Urgent need for adoption

There are currently 90 children in Kirklees Council’s care – a number almost triple the number there were four years ago.

The council wants people to join its Kirklees 90 Adoption Campaign 2013 and apply to adopt a child themselves.

Cabinet member for childrens services Coun Cath Harris (Lab, Ashbrow) said: “Adoption is one of the best ways of providing a new family for children who cannot be brought up by their own parents.

“With more children than ever going into care, the need for adoptive parents has never been more critical, which is why we are appealing to people from Yorkshire and further afield to come forward.”

There are around 4,000 children in the UK waiting to be adopted. In Kirklees, there were 33 in 2009, but by 2012 that number that number had risen to around 90.

The rise is being blamed on greater public awareness of child protection issues. As a result, Kirklees has had to re-home around 60 vulnerable children in the last two years, with many more still waiting for families to take them in.

Coun Harris said: “Many of the children in need of adopting have been unable to remain with their birth family, because of neglect, abuse or perhaps just because their parents are unable to cope.

“Some may have suffered traumatic experiences in their short lives, others have learning difficulties or health problems. These children have so much to offer and all they are asking is to be part of a family.

“As well as being hugely rewarding for a parent, the benefits of adoption to a child are immense. By being given the chance to grow up in a permanent, loving environment they stand the best chance of overcoming many of these issues and ultimately, thrive.

“There are no blanket rules for adoption. Don’t count yourself out because of age, marital status or sexuality.

“It doesn’t matter whether you own or rent your home, whether you work full time or not at all – we assess everyone on their own merits and what’s important is that we really need people who can offer a child or sibling group a loving and supportive family for life.”

If you are interested in adopting one of the Kirklees 90, call 0800 028 3001, or visit www.kirklees.gov.uk/adopting.