Lancashire County Council is always looking for adopters, but this month there’s an added focus on finding people willing to adopt older children and sibling groups. County Councillor Susie Charles, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Schools, said: “We’re running a campaign from the end of the month to remind anyone wanting to start or grow their family through adoption that there are children of all ages ready for a loving home.

“When people first start to think about adoption, they usually consider a baby, or even a toddler, rather than an older child. “The unfortunate reality is that children are considered to be older for adoption at just four years of age. It is likely that these children will have a brother or sister, and we try to keep brothers and sisters together whenever we can. “We’re trying to find homes for these children in particular.

“There is always a need for adopters to come forward to look after all types of children of different ages and backgrounds.” “There are real benefits to adopting a sibling group. The children will already have bonded and will settle into their new family much quicker if they are with their brothers and sisters. Anyone open to adopting more than one child will also only have to go through the adoption process once to adopt a sibling group.” The county council is keen to hear from a broad range of prospective adopters, including single people and couples, same-sex and heterosexual, from all religious backgrounds or none.

Consideration is given to anyone who wishes to adopt, regardless of their age, marital status, sexuality or gender. There are no strict rules about whether people should have jobs, their own homes or have their own children. The only legal requirement is that adopters must be over 21 and live within Lancashire or nearby.

A range of adoption support services and advice is available to anyone who has adopted a child. The council recognise that adoptive families require support at different times and even after people adopt, the authority is there to help.

People can spread the word about adopting with Lancashire County Council on their own social media channels. This can be done by:

• Following the county council on Twitter @LancashireCC and searching for #LancsAdoption for messages to retweet.

• Liking the county council on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lancashireccand sharing #LancsAdoption posts.
By doing this people can help to spread the word to their friends and family, their colleagues and maybe the organisations they work with.
Anyone interested in finding out more about adoption can contact the county council by:

• Calling the friendly adoption team on 0300 123 6723.

• Visiting the website at www.lancashire.gov.uk/adoptionand filling in the enquiry form.

• Attending an information evening, visit www.lancashire.gov.uk/adoptionfor details.