Today mark’s the launch of Cumbria County Council’s latest adoption campaign to dispel myths around who’s eligible to adopt and encourage more people to consider adopting.
The campaign is part of a wider #YouCanAdopt national campaign which aims to highlight that, especially during the current pandemic, there are still children out there who are looking for their new family.
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.
With 43% of people admitting they do not know if they are eligible to adopt and 32% thinking they wouldn’t be able to, the new campaign aims to increase the number of people taking the first steps towards adopting a child.
Since the start of the pandemic in March Cumbria County Council has approved nine new adopters and found forever families for 13 children but there are still many more children across the county who are waiting for their new families.
Those thinking about adoption are being encouraged to attend one of our upcoming virtual information events to find out more about the children, process and support available, both during the assessment process and post-adoption.
Cllr Anne Burns, Cabinet Member for Children and Family Services, said: “Adopting a child is rewarding and life-changing and becoming an adopter is probably easier than you think.
“Our team has lots of experience helping people create a family and, even during the current pandemic, can offer a comprehensive programme of pre and post adoption training and support to those who wish to adopt.
“I’d encourage people who are thinking about adopting a child to take that first step and contact us or to attend our information event online.”
As part of its month-long campaign the council is also keen to bust some common myths about who can adopt. There are common misconceptions that single people, older people and those from the LBGT community are not eligible to adopt.
In fact, there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ adopter and Cumbria County Council welcomes adopters regardless of age, marital status, gender or sexuality and in most cases the process typically takes 6-8 months.
Children in the county who need adoptive families come from a variety of different backgrounds, many are under the age of 6, some need to live with their brothers or sisters and some have additional needs. What the children all have in common is that they have had unsettled experiences and need the love, care and security that an adoptive family can bring to their lives.
While our face to face information events have been put on hold due to the Coronavirus pandemic, those who wish to find out more can book a private telephone appointment or attend an upcoming virtual event:
- Thursday 24 September at 7pm
- Tuesday 13 October at 7pm
Event and appointment dates and more information about the children waiting, the process and the support available can be found at www.cumbria.gov.uk/adoption and on Facebook – search Fostering and Adoption with Cumbria County Council.
