Nearly a third of people (31%) believe they wouldn’t be eligible to adopt yet there are actually very few barriers.
A new adoption campaign – #youcanadopt – aims to clear up some of the confusion around adoption. You can adopt if you are:
- Single
- LGBT+
- Over 45
- Renting
- Live with a disability
- Have birth children
The campaign also highlights that many of the 3000 children waiting to be adopted are black and minority ethnic and typically these children wait on average 18 months longer for a permanent family.
At PACT we work with people from all backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities. Last year more than a quarter of our adopters identified as black or minority ethnic. Meet some of our amazing adoptive families.
*Marc and Simon, an interracial, same sex couple, adopted two brothers aged 20 months and 10 months old. Marc said both he and Simon love family life, and being parents.
“We’re obviously still learning all the time but I think parenting did come very naturally to us, and that’s nice because it feels like we were meant to be parents.
“And the transformation in our boys is just phenomenal. They have just thrived from feeling loved and secure in our lives and our home. It’s changed our lives completely too – it’s really given us a new sense of meaning and purpose. We both just want to be the best parents we can possibly be.”
Tony and Sarah adopted their daughter when she was a year old, Tony said:
“Adoption was something we had always considered. We had IVF treatment and were blessed with our son *Franklin after the second attempt. But if it hadn’t worked we would have gone down the adoption road instead.”
When it came to them wanting to extend their family, they decided that rather than go through IVF again, they would find out more about adoption.
“The process of adoption is one that benefits all involved, that is why it is thorough and concise ensuring everyone is well matched.
“Our experience of the whole adoption process was shared and well received by all of our peers, family and community. This gave us much joy and realisation that we were doing the right thing.”
Tony went on to say:
“There are so many children in the system that all need someone to love them and give them a chance. Anyone thinking about adoption should consider taking a chance with the process as the benefits outweigh the risks of not doing it.”
Ruth and her husband are a mixed race couple, their daughter came home when she was 14 months old, Ruth said:
“We did have preconceived thoughts before we started. You hear horror stories about the length of time it takes and the scrutiny of your life – things like them delving into your finances, medical records, past partners etc. For us, these things weren’t too much of a concern as we were happy to be transparent and understood why it needed to be done.
“I guess the thing that worried us the most was talking about past painful experiences – our fertility journey and the loss of parents in our youth. But we had a wonderful social worker that put us at ease, so although there were a few tears shed, it was quite a cathartic experience.”
PACT is committed to reducing the adoption waiting time for ‘priority children’ of black and minority ethnic heritage and will work with prospective adopters to ensure the assessment process is as efficient as possible.
PACT is appealing to anyone who feels they could offer a secure and loving family to a child or children to get in touch to find out more. PACT has a downloadable Guide to Adoption on its website at www.pactcharity.org.
You can also call 0300 456 4800 or email enquiries@pactcharity.org to contact their friendly enquiries team to ask any questions or book a place at one of their information events, currently being held online via Zoom.
*names changed to protect identity
Written by Grace Gomez
