Adoption Shortage Sees More Children In Care

A shortage of people willing to adopt has led to more children being taken into care. Latest figures show at the end of March last year 465 children in Warwickshire were being looked after in care compared to 445 two years ago.

But just 20 of those are cared for by adoptive parents, compared to 2004 when 25 children were adopted. Three quarters of children are placed with foster parents while one in 20 live in hostels or children’s homes.

More boys are in care than girls and the bulk of children being looked after by someone other than their own parents are aged between five and 15-years-old.

A failure to find suitable homes for children to grow up in can have dramatic social effects later in life, children looked after in care are three more times likely to be cautioned or convicted of a criminal offence, four times more likely to have a mental health disorder and one in five homeless people are found to have just left care – claims national children’s charity NCH.

Sally Heaven-Richards, project manager at Adoption NCH Midlands, said: “Children in care don’t always get a fair chance at life. “We desperately need people to come forward to give these children suitable for adoption a safe, permanent and loving home.”