One in five people in Birmingham have considered adoption

There are around 100 children in Birmingham in need of a loving adoptive family. From younger children to older children, single children to brothers and sisters, no matter their background, they all need is an adoptive family to change their life.

To mark National Adoption Week (14-24 October 2021), the National Adoption Recruitment Steering Group (NARSG) has released two new surveys looking at the public’s understanding of modern adoption.

The survey found that almost one in five (19.59%) adults in Birmingham had considered adopting a child. Despite so many people in Birmingham considering adoption for themselves, more than a third (35.05%) admitted that they still find adoption a difficult topic to speak about.

“The key attributes you need are love, support, patience and stability, and if you have those then you can become an adopter.”

The survey sheds light on why so many people who consider adoption don’t pursue the option. We're encouraging anyone who is considering adoption to get in touch to find out more.

Acting Head of Service at Birmingham Children's Trust, Jane Francis, said: “If you’re thinking about adoption, we understand that taking the first step can be challenging. We will meet you where you are at – whether you’re ready to adopt now or you’d just like to find out more, we will listen to you.

“We focus on forming a good relationship that will continue throughout your lifelong adoption journey.

“It can be challenging for people to share their personal information when they decide that they would like to adopt. That’s why we try to ensure you have the same social worker from stage one of the adoption process right through until your child goes home with you – lots of our families stay in touch with their social workers for years.”

Training and support

Becky and Georgina adopted their daughter Emily through Birmingham Children’s Trust.

Becky explained: “We thought the process of adopting would be long and drawn out, but once we were allocated a key worker our expectations were made very clear. The adoption process took a total of 15 months following our first phone call and we were supported throughout the journey.

“The key attributes you need are love, support, patience and stability, and if you have those then you can become an adopter.

“Birmingham Children’s Trust offers a lot of training to help you prepare for welcoming a child to your family. We took part in all the training they offered!

“The training helped me to look at adoption from the child’s point of view. Now I would say that the key attributes you need are love, support, patience and stability, and if you have those then you can become an adopter and be a family.”

Birmingham Children’s Trust also has a dedicated post adoption support team for adoptive families.

Who can adopt?

You can adopt if:

• you are single, married or in a long-term relationship
• you are LGBTQ+
• you are aged 21 or over
• you have a spare bedroom and the ability to love and nurture a child

Adopter Georgina said: “If you have love, patience and empathy you can make it work and become an adopter.”

Birmingham Children’s Trust is joining the national Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) Programme.

We are delighted to announce that Birmingham Children’s Trust is forming a Regional Adoption Agency (RAA). The Trust, with the full involvement and support of Birmingham City Council, is taking an innovative approach by partnering with a leading Voluntary Adoption Agency, Adoption Focus.

Contact us

We would love to hear from you if you are thinking about adoption.

Telephone us: 0121 303 7575

Monday to Wednesday: 8:45am to 5:15pm
Thursday: 8:45am to 8:00pm
Friday: 8:45am to 4:15pm

Enquire now