As the number of children in need of loving, nurturing homes continues to grow, the regional adoption agency for Yorkshire and the Humber – One Adoption – is urging people to consider adoption as a route to building or extending their family this New Year.

Unfortunately, the cost-of-living crisis has seen a shortage of people coming forward to adopt, which means that across Yorkshire and the Humber there are now over 200 children waiting to find their permanent family.

The children, much like adopters, come from a variety of backgrounds, from groups of brothers and sisters to children with additional needs or those just that little bit older, all of whom need a family to grow up in. One Adoption welcomes adopters from all walks of life, regardless of race, religion, sexuality, or marital status. What matters is that adopters can give children who might not have had a great start in life, a stable and happy home through to adulthood.

One Adoption recognizes the unique strengths that LGBTQ+ people bring to adoption and understand that the personal, lived experiences many LGBTQ+ people have had to overcome, makes them strong parents and great advocates to support a child who is adopted.

Considering adoption is a huge decision for anyone. At times it is challenging, as parenthood is for everyone, but adoption is an incredibly rewarding and positive experience. 

There are a lot of myths surrounding who can and can’t adopt but it’s important that people don’t rule themselves out without finding out the facts.

Adopters don’t have to be married or in a relationship. Lots of single people adopt through One Adoption, and around 20% of all adopters approved by One Adoption are LGBTQ+.  People of any race or religion are welcome to apply, as are people who have a disability. The only criteria are that you must be 21 years or older, have space in your home and a willingness to provide a safe and loving home for a child.Finance is also sometimes seen as a barrier to adopting, but you don’t have to have a certain income or amount of savings to adopt, you just need to be financially secure enough to raise a child.

One Adoption is made up of three regional adoption agencies;One Adoption North and Humber, One Adoption South Yorkshire and One Adoption West Yorkshire, providing adoption services on behalf of all local councils in the region.

The first step to becoming an adopter is to attend an information event which are held regularly by the three One Adoption agencies. Most events are online and can be booked through the One Adoption website.