Increased interest in adoption during lockdown as enquiries in Wales rise by more than a third

The National Adoption Service said moving their process remotely during lockdown helped them "support more people on their adoption journey." Credit: Welsh Government

Adoption enquiries in Wales increased by more than a third during lockdown according to the National Adoption Service.

Figures indicate a 36 per cent increase in initial adoption enquiries between April and June this year compared to the same period last year. There has also been an 18 per cent increase in adopter assessments started during lockdown.

The National Adoption Service had to move a lot of their process, including visits to prospective adopters, online as they adapted to the restrictions brought on by the pandemic.

This comes as Welsh Government have announced a £2.3 million support fund to support adoption services.

The £2.3m will go towards things like the 'Adopting Together' programme, which aims to help children who wait a year or more to be adopted. Credit: PA Images

In March, lockdown meant the National Adoption Service had to adapt in order to continue their work. According to Suzanne Griffiths, Director of the service in Wales, moving some of the process online has meant they are actually able to work with more families looking to adopt.

She said: "While the past few months have been a challenging time for everyone, we have been working hard to evolve and continue to match families in Wales, safely.

"By offering our services remotely through email, telephone calls and video conferencing, we have been able to support more people on their adoption journey. It's promising to see this hard work result in more people coming forward."

This month, the adoption service relaunched 'Become the parent only you could be' - a campaign to help people from all backgrounds recognise their potential to be an adopter.

In March, the National Adoption Service had to move their services remotely because of lockdown restrictions. Credit: PA Images

The campaign is being reinforced by Welsh Government investing £2.3 million in adoption services. This funding continues the investment package awarded to the adoption service in 2019.

The money will go towards adoption services in Wales like the 'Adopting Together' programme, which aims to support children who wait a year of more to find an adoptive family.

It will also help provide a new support and information service for children and young people

Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services, Julie Morgan MS, said: "It's heartening to hear that enquiries into adoption have risen over the lockdown period. The investment announced today will support families throughout their adoption journey.

"Working collaboratively with key organisations, the money will support a variety of programmes which benefit both adopters and adoptees."