On the day (4 August) landmark adoption legislation was introduced in England and Wales 100 years ago, Coram is calling on the Government to provide greater support to adoptive families and encourage more families to come forward as the number of children waiting continues to grow.
While more children are entering care, the numbers of children being adopted is at an all-time low. Over 3,000 children with a Placement Order are now waiting to be adopted in England, with over half (51%) of these waiting for 18 months or more since entering care. Yet the number of adoptive families is decreasing, with only 1,350 approved adoptive families currently available*.
A YouGov survey commissioned by Coram** to mark the centenary found that 90% of adults agree that adoption is a good option for children who need it, and 50% know someone who has been adopted or has adopted a child. Almost one in four (23%) people said they would be prepared to consider adoption themselves, underlining the huge potential pool of adopters and highlighting there is more to be done to encourage those people to take the next step towards adoption as a way of building their family.
To ensure consistent support for adoptive families, Coram is supporting sector calls for the public engagement process into the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) to be fully independent, and for a two-year moratorium on further structural changes to the Fund. The charity is also calling for the reintroduction of the National Adoption Register for England***, as a proactive matching service, to give children awaiting adoption the best possible chance of finding a loving home.
Today (4 August) marks 100 years since the Adoption of Children Act 1926 was passed, introducing for the first time a legal process by which the rights and responsibilities for a child could be transferred from birth parents to adoptive parents. It provided a legal framework for adoption and is a significant historical development in child welfare legislation.
Dame Carol Homden, CEO of Coram, said: “Adoption remains a vital service for our most vulnerable children who have normally been removed from their family because they have experienced, or were likely to experience, significant harm there and need a lifelong, loving home as part of another family.
“Research is clear that adoption provides strong stability and positive outcomes and brings joy to many families and it is deeply concerning that we are experiencing a continued increase in numbers of children waiting to be adopted and a decrease in numbers of available adoptive families. Over the past decade, we have seen a worrying decline in the number of families approved to adopt.
“With almost one in four people telling us they would consider adoption, it is vitally important that, as well as current adoptive families, all those considering embarking on the journey of caring for a child from the care system can rely on specialist, accessible and timely support.
“As we reflect on the history of adoption over the past century, and mark the importance of legislative protections for children, it is essential for us to look at how we can ensure that the needs of tomorrow as well as the needs of today are met.”
Throughout 2026, Coram is running a programme of events, conferences and publications telling the story of adoption to date and its contribution in supporting vulnerable children. As part of this, Coram is sharing stories of adoption from across the years, capturing the diverse experiences of adopted people, adoptive parents, birth families and others touched by adoption. Find out more at adoptionstory.org.uk.
- *Source: Adoption and Special Guardianship (ASG) data Q3 2025-26 coram.org.uk/the-childrens-and-social-care-secretariat/
- **All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2171 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 15th – 16th January 2026. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+)
- ***The National Adoption Register was a national, secure database accessible to all practitioners and adoptive parents who could search the Register for potential matches. The Register found matches for over 3,200 children before it closed in March 2019 coram.org.uk/news/the-impact-of-the-adoption-register/