Adults in UK urged to consider adopting children as stark statistic emerges

Adults in the UK are being urged to consider adopting to prevent a record number of children from growing up in care. As of June this year, 2,940 children were waiting to be placed with a family, representing a 45.5% increase over the past three years. During the same period, the number of adults waiting to adopt decreased to 1,420, a 42.7% drop, according to data commissioned by the Department for Education.

To address the issue, Adoption Focus has launched a campaign, 'The Long Wait', aimed at challenging misconceptions and highlighting the urgent need for more adoptive parents. Anna Sharkey, CEO of the voluntary adoption agency, said the "shocking" part is that children are considered "too old when they're as young as four or five". She told the Express: "When people are thinking about adoption, people are still tending to think about very young children." As a result, she said many "children are missing out".

Ms Sharkey continued: "There's an adoption crisis happening quietly in the background of our society, and it's not being talked about enough. These are children who have already experienced loss, trauma, and instability, and they deserve the chance of a permanent, loving home."

Most children who are adopted are under the age of seven. By the time a child reaches five or six, the adoption window is already beginning to close. "Children are waiting because there aren't enough people coming forward. Half of the number of children will end up without a placement. And the longer they wait, the harder it gets."

The shortage of adoptive parents has resulted in longer waits for children with placement orders - now averaging almost 10 months. The number of children waiting 18 months or more has risen to 410, while those aged five and over are waiting an average of 508 days, according to official data.

Ms Sharkey is urging anyone who has "ever thought about it, and then discounted yourself" to seek more information.

Long-term stays in care can have a negative impact on children of any age. "It can impact their schooling outcomes," Ms Sharkey explained, adding that "they are also potentially moving into adulthood on their own."

Common myths - such as single people being unable to adopt, needing a certain income level, being LGBTQ, having other children, or having a minor past conviction - continue to deter prospective adopters. "What we're interested in is who you are," she said.

Ben and Aaron, who adopted their child through Adoption Focus, initially doubted whether they would be eligible due to their sexuality and health concerns. "I wasn't sure if I would qualify to be a parent, but the adoption agency said the reason wasn't relevant," Ben told the Express.

He added: "Aaron and I aren't tiny, and I thought, am I healthy enough to be able to keep up with a 4-year-old or a child? And then the other thing is sexuality. Because of being a gay dad, that was always a worry on my mind." However, their doubts were quickly dismissed by the agency, which emphasised that providing a loving and safe environment was what mattered most.

Ben said the most unexpected aspect of adoption is that "it's addictive". He added, "I could quite happily go in and adopt every little child there is if I had the room, because when he comes home from school, it is just the look on his face, he's always so happy."

Ben and Aaron's son was later diagnosed with ADHD and autism, which was "a lot more challenging than we thought it was going to be". Combined with his "traumatic childhood experiences", the couple leaned on their "fantastic" support network to navigate the challenges.

Ben noted that behaviours often become "more challenging" the longer a child is in care, as they form attachments to foster carers before being "ripped away" for adoption. "Having that tear again is another force of trauma for him," he said.

His advice for prospective adopters is that "having a sense of humour, being a bit silly" goes a long way, and so does "not being afraid to fight for your child".