East Riding of Yorkshire Council adoption team is looking for people who can give a loving home to sibling groups, enabling them to keep brothers and sisters together.
Next week 3 to 9 November – is National Adoption Week, with the focus on finding loving homes for sibling groups, who are among the children who wait longest to be adopted.
In the East Riding, there are currently four sibling groups among the children waiting for adoption. Adopted children usually have a hard start in life, and it is even more important for them to experience the stability and support that being with their brothers, and sisters can bring.
For one family, which has recently adopted three young siblings, it has already proven to be a worthwhile experience.
“It is hard work but it is also very rewarding to watch them develop, especially the youngest one, who has picked up so much from what the older ones are doing and is coming on in leaps and bounds. I think it would have been a lot harder for them if they had been split up,” said the children’s adoptive father.
The adoption team would welcome applications from all sectors of the community.
Ian Wilson, the council’s adoption manager, said: “There are no blanket bans in adoption, so please don’t think we’ll turn you down because you’re over 40, single, or don’t own your own home.
“What we really need is people who can offer a sibling group a loving and supporting family for life. People who can help a child recover from the reasons why they came into care and can help them go on to thrive in a new family.
“Initially, we are simply asking people to come forward and find out more about adoption. If you think you might have what it takes, please pick up the phone today or book a place at our information event near Beverley on Wednesday 12 November.”
The council runs monthly information events in partnership with York and North Yorkshire councils.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council is part of the Yorkshire and Humberside adoption consortium, which consists of 17 adoption agencies. They work together in linking adopters and children within the region, aiming to place children more quickly and reduce waiting time for prospective adopters.
There are an estimated 800 children across the Yorkshire and Humber region needing adoption every year, many of whom will have suffered trauma in their short lives.
For further details about adopting, click here or call 01482 396673.
