Home Local News ‘Too old at 4?’ – National Adoption Week 19 – 25 October

‘Too old at 4?’ – National Adoption Week 19 – 25 October

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Helping children aged four and older to stay together is the theme of National Adoption Week in Lancashire this year.

Lancashire County Council is always looking for adopters, but from 19 to 25 October there’s a special focus on finding people who would be willing to adopt ‘older’ children, and probably with their brother or sister too.

County Councillor Matthew Tomlinson, cabinet member for children, young people and schools, said: “When people first start to think about adoption, they usually consider a baby, or even a toddler, rather than an older child.

“The sad reality is that children are considered to be older for adoption at just four years of age. These children are often likely to have a brother or sister, and we try to keep brothers and sisters together whenever we can.

“Our focus this National Adoption Week is to find homes for these children.

“A recent survey commissioned by First4Adoption has shown that many people who live with children aged four and over find them very rewarding. Hopefully this will help us to share the message that these children are less demanding than younger children.

“However, we still need adopters to come forward to look after all types of children of all different ages.”

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.

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.

People can help spread the word about adopting with Lancashire County Council on their online 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.

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/adoption and filling in the enquiry form.
• Attending an information evening, visit www.lancashire.gov.uk/adoption for details.

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