‘A Life Less Ordinary’ national adoption campaign

Adopt South West is part of a new #YouCanAdopt national campaign, ‘A Life Less Ordinary’, to encourage the public to think differently about adoption and the children waiting longest to find a stable home.

While there has been a significant increase in the number of people coming forward to adopt, most are seeking a single, very young child.

In fact, adopters are in greatest need of brother and sister groups, older children, those with additional needs and children from ethnic minority backgrounds. Children from these groups represent 65% of all those waiting to be adopted, with many facing year-long delays compared to those without these characteristics.

For example:

• children over five wait 13 months longer to be adopted from care
• children with a disability wait 11 months longer
• children in a sibling group wait 11 months longer
• children from an ethnic minority (excluding white minorities) wait three
  months longer

The new ‘A Life Less Ordinary’ campaign aims to highlight the life-changing experience of adopting a child who may wait longer to be adopted (such as older children, brother and sister groups and those with additional needs), highlighting that while some children may be seen as ‘harder to place’, they are not harder to love.

While it might not always be easy, there is a range of support available for all adoptive parents, in particular for those who adopt children who typically wait longest. This support starts with preparation to adopt, and includes support groups, training, workshops, family days and more specialised therapy.

For more information and to find out more about adopting a child who needs it most, and check to see if you are ready to adopt.