Let’s Adopt supports national search for homes for four year-olds

Blackburn with Darwen Council is supporting National Adoption Week’s 2015 theme – Too old at four? – by increasing its search for forever families for children aged four or over as part of its ongoing Let’s Adopt campaign.

Older children are often part of sibling groups or living with learning difficulties, making them more difficult to place. However, Blackburn with Darwen has an above average success rate of finding homes for fours and above, with 40% of all children placed by the Council belonging to that age group during the last two and a half years.

Councillor Maureen Bateson, Executive Member for Children’s Services at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said:

What people don’t often realise is that four year-olds are still extremely dependent on their parents or guardians. Age four can sound very grown up, but really they need help to get dressed, aren’t yet at school and like lots of cuddles and attention.

The opportunity to build a strong, lifelong bond between parent and child is very real at that age. We understand, as with all adoptions, that post adoption support is crucial, which is why we offer a premium level of after care.

At four, there are still many milestones to experience as well as numerous ‘firsts’. People adopting a four year-old will enjoy taking their child for its first day at school, will attend their first parents’ evening and will go to their first sports day.”

Blackburn with Darwen Council is running a schedule of activities around National Adoption Week, including running a stall at Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School to reach experienced Asian Muslim parents who might be ready now to parent again and have the skills and love to take on a sibling group or older child.

Local churches are being contacted to provide a short video about adoption and the need for parents of older children, while lastly the council is asking our existing adopters to spread the word by putting up posters at work and speaking with their friends about the benefits of adopting a child aged four and above.

The annual awareness week (October 18 to 25 2015) is a UK-wide initiative to help find homes for children who can’t safely live with their birth parents.

For further information about adopting with Let’s Adopt, visit www.letsadopt.co.uk.