Home Local News Lancashire County Council supports National Adoption Week campaign

Lancashire County Council supports National Adoption Week campaign

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As Lancashire County Council supports this year’s National Adoption Week, it can announce the fantastic news that sisters, Olivia, Sophie and Poppy*, are now happy and settled with their new forever family.

The county council ran a special appeal during National Adoption Week last year to find a family for the girls, who are now aged six, three and two.

Without a new adopted family for the sisters, they faced the prospect of being split up.

County Councillor Phillippa Williamson, cabinet member for children, young people and schools, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled that these three lovely little girls have been able to settle so well into their new family and home.

“Last year’s appeal touched so many hearts.

“It was important to keep the sisters together as they have a very close sibling bond, and it would not have been in their best interests to split them up in order to find them permanent homes.

“It’s a sad fact that some children are simply unable to remain with their birth family, for many different reasons, and this was the case with the little girls.

“Some children aren’t lucky enough to be born into families where they are put first, or even have their normal needs met. Adoption is one of the best ways we know of giving these children a new family.”

There is a special focus during this year’s National Adoption Week, which runs until October 20, on finding people to adopt children who wait the longest to find their forever family.

These include sibling groups, older children, and those with a disability.

These children wait the longest to be adopted as there are not enough people coming forward who are able to give them a safe, permanent and loving family.

County Councillor Williamson added: “We need adoptive parents who are able to give a child a safe, permanent and loving family for life.

“They need to have the love and commitment to provide comfort, support and permanence, and give a child the opportunity to flourish.

“We want to encourage people from all backgrounds to think about adoption.”

Catrina Dickens, adoption team manager at Lancashire County Council, said: “The whole team is thrilled that a forever home has been found for Poppy, Olivia and Sophie, and that they are doing so well.

“They are enjoying spending time with their new family and are loving learning new hobbies and interests with their mummy and daddy.

“They have settled in to school and nursery well, and have made some friends.

“It is a joy to see just how happy, relaxed and comfortable they are now.”

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.

It is also happy to consider people who have already adopted, already have a family, or are looking into adoption because they are unable to have children of their own.

To be able to adopt with the county council, you need to be over 21 and live in Lancashire or nearby.

Anyone interested in finding out more about adoption can contact the county council by visiting the website at www.lancashire.gov.uk/adoption and filling in the enquiry form, calling the friendly adoption team on 0300 123 6723, or attending an information evening. More details are available on the website.

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/lancashirecc and sharing the posts about adoption.
• Searching for #YouCanAdopt for messages to retweet.

By doing this people can help to spread the word to their friends and family, their colleagues and maybe the organisations they work with.

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