Adoption Week Scotland

Would-be parents across East Ayrshire are being urged to give a loving home to children as part of Adoption Week Scotland (16-20 November).

Despite the challenges of the current restrictions due to COVID-19, the Council’s adoption team is continuing to assess and approve adopters for children who need families. They have adapted how they work to help keep everyone involved safe, including changes to how they assess and prepare adopters.

There continues to be a significant need for adopters for children from East Ayrshire and across Scotland who are unable to live with their birth families, and the team is encouraging people to think in particular about adopting more than one child from the same family.

Many potential adopters hope to adopt one child, and often as young a child as possible. Although such preferences are understandable, the adoption team is hoping to encourage potential adopters to think about the benefits to children of growing up with their brother or sister, particularly if they are adopted.

There are many misconceptions about adoption, with some people believing that they might not be ‘the right kind of family’ to be considered as adopters. But recent years have seen an increase in single people adopting, as well as same sex and unmarried couples. As an adoption agency, East Ayrshire’s adoption service is keen to encourage adopters from a wide range of backgrounds. It is important that all areas of our community know that adoption is not restricted to people who own their own homes, or who have a certain level of income.

Adopters can have a range of motivation, from infertility to people who have already parented successfully and want to extend their family. Another misconception can involve potential adopters thinking that if they already have a child or children that they will be a lower priority, or somehow ‘less deserving’ than childless applicants. This is not true however, and previous parenting experience is something that can be viewed as a real strength in an application.

Children’s Champion Depute Provost Claire Leitch said: “My advice to anyone thinking about adoption would be to just make the call – it doesn’t actually commit you to anything but knowing what is involved and having the opportunity to talk to others helps make it more real in your own mind and could be the best thing you ever do.

“We are particularly looking for adoptive families for sibling groups as we know that in most cases, keeping brothers and sisters together is in their best interests rather than the experience of further stress caused by being separated from each other.

“Adopting a child can so often be hugely rewarding, but we don’t underestimate the challenge of adopting and have nothing but admiration for anyone who chooses to give that huge commitment to offer a child a loving and stable home for life.”

If you’ve ever thought about adopting, please call 0800 434 6633, text ‘info’ to 80039 or email fosteringandadoption@east-ayrshire.gov.uk for more information.

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