Celebrating the first Midlands Adoption Week
Adopt Birmingham is supporting initiatives during the first Midlands Adoption Week from Monday, 12 February 2024, to highlight the need for more adoptive parents for children from the region, and to break down some of the misconceptions about who can adopt.
The Midlands wide campaign which sees both Regional Adoption Agencies and Voluntary Adoption Agencies working side by side to specifically draw attention to the needs for adopters for children, right here in this region.
Andrew Logie, Head of Service for Adopt Birmingham, said: “The campaign is a fantastic opportunity to join forces with other agencies in the Midlands to find families for the children waiting to be adopted. For anyone in the region who has ever considered adoption, use this week to learn about the process, and if you could provide a loving and stable home for children, please get in touch.”
In Birmingham alone, there are 105 children in care waiting to be adopted.
- 30 of the 105 children are four years old or over, ‘older’ children wait longer to be adopted and are often in a sibling group where one or more of their brothers and/or sisters are also in the care system waiting to be adopted.
- 1/3 of the 105 children are in care with their brother(s) /and or sister(s) and Adopt Birmingham works hard to find adoptive families who can keep brothers and sisters together.
- 60 of the 105 children are of ethnic minority heritage, or mixed/unknown heritage.
Adopt Birmingham is looking to recruit adopters from across the region. Recruiting within a 50-mile radius of Birmingham, including Dudley, Coventry, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Solihull, and areas of Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Shropshire, and Staffordshire.
There are numerous reasons why you may be considering adoption and there also may be several misconceptions holding you back from adopting.
The awareness-raising campaign will work to break down some of the misconceptions about who can adopt such as:
- You can be single, living with a partner, married or divorced
- You can be from any ethnicity or religious background
- You can identify as LGBTQ+
- You can be a homeowner or live in rented accommodation
- You can be employed, unemployed or retired
- You can be starting your family or growing your family
- You can live with extended family