National Adoption Week 2023

Adoption Tees Valley Backs national campaign to find families for children waiting.

This National Adoption Week, Adoption Tees Valley is working to find more families for children in need of adoption in the region.

A new You Can Adopt campaign that celebrates different generations of adopted people – from baby boomers to Gen Z – shows how adoption has changed through the decades and encourages potential adopters to come forward to change the lives of children who are still waiting for their forever home.

To mark National Adoption Week, a powerful set of portraits captured by royal, fashion and portrait photographer Philip Sinden - who was adopted himself in the 1970s - have been released.

The portraits have been released alongside a new short film which can be viewed here captured during the photoshoot and hears first-hand the group’s different experiences – challenging misconceptions about what adoption looks like today.

Through these powerful stories of adopted people across age groups, this National Adoption Week adoption agencies across the country have joined together to shine a spotlight the positive impact adoption has had on individuals’ lives, and the strides made in the sector to put children and their sense of identity at the heart of the adoption journey. Whilst recognising the challenges they have faced along the way, the new campaign brings to life the transformational power of a permanent family home.

There is still a huge need for more people to come forward to adopt. In the Tees Valley area there are 15 children waiting with a plan of adoption, who haven’t yet been matched to a family. In particular, there is a high need for adopters to come forward for brother and sister groups, older children, and children with additional needs; all of which wait 7 months longer than other children.

Vicky Davidson Boyd, Service Manager for Adoption Tees Valley said;

“This campaign shows the positive change within adoption over the years, including the importance of enabling life story work and maintaining connections with birth family where possible. We know how important this is for adopted people to be able to build a strong sense of identity. Whilst there have been fantastic improvements in adoption, there is still a need for more people to come forward for children in our area.

In the Tees Valley there are still more children waiting than there are families available. We want to reassure people that there is comprehensive support available to those considering adoption. Adoption no longer takes years and there a very few reasons why people are not able to adopt. We would encourage anyone considering adoption to go to an information event or phone us for an informal conversation, before ruling yourself out.”

Adoption Tees Valley run adoption information events twice monthly, click here for more information.

To find out more call 01642 526 400.