Adoption East Midlands is supporting the nationwide You Can Adopt campaign, The Journey, to inspire people to take the first step towards growing their family through adoption.

The new campaign emphasises that there isn’t a ‘perfect time’ or circumstances to start a family and shows that whilst the path may not always be smooth, the rewards of giving a child a loving, stable home are unparalleled. A new survey reveals that 60% of parents said they ‘never felt truly prepared’ to be a parent, and 78% said there is no such thing as a ‘perfect time’ to start a family. However, the vast majority now consider it to be the most rewarding experience of their life.

As part of the campaign, adopters from all walks of life are sharing the ups and downs of their own adoption journeys, highlighting that like all family trips, adoption is an experience that’s full of adventure, challenges, chaos and conversation – but most importantly, love.

Adoption experts have described a decline in adoption rates, with new data showing:

  • A 14% increase in children needing an adoptive family compared to 2022-23.
  • Children are waiting considerably longer than before to find a permanent home.
  • There are now more children in need of adoption than those coming forward to adopt.
  • We need adoptive parents for all kinds of children of all ages.

Each year, Adoption East Midlands needs to find adoptive families for approximately 150 children. Without enough families coming forward, children wait even longer.

For anyone considering growing their family, Adoption East Midlands has professional adoption support teams who can offer a wide range of support throughout the child’s journey through to adulthood and after– you will not be alone.

To help find permanent homes for these children, the You Can Adopt campaign aims to showcase that like any new parents, many prospective adopters worry about their ability to cope - but with adoption, this is a journey that can be navigated together, with a variety of dedicated support available along the way.

Group Manager for Adoption East Midlands, Shelagh Mitchell, commented: “Adoption East Midlands is once again thrilled to be supporting this new national campaign from You Can Adopt, to help find loving, nurturing and stable homes for our children to flourish and grow in.

“Adoption East Midlands has a dedicated team of social workers and family workers who provide ongoing support to children, families and adopted adults through every step of their journey, including multi-disciplinary support, keeping in touch with birth family and a variety of peer networks through our connected community of adopters.

“We want to join You Can Adopt in highlighting that there is never a ‘perfect time’ to start a family – if you can offer a home filled with love and stability to a child, you can adopt, and we would love to hear from you, so please do get in touch with us.”

Nottinghamshire County Council Cabinet Member for Children and Families, Councillor Tracey Taylor, said: “It’s very concerning to hear that there are now more children in need of adoption than those coming forward to adopt. We want to change this and help find permanent homes for the many children in need of them now more than ever.

“If you are considering adoption, I would urge you to take that first step and get in touch with the team at Adoption East Midlands, who will be more than happy to help you start your journey towards growing your family.”

We would welcome enquiries from anyone interested in knowing more about becoming adoptive families. If you live in or around Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Derby or Derbyshire and want to find out more about adoption, visit the Adoption East Midlands website or call  0115 804 4567.