Queue of children waiting to be adopted in Central Beds is growing

It comes as the number of approved families waiting to adopt has fallen steadily since the coronavirus pandemic, with more children now waiting for a placement than homes available.

This week is National Adoption Week, an opportunity for charities to encourage people from all walks of life to consider adopting.

Adoption agency Coram is calling for a more diverse range of families to consider adoption.

Coram and Department for Education figures show 10 children in Central Bedfordshire were waiting to be adopted by a family after a placement order had been issued as of the end of March.

Across England, 2,580 children with a placement order were waiting to be matched with a home – the highest figure since December 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, the number of families volunteering to adopt has steadily decreased from a pandemic peak in March 2022, falling by almost a third to 1,800 as of March.

At the end of every quarter since June last year, more children have been waiting with a placement order than families approved to adopt.

Coram CEO Dr Carol Homden said the figures show a downward trend in people enquiring about and being approved for adoption.

She added: "This National Adoption Week we are encouraging more people to come forward to find out more about whether adoption might be for them.

"For all the challenges adoption can bring, our experience tells us that for the overwhelming majority, adoption is a hugely rewarding journey for children and parents.

"We are encouraging people from all walks of life to consider whether they have the room in their hearts and their home for any of the many young children currently waiting to be adopted."

Statistics show 2,940 children nationally were placed with an adopting family in the year to March, but the time it takes to find a placement varied greatly due to age and characteristics.

Of the children adopted last year, those aged five and over waited almost four years from entering care to being adopted. This dropped to just over two years for under-fives.

It took an average of three years for a disabled child to be adopted last year, while ethnic minority children had to wait more than two years, both higher than the average.

In Central Bedfordshire, 16 children were adopted last year, waiting an average of more than two years.

Minister for Children and Families Janet Daby said: "Adoption is a life-changing experience for both the child and carers. The value of being loved completely and unconditionally is the foundation for achievement that all children need.

"Sadly, not enough people are coming forward despite the huge number of children in need of a loving home. We deeply encourage everyone from all walks of life and a diverse range of backgrounds to consider adopting to be the difference for children."

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