You can adopt – new campaign launched

Blackburn with Darwen Council supports the launch of #YouCanAdopt campaign designed to dispel the myths on adoption and highlight the number of children looking for a new family.

A new nationwide campaign, #YouCanAdopt, is being launched to dispel myths around who is eligible to adopt and encourage more people to consider adoption.

There are 3,000 children in England who need an adoptive family every year and many are waiting to find their new family.

Research shows that many adults have considered adoption, or would consider adopting in the future, but 22% believed they would be eligible to in the North West.

A new heart wrenching film featuring adoptive families has been released as part of campaign alongside a podcast series featuring a number of famous voices talking about adoption

A coalition of National, Regional and Voluntary adoption agencies across the country, supported by the Department for Education (DfE), have joined forces to launch a nationwide recruitment campaign to raise awareness of adoption.

In the UK, there are almost 3,000 children that are in need of an adoptive family and the number of adoptions in England has fallen by a third in four years. In response, the new #YouCanAdopt campaign will bust myths around who is eligible to adopt and explore what the adoption process involves as well as highlight that especially during the COVID pandemic, there are still children out there who are looking for their new family.

Earlier this year, a new report revealed that 37% of adults in the North West have considered adoption or would consider adoption in future.2 But, despite this, 69% of adults do not feel they know much about the adoption process and this lack of knowledge may contribute to many people not taking the important first step.

With 43% of people admitting they do not know if they are eligible to adopt and 35% 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.

Some of the biggest misconceptions around eligibility are that single people, older people, and those who are LGBTQ+ are not allowed to adopt, which is not the case. The new data revealed that participants felt the following groups would be either ineligible to adopt or were unsure if they were eligible to adopt; over the age of 50 years old 65%, single 45% and LGBTQ+ 34%

The #YouCanAdopt campaign also aims to target potential parents from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, as these children traditionally wait longer to be matched with a new adoptive family. The campaign aims to encourage potential adoptive parents to also consider adopting older children, sibling groups and those with complex health needs or a disability.

To help shine a light on the diverse range of families who have and can adopt, a new emotive film has been released featuring singer Sinitta and TV vocal coaches Carrie and David Grant alongside other families who are joining in encouraging others to consider adoption.

In the film, the adoptive families recite a poem written by comedienne, writer and adoptee Joy Carter, which brings to life the stories of each of the families: the highs, lows and realities of adoption.

The film also dispels some key misconceptions about adoption using a recurrent theme – you can adopt. It is being released online and across social media during the campaign. A podcast series is also being released, featuring famous voices such as Anna Richardson, Sinitta, Harry Derbidge and Annie Price, who talk to families about the adoption process and the journey they took to adopt their children.

A survey of adults who have already adopted showed that collectively, more than two thirds (66%) of people said a loving home and to be able to provide stability are the two most important things a person needs before adopting a child.⁵ Almost half (44%) of people said their adopted child felt like part of the family within just a month and of the respondents that had biological children as well as an adopted child, three quarters (75%) reported a strong relationship between the siblings.

The adoption process has evolved over the last few years; it is simpler and quicker than it has been previously and there is a lot more support available with over three quarters (76%) of adoptive parents finding the support and resources helpful.⁵

Councillor Julie Gunn from Executive Member for Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education at Blackburn with Darwen Council said:

There are thousands of children who are in needs of families and this situation has only grown during the Covid crisis. We have set ourselves the challenging target of recruiting 100 new adoptive parents because we know how much these children need a home and a family.

If you think you could be one of them, are unsure of whether you are eligible or would just like to know more, please come forward for further information. You could be changing a child or young person’s live forever and also changing your own. We know that many people have considered adopting but they have been unable to take that next step – well now is the time because these children need you!”