This national adoption week Cornwall Council is searching for adoptive parents who can offer permanent, loving homes for groups of brothers and sisters of varying sizes and ages, many of which have been waiting 18 months or longer to find a home.
Across the UK there are more than 2,000 children and young people looking for a loving home through the adoption process and almost half of those are in sibling groups.
Having a brother or sister who has been there all along can help adopted children to feel safe, settle quickly into their new home and provides them with ongoing companionship, mutual leaning and emotional support throughout their lives.
In fact, for many of us, our relationships with our brothers and sisters will be our longest-lasting relationships.
Cabinet Member for Children and Families Barbara Ellenbroek said: “Most people deciding to start or grow their family through adoption, will think about welcoming one child at a time. However, if you want a family, adopting brothers and sisters together means that you only have to go through the process once and you will have increased support.”
Many of these children have been through difficult experiences and for some, have been the only constants in each other’s lives.
Separating brothers and sisters because an adoptive family cannot be found, can cause further anxiety and loss and creates a whole set of additional issues for children who have already had a very difficult start in life.
Our priority will always be to find homes for children together, however for some children, finding homes separately may give them the best opportunity to form a relationship with their adoptive parents and recover from the impact of early maltreatment.
In these circumstances, the building of brother and sister relationships will remain a priority.
Barbara added: “Our adoption team are there to support you every step of the way, along the adoption journey. It doesn’t take any special qualifications or skills, all we are looking for is someone to offer a loving home to one, two or maybe three children.”
Adopted children can sometimes bring their own challenges so adopting a family group could feel daunting but there is support available as well as the support you will get from your family and friends.
Family groups of children, on average, tend to be older than single children, so any issues and diagnosis will already have been identified. This means that adopters have a much clearer idea of the challenges the children will be facing and can access appropriate support right from the start.
There is a range of adoption support services available to you and your family and friends including; support groups, training, workshops and more specialized therapy.
For many potential parents, the biggest worry about adopting more than one child together is that they don’t have a big enough house or enough money. You do have to seriously consider what this will mean for you as a family, but there is practical and possibly financial support available.
For more information on adoption, please visit our website: https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/adoption
