Regional adoption agency launches in the East
It aims to deliver high quality adoption services to children and families across the area.
The new regional adoption agency, Adopt East, was launched during National Adoption Week 2020.
It works across local authorities in Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Southend, Bedford, Luton, Thurrock and Hertfordshire in partnership with Adoptionplus, Barnardo's and Adoption UK.
The alliance will use the expertise and skills of all its partners to provide support at all stages of the adoption journey, and means adopters will have access to children across all areas instead of just those listed with their local authority.
Sarah Johnson, Executive Head of Adopt East, said:
"We're hoping to achieve a larger pool of adopters to get our children placed in a more timely way so they are not waiting for a loving home."
There are currently around 60 children waiting to be adopted across the region.
Sarah continued:
"All those children are very different, they all have very different needs and are very different ages. What we need is a whole host of different families to come forward in order to be able to meet the children's needs.
"Adoptive families really impact on the outcome of those children's futures. A stable childhood means the child can grow up and hopefully become a functioning member of society. Children who have experienced trauma and may remain in the care system, going from placement to placement, can grow up to have more challenges and difficulties in adulthood."
By having a region-wide adoption agency, it allows resources to be shared across all areas and increases the chances of matching a child to a family, while also having better access to support for families who decide to care for a child.
You can find out more about Adopt East by visiting their website.