MADAM,

This week (19th to 25th October) marks National Adoption Week.

In Wales we have much to be grateful for. Thanks to the work of the National Adoption Service the number of adopters has increased and the average waiting time for children to be placed for adoption has fallen.

However, it still takes longer to place older children, an average of 15 months for those aged four and over compared to seven months for under fours.

Older children waiting to be adopted are often likely to be in sibling groups or to have additional needs and there is currently a shortage of adoptive parents coming forward for these children.

Many prospective adopters want to adopt the youngest, least complex children they can. We fully understand that, but there are older children coming through the care system who need adopting, and we believe these deserve as much of a chance at a happy family life.

These are still very young children who need lots of nurturing and hands-on parenting, but it is a worthwhile experience and a wonderful way to start or add to a family.

Suzanne Griffiths

(National Adoption Service for Wales)