Families urgently needed to adopt children with additional needs

Children with additional needs wait an average of 11 months longer in care than their peers and voluntary adoption agencies (VAAs) are urgently looking for people who can offer them a permanent and loving home.

Local adoption charity and voluntary adoption agency, Adoption Matters, is among 21 VAAs from all over the UK who have together created a guide for people considering adoption containing helpful information and advice from parents who have already adopted children with additional needs.

Susy White, Adoption Matters Chief Executive commented:

“It may sound daunting for people thinking about adoption to consider a child with additional needs but our adoptive parents who have done so say it is incredibly rewarding. It gives a child the chance to flourish and to grow up with the love and security that every child deserves.

“All children can have additional needs at times. These could be to do with their development, learning, communication, behaviour or emotional wellbeing. There are also children with physical disabilities.

“Many of the thousands of children waiting in care who have additional needs, wait nearly a year longer than other children. We want to change that.

“We are excited to be part of this project sharing first hand, heartfelt experience and advice from families who have already done this incredible thing of adopting a child with additional needs.”

VAAs like Adoption Matters specialise in finding families for children who wait the longest in care. They work in partnership with regional adoption agencies and local authorities to find families for children waiting for a permanent home.

VAAs are independent, not-for-profit organisations who have intensive services to provide families with vital support both when the children are placed and into the future.

Satwinder Sandhu, Chief Executive of the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies (CVAA) which represents VAAs across the country said:

“We are so grateful to the adoptive parents who have contributed to this new CVAA advice guide to share their personal experiences of the reality of adopting a child with additional needs.

“What is clear from their advice is that there may be challenges but they are far outweighed by pride, joy and love. And so prospective adopters should not rule themselves out of being able to achieve the same in their own families.

“The voluntary adoption sector are specialists in finding families for children who wait the longest to be adopted and being there for them with bespoke, lifelong packages of support.”

Download the advice guide here: CVAA Adopting a child with additional needs guide – March 2024

To find out more about adopting, download an adoption information pack here.

Data source:

The latest data shows in Q3 2023/24 there were:

• 2410 children with a PO* waiting to be placed, an increase of 14% (300n) from 2022/23
• 49% of these children had “harder to place” characteristics which include children with additional needs, part of a sibling group, aged 4 and over and from a diverse ethnic background.
• 1110 children with a PO waiting to be placed 18+ months since entering care, an increase of 10% (100n)from Q2 2022/23
• 46% of children with a PO have been waiting to be placed 18+ months since entering care

Data source: https://coram-i.org.uk/resource/asg-q3-2023-2024-headline-measures/

*PO – Placement Order, this is the legal ruling made by the courts which authorises a Local Authority to place a child with approved prospective adoptive parents. At this stage in the adoption process, the local authority and the prospective adoptive parents share parental responsibility for the child.