About the week

Since its launch in 1997, National Adoption Week has gone from strength to strength, reaching people across the UK wanting to know if they can adopt. And every year, we need your support.

The week encourages people to come forward to adopt the children who wait the longest – older children, children with disabilities, brothers and sisters, and children from some black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

The theme for this year’s National Adoption Week is the ‘adoption gap’ – that is the gap between the types of children people want to adopt and the types of children waiting. Often people want to adopt a baby, but we need people who are willing to consider adopting older children, sibling groups, disabled children, and children with developmental uncertainty.

We are asking the public to keep an open mind, and see the individual child. National Adoption Week is so important in reminding people about the backgrounds of the children waiting for adoption and the difference adoption can make to a child’s life. We know from existing adoptive families that it can be hard work, but the rewards are huge. This is a chance to transform a child’s life for ever.

National Adoption Week also attracts people wanting to find out about their own adoption or about a child they put up for adoption. We have advice and support for these people.