Thanks to Chris for sharing this latest adoption news. Ed
New statistics published today to mark National Adoption Week (19th – 25th October) reveal that the average age of children waiting to be placed in adoptive families is just four years old.
These figures from national adoption information service, First4Adoption, are based on information from the National Adoption Register – the database which records the details of children who have waited the longest to be matched with adoptive families.
Focus for National Adoption Week
Gemma Gordon-Johnson, Head of Service at First4Adoption says:
“We’ve known for some time that potential adopters often prefer to parent a baby rather than an older child. What’s surprising is that these so-called older children are as young as four.
Our focus this National Adoption Week is to find homes for these children – many of whom are in sibling groups or who have complex needs.”
Results of survey
To coincide with National Adoption Week First4Adoption has commissioned a survey examining people’s attitudes to adoption, families and children.
The survey, conducted by Future Foundation, includes the following findings:
- People who live with children are twice as likely to say that children of four and over are less demanding than children under the age of four
- 43% of under-40s say they would consider adopting in the future
- 54% of people aged 41-66 say living with young children makes them feel younger
Gemma Gordon-Johnson adds,
“It’s heartening to know that so many people who live with children aged four and over find them so rewarding. This flies in the face of the idea that so-called older children are more difficult to manage.
“It’s also wonderful to discover that the next generation of parents are thinking of adoption as a way of completing their family.”
Image: edenpictures under CC BY 2.0
