The latest analysis of the trends in the recruitment of adopters shows that the number of families available to adopt a child is substantially below the number needed for the children for whom an adoptive family has not yet been found. This is in stark contrast to public attitudes to adoption and the propensity to consider adopting.
According to the new YouGov poll commissioned by Coram to mark the centenary of adoption this year, 90% of adults agree or strongly agree that adoption is a good option for children who need it. Furthermore, 1.8% of respondents to the poll said they were very likely to or definitely would adopt within the next three years.
There is a cyclical pattern of recruitment followed by falls inapprovals which has long been familiar, and this is not the first time that the number of children waiting has outstripped the supply of adopters and subsequently been addressed.
This occasional paper therefore provides a brief overview of the current position and explores what the new propensity findings mean for children waiting for adoption.
- Have attitudes in the general population to adoption changed?
- Is there a change in the number or profile of children which is affecting matching?
- Has the population or the propensity to consider adoption changed?
- For whom and where is that propensity highest?
At the heart of this analysis is a single driving question — what do we need to do in the current context to close the gap and ensure children waiting have the loving, permanent home that they need?
Three recommendations:
- broaden the range of people encouraged to apply; and
- give more independent help to interested people to take an informed next step; and
- review and improve how effectively we draw on all available families and across agency and regional boundaries.