Voluntary adoption agencies (VAAs) across the UK have joined forces to find more adoptive parents for children who wait the longest for a permanent family of their own. ARC Adoption North East is among 21 VAAs who have together created a series of advice guides which encourage people to consider adopting children who spend the longest time in foster care.

The latest guide, released today - June 10th 2025, encourages people to consider adopting children of Black and other diverse ethnicities, drawing on the lived experience of parents who have already adopted - some a child of similar ethnicity to their own, and others welcoming a child of another heritage or culture into their family.

You can download a copy of the guide here.

Helen and Kola adopted a little girl with the support of ARC Adoption: 

“We are a Black British couple of Nigerian descent, and the adoption process blessed us with a beautiful daughter who was 3 months old when she joined us in 2016.

The fact that our daughter is Black with similar heritage to ours made things a lot easier explaining things to her. Even though she is primarily British in her outlook, she enjoys wearing beautiful African dresses and enjoys some of the African delicacies. Basically, she enjoys the very best of both worlds.

Our only regret is that we didn’t start the adoption process sooner – it is a wonderful and very rewarding thing. Our daughter is now 9 years old and she has been an absolute joy and blessing!”

Children of Black and other diverse ethnicities currently wait too long to be matched with a loving adoptive family - an average of approximately one year* - and VAAs are looking for people who can offer them a permanent and loving home.

Other VAA Advice Guides for Prospective Adopters

Other advice guides created and released by VAAs have focussed on sharing useful information for people considering adopting brothers and sisters together, or children with disabilities and additional needs; two other groups of children with a need for more adopters to come forward.

Terry Fitzpatrick OBE, Director at ARC Adoption North East said:

“Statistics reveal that nationally, global majority children are overrepresented in the care system and wait longer for an adoptive family than other children in many parts of the UK, but in the North East specifically, there is also a shortage of approved adopters who can provide a home for brothers and sisters together. We’d like to appeal to communities in our region who could play a part in providing a loving home for children waiting within our locality or across the country, as all children deserve to have a loving, safe and stable home.

“We are proud to be part of this project sharing first hand, heartfelt experience and advice from families who have already adopted – some with the support of our agency. We hope it will empower people reading to consider embracing the joy and fulfilment of adoption.”

VAAs like ARC Adoption, are specialists in finding families for children who wait the longest in care and work partnership with regional adoption agencies and local authorities in their local area as well as across the country to find families for children waiting for a permanent home.  Also known for their commitment to providing lifelong support to adoptive families, their services are designed to offer vital assistance both at the time of placement and throughout the child’s journey into the future.

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If you think you could provide a loving, permanent home for a child or children who would otherwise wait a long time for a family, please get in touch with us giving us a call on 0191 516 6466, completing our enquiry form or by registering for an information event.