York families sought to adopt older children and siblings

National Adoption Week 2015 takes place this week from 19 to 25 October with the theme ‘Too old at 4?’

Older children waiting to be adopted are often likely to be in sibling groups or to have additional needs and there is currently a shortage of adoptive parents coming forward for these children.

Sadly, sibling groups, those with complex needs and children from black and minority ethnic families are amongst the children who wait longest to be adopted.

During National Adoption Week 2015, City of York Council is joining all its adoption partners to work together to highlight the need to find adoptive families for these children.

While it’s great news that York has no children waiting to be adopted at the moment, across the country there are brothers and sisters, older children and those with special needs or disabilities looking for forever families. Could that be you?

City of York Council is hosting an information event on 2 November from 6:30-8:30pm in central York where you can find out more about what adoption involves and whether it could be right for you. . To book a place please contact the duty adoption worker on: adoptiondutyworker@york.gov.uk or phone 01904 553525.

Anyone interested in adopting or who would like to know more can find lots of useful information onthe Yorkshire and Humber Adoption Consortium website: http://beingfamily.co.uk/ or can phone the national adoption information service – First4Adoption on 0300 222 0022 where the friendly advisers will be happy to answer questions. The First4Adoption information line is open Monday-Friday between 10am and 6pm. You can also find information on their website at http://www.first4adoption.org.uk/

Adoption success in York

Thanks to the efforts of social workers in York and adoptive parents across the country there are currently no children and young people from York waiting for adoption.

Because the council’s area is geographically small, York children needing adoption are placed outside York by City of York Council’s Adoption Team and approved adoptive parents in York are matched with children from across the country. Mary McKelvey, Adoption Service Manager, stressed that this arrangement means that there are still lots of children from outside the city – particularly siblings and children over the age of three – who are looking for loving homes.

She explained: “It’s great news that we don’t have any children from York who are waiting to find permanent loving homes at present. This is down to the hard work of the social work teams in York and adoptive parents across the country with whom we have placed children. However, there are hundreds of children across the country who are still waiting to be adopted and I would urge anyone considering adoption to get in touch to find out more.”

For more information on adopting in York visit www.york.gov.uk/adoption, call 01904 553525 email adoption@york.gov.uk or visit ‘Adoption and Fostering York’ on Facebook

York selected to pilot new Adoption Register Scheme

City of York Council is today (28 July) being given the green light to allow people approved to adopt to search the national Adoption Register for the first time.

The council has been specially selected to pilot the scheme which will allow approved adopters to learn more about the children who are waiting for a loving, stable home.

From this September, they will be able to find out about their hobbies, likes and dislikes, and hear them speak and laugh in videos and pictures to help match children waiting with their new family.
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Adoption Information Event

City of York Council is hosting one of its regular Information Events for anyone interested in finding out more about adoption next week (Monday 14 April).

The information events, which are help jointly with North Yorkshire County Council and East Riding Council, provide an informal opportunity to anyone interested in adoption to find out more about what’s involved.

The next information session will be held in York on Monday 14 April between 6.30 and 8.30pm. To book a place please call 01904 553525or email adoption@york.gov.uk

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Adoption week thanks

Adoption chiefs are thanking everyone who came to their Adoption Information Event earlier this month, which formed part of the celebrations for National Adoption Week (4-10 November).

The next information session will be held at West Offices in York on Tuesday 10 December between 6.30 and 8.30pm. Please book in advance by calling 01904 553525 or 553508, or email adoptionandfostering@york.gov.uk

Nationally 4,000 children are waiting to find an adoptive family, but for one in four it is likely to remain only a dream.

And for every year a child waits their chances of being adopted reduce by 20 per cent.

City of York Council has historically approved around 12 new adoptive families each year, but is looking to increase this to at least 18 families in 2013/14 and 21 in 2014/15.

National Adoption Week: Find out more about adoption

York is joining in the national celebrations for National Adoption Week (4-10 November) by encouraging people to find out more about adoption.

Across the UK 4,000 children are waiting to find an adoptive family, but for one in four it is likely to remain only a dream. And for every year a child waits their chances of being adopted reduce by 20 per cent. National Adoption Week is for anyone who would like to help change this, so that every child waiting in care finds somewhere they can feel safe and loved.

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Adoption numbers up in York

National data is showing that the number of adoptions in England and Wales increased by almost ten per cent last year compared to 2011.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that there were 5,206 adoptions in 2012 compared to 4,740 in 2011.

The number of children adopted in York has also increased in the same period, with 13 adoptions in 2011/12 and 14 in 2012/13. A total of 20 children are preparing to be placed for adoption during 2013/14, once arrangements with their new families and the courts have been finalised.

The figures from the ONS are made up of adoptions that took place following court orders in England and Wales in 2012 and apply to adoptions by relatives and step-parents as well as adoptions from care. More information is available at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/

For information about how to adopt in York contact the council’s Family Placements Team on 01904 555333 or email adoptionandfostering@york.gov.uk