#YouCanAdopt
This National Adoption Week Adopt London is supporting The Journey, a national campaign looking to inspire people to take the first step towards growing their family through adoption and tackling the myths around modern adoption.
The Journey
The aim of this campaign is to showcase adoption journeys of all kinds, as well as the people who are there along the way – from foster carers and social workers to birth families and the adoption community.
The campaign raises awareness of modern adoption and showcases the diversity of adoptive families today – the journey to a family is not always a traditional one. This is reflected in new data* commissioned for National Adoption Week, which shows 65 per cent of British people say there is no such thing as a ‘normal’ family and 42 per cent come from a ‘non-traditional’ family structure. The campaign will show adopters that they are not alone by highlighting the people who play a significant role in each family’s lifelong journey and makes each experience unique.
New film from You Can Adopt
As part of the campaign, a new short film, set onboard a train, follows the stories of three adoptive families on their travels. Just like adoption, trains connect people to one another and act as a fitting metaphor for the adoption journey – one that is full of adventure, chaos, and love. Each family explores how, just like all families, adoptive families come in all shapes and sizes and go through ups, downs and detours during their lifelong journey – but ultimately the experience has been positive and definitely worthwhile.
Rachel, who features in the film alongside her two-year-old adopted daughter Winnie, father Daniel and social worker Becky, said:
“You have an idea in your head of what family looks like, and for us it’s been different, but even more wonderful in different ways. For me, it’s really important that Winnie has a sense of herself and her identity – that she understands that not only do all families look different, but she has more than one family, and that’s OK.”
With preparation, support, and advice from our agencies across London, we invite you to find out more. The Adopt London teams host Information Sessions and Meet The Adopters events for you to attend. Just locate a session that covers the area where you live and book your place via our Events page. Please also visit our Information Pack page.
Join us on Instagram and Facebook – @adoptlondonuk – and you can follow the campaign with us and meet more families who have started their adoption journey.
Personal experiences of adoption
Rachel, Winnie and Grandpa Daniel
Rachel and her husband decided to embark on their own adoption journey after learning how many children are in need of a forever home. They received an incredible amount of support throughout the journey, especially from Rachel’s Dad, Daniel, who has loved being Grandpa to his granddaughter Winnie. Rachel says,
“Winnie has taught us that biology isn’t what makes a family, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.” While Daniel says, “being Winnie’s Grandpa is the biggest privilege and she’s just turned our lives upside down in the most marvellous way.”
Angela and daughter Hazel
As a single adopter, Angela worried if she would be able to support a child. However, her fears about facing adoption alone soon disappeared as an incredible community of support began to surround her.
“It’s just been the most incredible journey – a rollercoaster, but we’ve had a ball. As a single adopter, I wondered if I would be enough, but I just couldn’t ignore the pull to adopt, and after waiting three years to pick up the phone, I took that first step. If you’re thinking about it, just go for it. It doesn’t matter if you start the journey alone, you’ll meet your village along the way. I am so proud of who Hazel has become, and I have loved being her mum and seeing her thrive.”
Andrew and daughter Carla
As a couple Andrew and his wife Alex adopted Carla when she was six years old.
“From the moment she took my hand on the day we met and said, ‘Come on Daddy’, I was hooked, there was no way back. It’s incredible how similar we are – same sense of humour, and even our mannerisms are often alike. Adopting an older child is brilliant because she could talk to us in those early years about what she did and didn’t like, and her understanding of what had happened to her. It’s been important for us to be open about adoption and it really is a lifelong journey – we’ve had support when needed, long after the adoption itself. But above all else, it’s been a journey that has been filled with fun, fulfilment and affection.”
Adoption with Adopt London
In supporting this campaign, Audrey Bouazizi, representing the Adopt London Heads of Service said,
“We currently have more children in need of adoptive homes and fewer people taking the steps to providing that safe, stable home. This is a challenge for all children across the country but in London, our Black children and our children with additional needs wait the longest.
National Adoption Week gives us the opportunity to help anyone thinking about adoption to gain insight into the adoption journey and learn more about it from those who have travelled along that road. People considering adoption can find out more about the informal and formal support at different stages of the journey such as that of family, foster carers and social workers.
Like all journeys, adoption is not always smooth but the final destination is a warm, loving home for a child and security and a sense of belonging when they cannot remain with their birth family even though they will be able to stay in touch with people important to them with the support of their adopters. Some companions along the journey will be there for a time, and others for a lifetime but all of them contribute to a bespoke relationship and adoption experience. In case anyone is wondering, the right time to start that journey is right now.”
Creating better futures for Black adopted children in London
If you want to know more adoption in the Black community, head over to our Linktr.ee account or visit our Black Adoption Project page where you can sign up to our mailing list.
*National Attitudinal Research: The attitudinal research was conducted by Censuswide, between 09.09.24 and 12.09.24 with a sample size of 2,000 UK adults (including a min of 1,000 parents). For more information visit www.youcanadopt.org.uk
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