More adoption support from Northumberland's award-winning service

Northumberland County Council is launching additional support services for adoptive families during this National Adoption Week, which runs until Sunday.
Part of Northumberland County Council's adoption team.Part of Northumberland County Council's adoption team.
Part of Northumberland County Council's adoption team.

This investment is part of the council's ongoing commitment to children and families involved in adoption.

National Adoption Week is run by the national information service First4Adoption. The 2016 campaign aims to promote a wider understanding of adoption and to encourage adopters to come forward for children in the North East currently waiting for ‘forever families’.

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At any one time, Northumberland's Family Placement Service is seeking parents for about 20 children. Single children aged up to eight and groups of young brothers and sisters are waiting for their new family. The county works closely with agencies across the UK to match families with children as effectively as possible.

The new support services will be launched at the Northumberland adopters' support group today. The session will showcase the suite of training courses developed for adoptive families along with a new dedicated adopter website. There is also a chance to meet the rest of the team and see what support services are available to them now and in the future.

Coun Robert Arckless, cabinet member for children's services, said: "We are really excited to be launching the new Northumberland group. Adoption support is a key component of the help you receive from Northumberland Children's Service. The new group will bring together adoptive parents, who are waiting to be matched with children, so they can discuss issues and access more services from the Northumberland Adoption Team and its partners.

"The service has received a double accolade from Ofsted and the Northumberland County Council Excellence Awards for their strong track record and dedication to matching children and families. 48 children were successfully matched in 2015 alone.

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"The service is continuously developing ongoing support when and if families need it. We hope that the double accolade and increase in support services will help encourage more people to adopt with Northumberland."

For National Adoption Week, Northumberland Family Placement Service is also promoting its next adoption information event, where people can find out more from our team and families. The next session is at Stannington Village Hall, NE61 6EL from 6.30pm on Thursday, November 10.

For more information, visit http://adoption.northumberland.gov.uk or call 01670 62 62 62 for an informal chat, to book an initial appointment or to book a place at an information event.