National Adoption Week 2024
Grow your family with adoption this National Adoption Week. Can you give a loving home to a child waiting?
Coram welcomes people with a whole range of backgrounds and life experiences, who are able to reflect and support the needs of the children waiting for adoption.
Coram Adoption – rated Outstanding earlier this month by Ofsted – has over 50 years’ experience in finding permanent loving families for children needing adoption and providing lifelong support. Enquiries are welcomed from a diverse range of people including single people, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people of all socio-economic backgrounds and those who already have birth children.
Coram Adoption particularly encourages potential adoptive parents from black and multi heritage communities to come forward so that more children are matched with families who can celebrate their culture and are attuned to their identity needs as they grow up. We also welcome enquiries from people across the capital and the surrounding areas who may be able to offer a loving home to a child, alongside our existing local authority partnerships.
When you adopt with us you won't be alone. We'll guide you through the adoption process - all the way to becoming a family, and beyond.
Dr Carol Homden, Coram CEO, says:
“This National Adoption Week we are encouraging more people to come forward and find out more about whether adoption might be for them... for all the challenge adoption can bring, our experience tells us that for the overwhelming majority adoption is a hugely rewarding journey for children and parents. We look forward to hearing from people from all walks of life considering whether they have the room in their hearts and their home for any of the many children currently waiting to be adopted.”
Next steps
Interested in starting your own adoption journey with Coram? You can read our helpful FAQs or attend one of our free adoption information events, which are a great way to find out more information about what to expect from adopting a child. We are here to help whenever you are ready to take the next step towards adoption.
Browse our free adoption information events
Get in touch with our experienced team
The Journey - National Campaign
This National Adoption Week, we’re showcasing adoption journeys of all kinds, and the important people who are there along the way, as part of this year’s You Can Adopt campaign The Journey. The campaign raises awareness of modern adoption and highlights the diversity of adoptive families today, demonstrating that the journey to a family is not always a traditional one. This is reflected in new data commissioned for National Adoption Week, which reveals 65 per cent of Brits say there is no such thing as a ‘normal’ family and 42 per cent come from a ‘nontraditional’ family structure.
The campaign will show adopters that they are not alone by highlighting the people who play a significant role in each family’s lifelong journey and makes each experience unique – from foster carers and social workers to birth families and the adoption community. This comes as the latest data from England shows there has been a 22 per cent increase in the number of children with a plan for adoption not yet matched with an adoptive family.
No two adoption stories are the same - and what makes every adoption journey unique is the people who play a role along the way.
There are now more children yet to be placed with a family, than there are approved adopters waiting to be matched with a child. With fewer potential adopters coming forward (believed to be a result of the cost-of-living crisis), children of all ages are facing delays of over 18 months to find their forever home. As part of the campaign, a new short film, set onboard a train, follows the stories of three adoptive families on their travels. Just like adoption, trains connect people to one another and act as a fitting metaphor for the adoption journey – one that is full of adventure, chaos, and love. Each family explores how, just like all families, adoptive families come in all shapes and sizes and go through ups, downs and detours during their lifelong journey – but ultimately the experience has been positive and definitely worthwhile.
To find out more about adoption or starting your own adoption journey, please get in touch or you can attend one of our free adoption information events.
Adopter stories
Rachel and family
“Being Winnie’s Grandpa is the biggest privilege – she’s turned our lives upside down in the most marvellous way.” - Daniel, Rachel's Dad and Winnie's Grandpa
Rachel and her husband decided to embark on their own adoption journey after learning how many children are in need of a forever home. Rachel’s parents have been a huge support since the very beginning of the process, including her dad Daniel who says his new role as Grandpa has ‘completed his life’.
Andrew and Carla
“Adopting an older child is brilliant because she could communicate with us in those early years about what she did and didn’t like, which made our adventures together all the more fun.” - Andrew, Carla's Dad
Andrew and his wife Alex adopted Carla when she was 6 years old. Ever since the moment when Carla led him to the local park hand-in-hand on the day they met, Andrew has been besotted with her. Andrew and Alex made a ‘Hello Carla’ book as a way of sharing what family life with them could look like. Years down the line, Carla describes her adoption as “the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Angela and Hazel
“If you’re thinking about it, just go for it. I am so proud of who Hazel has become, and I have loved being her mum and seeing her thrive." - Angela, Hazel's Mum
Just like all families, adoptive families come in all shapes and sizes. Despite her worries about adopting as a single parent, Angela knew she could help a child in need of a forever home so picked up the phone to her local adoption agency. Angela was inspired to adopt after seeing a TV campaign back in the early 2000s. Could this year’s #NationalAdoptionWeek have a similar impact on your own adoption journey?
Read more adopter stories here