Since its launch in 1997, National Adoption Week has gone from strength to strength, reaching people across the UK wanting to know if they can adopt.
This year’s National Adoption Week is focussing on siblings. Those of us lucky enough to have brothers and sisters know how special the relationship between siblings can be. The mutual support they give each other and their shared histories are priceless gifts that help people flourish during their journey through life.
Adopted children have usually had a hard start in life and it is even more important for them to experience the stability and support that being with their brothers and sisters can bring.
Sadly, sibling groups are amongst the children who wait longest to be adopted. Without enough adopters who are able to give these children a loving, secure and permanent home together, brothers and sisters will wait longer for a family or may even have to be split up and adopted separately. Being placed with their siblings may not be the best option for every child, but it is a tragedy if the shortage of adopters willing and able to adopt siblings when it is in their best interest is the only reason why brothers and sisters cannot stay together.
Of course, not every adopter is able to adopt more than one child and there are also many single children who need to be adopted, but we ask anyone who thinks they could become a parent to a child or children through adoption, please take that first step and find out more.