National Adoption Week kicks off in West Wales

As National Adoption Week 2009 kicks off (9th – 15th November), the West Wales Adoption Agency, responsible for providing adoption services to Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, says the need for permanent families for children in their area is as great as ever.

The West Wales Adoption Service is particularly looking for families for older sibling groups of 2 or more. These children will have experienced severe trauma and neglect, may have a disability and will require resilient and committed families able to provide permanent and secure care. They welcome applications for all sectors of the community.

Norry Hutchison, Manager of the West Wales Adoption Service says: “There are no blanket bans in adoption, so please don’t think we’ll turn you down because you’re over 40, single, or don’t own your own home. What we really need are people who can offer a child or sibling group a loving and supportive family for life. Individuals or families would ideally have some experience of living or working with children. People would need to be able to help a child recover from the many reasons why they came in to care and help them go on to thrive in a new family”.

“Initially, we are simply asking people to come forward and find out more about adoption. If you think you might have what it takes, please pick up the phone today. Interested people will be invited to attend an information session to find out more before having to make any commitment to proceeding any further”.

National Adoption Week is organised by the British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF) and aims to raise awareness of adoption and encourage potential parents to come forward. There are an estimated 4,000 children across the UK needing adoption every year, many of whom will have suffered trauma in their short lives.

Jenny McMillan, BAAF Cymru Director, said: “In Wales there is a great need for adopters for sibling groups, who often wait longer than others for a new family. We hope that people across Wales will be motivated by National Adoption Week to consider adoption and contact their local adoption agency to find out more.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about adoption can call the following numbers:

Carmarthenshire - 01554 742382
Ceredigion - 01545 574000
Pembrokeshire - 01437 774650

For more general information about National Adoption Week visit www.nationaladoptionweek.org.uk