Earlier this month, children's minister Margaret Hodge announced measures to provide prospective adopters of children with better information and support. It was the Government's latest attempt to improve the adoption process and reduce the number of children brought up in care in this country. Yet some families have preferred to adopt from overseas rather than in the UK, and the Government has also made a commitment to more than halve the time taken to process such applications.
Children are adopted into Britain from all over the world. Last year, according to the DfES, more than 100 children came from China and around 20 from Guatemala, India, Russia and Thailand. But only around 300 such adoptions take place a year. By cmparison, France, with roughly the same population as the UK, has 'ten times as many,' overseas adoptions, accroing to director of the Overseas Adoption Helpline, Gill Haworth.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here