ARC Adoption supports campaign to encourage more people to start 'The Journey' to adopt

With a growing need for loving homes for babies and children across the North East and Cumbria, as well as nationally, ARC Adoption is supporting a new campaign from You Can Adopt.  'The Journey' aims to inspire people to take the first step towards growing their family, as almost half of the children currently in need of adoption, wait over 18 months before being matched with their forever family.

For the first time in recent years, there are now more children in need of adoption than those coming forward to adopt. Many people hold back from starting their adoption journeys because they’re waiting for the ‘perfect’ time or circumstances - but for a child in need of a permanent home, the perfect time is now.

Like any new parents, many prospective adopters worry about their ability to cope - but with adoption, this is a journey you can navigate with lots of support available along the way.

As part of the campaign, adopters from all walks of life are sharing the ups and downs of their own adoption journeys, highlighting that like all family trips, adoption is an experience that’s full of adventure, challenges, chaos and conversation – but most importantly, love.

Watch the video below:

From picking up the phone and making that first enquiry, to bringing their child home and experiencing life together as a family and receiving dedicated support throughout, adoption is a life-long journey. The campaign showcases that while there may be bumps in the road, adopting a child in need of a forever home will take you to places you never imagined - once you take that first step.

ARC Adoption's Director, Terry Fitzpatrick OBE, has this message to share with people considering adoption:

“We are not looking for perfect parents, we are simply looking for people who can provide a loving, safe and stable home to a child. It’s not about big houses and lots of savings, we just want people to know that they can comfortably provide for a child as well as themselves. As a voluntary adoption agency, we pride ourselves on the support we provide to families throughout the whole journey. We deliver high quality training to prepare people going through the adoption process, complete sensitive yet thorough assessments of families to help best match them to a child or children, and offer a wide range of proactive support, both social and therapeutic, for parents and children once they have come together. Families can be confident that we’ll always be in their corner, as our support isn’t limited or taken away.”

If you are interested in taking the first step toward your adoption journey, the ARC Adoption team can help you. Complete our enquiry form to request an informal chat with a social worker from our enquiries team, or register to join us at an upcoming online information event.