Every Day Matters

Across London children are in need of the permanent, loving families they deserve. That’s why all four Adopt London Regional Adoption Agencies are proud to support the national You Can Adopt campaign, Every Day is Everything, this September.

The campaign comes at a critical time for adoption, with the latest figures showing that children who need adoption spend an average of 646 days in care before securing the permanence and stability of a family. Nearly 2 years of childhood. Nearly two years without the permanence, stability and sense of belonging that every child deserves.

Behind these statistics are real children whose futures depend on people coming forward to consider adoption, to choose them, to support them and become their forever family. For those children time matters.

The Growing Need for Adopters

At Adopt London, we see first-hand the life-changing difference adoption can make for children. We also know that many of the children who spend the longest time without the security of a permanent family are those who need families prepared to consider sibling groups, children aged three and over, children with additional needs, and children with developmental uncertainty.

While there is a family out there for every child, finding those families is becoming increasingly challenging as enquiries and adopter registrations continue to fall.

Every Day is Everything

The new You Can Adopt campaign shines a spotlight on what the children who are in need of an adoptive family are missing while they wait: the ordinary moments of family life that many of us take for granted.

Featuring former Paralympian and adopted adult Ellie Simmonds OBE, BBC The Traitors stars Roxy Hotchkiss and Judy Wilson, and post-adoption social worker and former Love Island winner Sanam Fagan, the campaign celebrates the everyday moments that shape childhood.

From school runs and Sunday dinners to bedtime stories and words of encouragement, these seemingly small moments have a profound impact on a child’s development, sense of identity and wellbeing. As adopted adult Ellie Simmonds explains:

“It’s the everyday things that make a family a family. Those moments might seem ordinary, but they can shape a child’s confidence, identity and future in extraordinary ways.”

Her story is a powerful reminder of what adoption can mean over a lifetime.

A Child’s Perspective

One of the campaign’s most moving voices is that of Roxy Hotchkiss, who moved between seven foster families by the age of five before being adopted by her mum, Judy. Reflecting on her experience, Roxy said:

“Because of that, I’m very aware that for children who need a permanent home and family through adoption, every day matters.”

She describes how adoption gave her the stability, security and unconditional love every child should experience.

“Being adopted by my mum gave me the stability, security and unconditional love every child should have. Hearing the words ‘love you’ before bed each night and knowing someone is always going to be there for me. For a child who has experienced instability, those things mean everything.”

Her story illustrates exactly why recruitment of more adopters is so urgent.

Why Adopt London is Supporting the Campaign

Across our region, there are children for whom the right family could make all the difference, helping them to thrive and reach their full potential. Through our support of Every Day is Everything, we want to encourage more Londoners to think differently about adoption and take that first step towards finding out more. The reality is that every enquiry matters. Every prospective adopter who comes forward creates a new opportunity for a child to experience the stability, love and security of family life.

Could you be the family a child needs?

By stepping forward, finding out more and exploring whether adoption could be right for you, you could help change a child’s future.

For a child in care, the enquiry you make today could change the rest of their life.

The first step is simply a commitment free conversation. To learn more about adoption visit Adopt London, book onto any information session, or speak to one of our friendly advisers – your first conversation could be the start of a new beginning for a child.