Potential adopters targeted in National Adoption Week

COULD you offer a happy, lifelong home to a child?

Lancashire County Council is asking people to think about whether they could offer a home to any of the Lancashire children in care who are ready to be adopted.

During National Adoption Week – October 31st-November 6th – the county council is asking potential adopters to imagine the life they could provide for a child and the pleasure and rewards it could bring.

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In particular, they are highlighting the achievements and emotional milestones children and young people reach during their lives, such as their first day at school, first music lesson, passing the driving test, or their wedding day.

County Coun. Susie Charles, Cabinet Member for Children and Schools, said: “Children need a secure home to support them as they go through life and reach the developmental milestones many of us take for granted. But not all children have this privilege.

“We look after about 1,300 children and young people in Lancashire who are unable to live with their families for different reasons. Of those, nearly 100 are ready to be adopted.

“If it’s in the child’s best interests, we usually try to reunite them with their families. But sometimes it becomes clear we need to find them a new, permanent family where they can settle and feel secure. We have a number of children in Lancashire ready for adoption.

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“When most people think of adoption, they think of babies, but these days children who need adoption are all ages. Some are looking for homes they can share with brothers or sisters, and some have already had a difficult time in their short lives.

“But we know prospective adopters are equally varied. All kinds of people adopt – what matters is their ability to love and care for a child throughout their childhood and beyond.

“They are not on their own – excellent support is available throughout the process and afterwards from Lancashire County Council. Adoption is a wonderful opportunity to create new families and we take it very seriously. There is the potential for so much happiness for both sides and I would encourage people to think carefully about whether it might be for them.”

Lancashire County Council supports and looks after adoptive parents at every stage of the process, from initial inquiry to approval. They also run a comprehensive post-adoption support service which adopters can tap into at any stage.

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Consideration is given to anyone who wishes to adopt, regardless of their age, marital status, sexuality or gender. Each inquiry is considered on its own merit. Neither are there strict rules about age, whether people should have jobs, own their own homes or have their own children.

The only legal requirements are that adopters must be over 21 and live within Lancashire or nearby. The county council would also be happy to consider people who have already adopted, already have a family, or are looking into adoption as they are unable to have children of their own.

More information is available at www.lancashire.gov.uk/love or by phoning 0800 195 1183.