Scandal of children awaiting adoption

Background briefing. As so often, the Government forces through immoral legislation while the issues of real importance are ignored.

From CFNews: More than 1,500 'forgotten' children are languishing in care waiting to be adopted - even though there are thousands of couples desperate to adopt, The children are among 60,000 in care in England alone, living in foster homes or residential institutions. Hundreds are being denied the chance of adoption because local councils say they cannot afford the fees - about £26,000 per child -changed by voluntary agencies who find and approve suitable parents. The children's charity Bernardo's, which places 70 youngsters a year with adoptive families, said it had parents ready to take up to 50 more children, but councils had told them they did not have the funds. Other agencies reported similar refusals from local authorities.

The scandal of these 'forgotten children' shows that the crisis in Britain's care system goes far beyond the row over the Cabinet's refusal last week to allow Catholic adoption agencies an exemption from dealing with homosexual couples. These agencies place just over 200 children with families every year, but say they will close if forced to help homosexual adopters. Meanwhile, MPs alleged yesterday that some councils in England and Wales were taking babies from their parents and placing them in care before all other options had been exhausted - in order to meet government adoption targets. Ministers set a target of a 50 per cent increase in the number of children adopted between 2000 and 2006, Latest fifures show the target has not. been reached and the rise is only 32.1 per cent.

John Hemming, the Liberal Democrat MP for Birmingham Yardley, who has tabled a Commons motion, backed by 12 other MPs, on the issue, said he feared that babies were being taken because councils were under pressure to meet targets and it was easier to find parents for the very young, 'This is a national scandal,' he said. The Department for Education and the British Association for Adoption and Fostering denied the allegations. [Sunday Telegraph]