Call to adopt easier way to help

A new approach is making the process of adopting a child more straightforward, as Catherine Scott reports.
Seven-month-old Rebecca Slater and mum Helen, from Rotherham, get some advice from Jennie Madden from 'Being Family'Seven-month-old Rebecca Slater and mum Helen, from Rotherham, get some advice from Jennie Madden from 'Being Family'
Seven-month-old Rebecca Slater and mum Helen, from Rotherham, get some advice from Jennie Madden from 'Being Family'

Lisa Jackson always knew she was adopted, and she always knew that she would go onto adopt a child herself.

Now, during National Adoption Week, Lisa from South Yorkshire, is backing a pioneering new approach to adoption.

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The new initiative sees the launch of a Yorkshire and Humber adoption brand, Being Family, which for the first time will bring together all adoption agencies across Yorkshire and Humber under one umbrella.

As part of the new approach there will be a dedicated freephone helpline line (0300 222 5934) and website (www.beingfamily.co.uk) where prospective adopters can access all the information they will need about adoption in the region.

This is the first time such a unified approach has been offered to anybody considering adoption. Previously, anybody interested in adoption would have had to contact several different local authorities to obtain all the information they needed to progress.

Nic Haughton, manager at the Yorkshire and Humber Adoption Consortium, who are leading the project, said: “The aim of this new initiative is really to ensure we are offering a unified approach to adoption across the region.

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“Ultimately we want all the early stages of becoming an adopter to become much more integrated. We want to remove obstacles which may currently exist that could be putting a potential adopter off taking that first step, and that includes making the process as easy and straightforward as possible.”

Being Family sets out to actively dispel some of the myths and perceived barriers attached to the adoption process, highlighting the positive experience it brings children and adoptive families. Nic says: “This new approach is about reassuring people that adoption could be right for them and that adopters come from all walks of life. We are making the process easier and more accessible to eliminate any worries.”

A road show at Meadowhall, Sheffield on Monday was the first of eight, “pop-up” road shows, to take place across the Yorkshire and Humber region over the coming months. A specialist team invited communities to describe “what family means” to them.

By capturing the family values of local communities from across the region, Being Family aims to build a big picture of what family means to the people of Yorkshire and Humber, to reassure prospective adopters that families really do come in all shapes and sizes and that perceived circumstance should not be a barrier in helping an individual’s own path to adopting a child.

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Across the Yorkshire and Humber region there has been a rise year-on-year in the number of children not being matched with adopters. Yorkshire and Humberside Adoption Consortium have estimated that 810 new children will need adoptive families this year, rising to 900 in 2014.

It’s a similar picture nationally, with approximately 6,600 children awaiting adoption and only 1,800 approved adopters waiting for a child. “We have an increasing shortfall of children waiting to be matched with approved adopters every year, while the number of new children looking for adoptive families continues to grow,” says Nic Haughton.

“Please do call our dedicated phone line or come down to one of our ‘pop-up’ road shows over the coming months to have a chat and take away some information to find out how thoroughly rewarding adopting is.”

Lisa Jackson, an adopter from South Yorkshire, supporting the new campaign “There are so many myths about adoption, but I want people to see that the process is open to people from all walks of life.

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“I always knew I was adopted and I always knew I’d adopt – even before I met my partner it was something I knew I’d do.”

“Just like my daughter, I was adopted as a baby – I was six weeks old and she was four months old – so more than anyone, I’ll be able to empathise and explain 
how and why we became a family.”

For further information about Being Family and the adoption process, visit www.beingfamily.co.uk or call 0300 222 5934.

National Adoption Week

National Adoption Week was established in 1997 by BAAF (British Adoption and Fostering) to encourage people from across the UK to adopt.

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The campaign supports children who are more difficult to place; these include siblings, children with disabilities, and children from some black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

The week emphasises the difference adoption can make to a child’s life. It also offers advice to people wanting to research their own adoption or find a child.

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