Potential adopters urged to 'see the whole child'

Potential adopters are being urged to 'see the whole child' in a National Adoption Service for Wales campaign to find permanent families for children with delayed development, health problems and from large sibling groups.

Suzanne Griffiths, director of operations for the National Adoption Service has said that, although they now have more adopters waiting to be matched than children available, delays arise because of "adopters not being willing or able to take on specific needs of the children currently on the national adoption register."

The National Adoption Service for Wales was launched in November 2014 to bring together local authority adoption services into a structure that includes partnerships with Welsh voluntary adoption agencies and health and education services.

For the year to 31st March 2016, the average time children spent in care prior to placement for adoption was reduced to 15.2 months - having fallen from 16.6 months on the year before.

Of the 110 approved adopters on the Wales Adoption Register, 90% wanted just one child and 34% wanted a child aged under two years.

Adoptive families from across Wales have joined the campaign.

Adopters Helen and Gareth have two children with developmental delay and dyslexia