This week, Adoption Focus is joining together with other adoption agencies across the UK for National Adoption Week 2025. The week runs from 20th to the 26th October, and seeks to draw attention to the urgent need for new adopters while dispelling some myths about what is required from people looking to adopt.
The principal aim of the campaign is to show that children waiting to be adopted don’t need a ‘perfect home’, they need a ‘welcome home’.
A new survey by You Can Adopt reveals that nearly nine in ten adoptive parents (86 per cent) were worried they needed a 'perfect home' to pass the adoption assessment process. In reality, just over two fifths (41 per cent) of adoptive parents surveyed live in a house with two bedrooms, two thirds (65 per cent) don't have a garden, and a quarter live in rented accommodation (25 per cent). These misconceptions, along with the current cost of living, have led to a 12 per cent decrease in families registering to adopt in the last year.
Adoption Focus CEO Anna Sharkey said:
“A crisis in adoption has been developing over the last couple of years. We have seen an increase in the number of children with a plan for a new family through adoption, but fewer people with an interest in adoption coming forward and speaking to agencies. Adoption Focus is working hard to raise awareness of this issue, and we’re proud to be involved in National Adoption Week.”
At present, there are 2,940 children in England waiting to be adopted across the country. These children need safe, loving, permanent adoptive families as soon as possible. If you have an interest in adoption, please don’t rule yourself out without getting in touch with us. They don’t need a ‘perfect home’, they need a ‘welcome home’.
Please contact us using the from below, or book onto one of our regular information events.
