Published on Monday 14 October 2019
More people are being urged to come forward during National Adoption Week, which this year is from 14 – 20 October, in an effort to provide homes for children across Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and Dorset.
Aspire Adoption, the Regional Adoption Agency for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council & Dorset Council are appealing for families to come forward. The agency, which was one of the first of its like in England, has placed 135 children from the BCP Council & Dorset areas since its launch in July 2017.
Heather Freeman, Service Manager of Aspire Adoption said:
"Finding families for some of the most vulnerable children in our region is at the heart of this year’s National Adoption Week campaign.
I urge anyone who has been thinking about adoption to give us a call and have an informal chat with one of our friendly team. We are always looking to speak to potential adopters for children of all ages, but in particular we would like to speak to anyone considering adopting siblings, children aged 4 or over, those little ones with additional needs and children from different ethnicities.
There are many myths around adoption, so what we are doing this National Adoption Week is saying to people to Count Yourself In. To be eligible to adopt you have to be 21 or over, you can be single, married or in a long term relationship. You can be from any ethnic or religious background and it doesn’t matter if you are heterosexual or from the LGBT community. We need people to come forward who can give a safe and loving forever home to a child."
Andrew Christie, Chair of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board said:
"Please don’t rule yourself out because there is something about you or your family’s circumstances that you think would make you unsuitable – all sorts of people make great adopters!
To those that have adopted a child from care, I want to thank you personally for the commitment and love you bring to parenting some of our most vulnerable children. And, if you know someone that has adopted or someone that is considering adoption, please give them your support."
Councillor Sandra Moore, Cabinet member for children and families, BCP Council said:
"There are many vulnerable children of all ages from across the BCP Council and Dorset Council who would thrive from being part of a family in loving and supportive homes. I would encourage people who are interested in finding out more about adoption to contact Aspire Adoption and help make a positive difference to a child’s future."
Aspire are currently family finding for 30 children across the region, but latest figures suggest that there are as many as 350 children in the South West who need an adoptive home. Aspire are asking anyone who is considering adoption to give them a call on 0300 123 9868 for an informal chat. More information about adoption can be found on the Aspire website www.aspireadoption.co.uk or on their social media pages. There will also be an information evening about becoming an adopter on Monday 21 October in Poole. Please give Aspire a ring if you are interested in going along.