Department for Education.

When it comes to people from diverse ethnic backgrounds, there are a number of barriers and misconceptions that can deter people from taking the first step toward adoption. This includes concerns about housing or finances, worries about their age or a mistrust of authority. Some of these barriers have been amplified by recent events including the Black Lives Matter movement and the coronavirus pandemic.

At a time when national statistics reveal that black and mixed-heritage children wait longer to be matched with a new adoptive family, new data from the National Adoption Recruitment Steering Group shows that black communities have positive views around adoption, with 80% stating that they have either adopted, considered or would consider adopting a child in the future.

This National Adoption Week and Black History Month, our focus will be to appeal to potential parents from black African and black Caribbean backgrounds to accurately and positively improve perceptions about adoption and to raise awareness that the key attributes for adopting a child is providing a loving, safe and stable home and that factors such as occupation, salary, the size of someone’s home, home ownership or age are not important.

Further information can be found at www.youcanadopt.co.uk