Agency to speed up adoption for children in care

Partnership will give youngsters best chance of finding loving and stable family

A new partnership will offer children in care across the East Midlands the stability and security they need to achieve their potential.

The launch of Adoption East Midlands, a regional adoption agency and partnership between local authorities and voluntary adoption agencies, will transform the lives of children and their adoptive families.

Every year, Adoption East Midlands will be looking for families for hundreds of children. Across Leicester and Leicestershire, there are currently 44 children looking for an adoptive family.

The Government wants the regionalisation of adoption services to accelerate the pace of change to ensure those children, for whom adoption is the right path, are given the best chance of finding a loving and stable family as quickly as possible.

Incorporating Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council, Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council, the Regional Adoption Agency will work collaboratively across the East Midlands to encourage more people to become adopters, which in turn leads to markedly improving the life chances of children in care.

We want every child to be in the loving, stable home that's right for them, and adoption can transform the lives of these vulnerable children - and their adoptive families - in a remarkable way. By coming together and joining forces councils can use the network to match children with the right families much more quickly.

Person:Ivan Ould, county council cabinet member for children and families

Cllr Sarah Russell, deputy city mayor for social care, said: “We welcome this opportunity to work in partnership with others to encourage more people to become adopters, and to increase the chances of children across the city and the region being matched with the families they need.”

Find out more about adoption at www.adoptioneastmidlands.org.uk Opens another website in new window or come along to an information event (details are available on the website) and have a chat about how adoption could create the family you’ve always wanted.