Ticking Time Bomb For Children In Care, UK

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 11 May 2009 - 5:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

On day one of Fostering Fortnight, and Channel 4's 'Forgotten Children Season', Barnardo's speaks out on behalf of the thousands of children caught up in the care system whilst they await adoption.

In 2008, children had to wait for up to four years in the care system before being adopted. These children were placed in temporary foster care for an average of 51 weeks before a decision was taken as to whether they should be placed on the adoption register and the search for their adoptive parents could begin. Multiple foster placements and failed efforts to place them back with their birth family all have a huge impact on them during that time, while their chances of adoption continue to diminish rapidly as they grow older.

Barnardo's is calling for the government to dramatically speed up the adoption process. Children's futures are at stake and unnecessary delays can cause permanent damage.

Martin Narey, Barnardo's chief executive said:

"We know that an earlier a child is placed for adoption the more successful that adoption will be. In the worst cases, delay often means that adoption never takes place: there were only three children over the age of nine adopted in England and Wales during the whole of 2007.

"We are struggling with the legal system, bureaucracy, and attitude. There is an urgent need for courts and social workers to arrive more speedily at the decision to adopt a child and then to ensure that adoption follows swiftly. And while, in the aftermath of Baby P, applications for care have increased we need to watch for a return to a climate which vilifies social workers when they remove a child."

Source
Barnardo