Adoption Awareness Week focuses on dispelling myths

Adoption Awareness Week focuses on dispelling myths

Fostering and Adoption Jersey will be holding a number of pop-up information sessions from Saturday so that Islanders can learn more about the process of adopting and fostering a child.

There is a shortage of foster families available who can provide homes for Jersey children – especially teenagers, siblings and children with additional needs – who come into care.

Susan Devlin, group director of Children’s Services, said: ‘Part of our adoption awareness week is to celebrate adopters and acknowledge the successes of adoption over recent years.

‘We will always need adopters to be ready for different types of children, especially older children and siblings. However, we also need foster carers so the campaign this year is about reaching out to everyone.

‘This campaign aims to find homes for those children who desperately need them. During adoption awareness week, the focus is on the adopter and who can adopt. It is worrying that so many people still believe there are blanket bans on who can adopt or foster.’

Among the myths that the campaign aims to dispel is that salary is a barrier, lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people cannot adopt and there is an upper age limit.

Emmy Lindsey, manager of Fostering and Adoption Jersey, said: ‘We are very fortunate in Jersey to have many wonderful foster and adoptive parents, but there is still a real need for more people to come forward.

‘This year’s theme is “Be the change you want to see” meaning each one of us can leave a stamp on this world by making our lives meaningful in a thousand ways, and making the lives of others better than they ever thought possible.’

She urged Islanders to attend an informal chat to find out more about fostering or adoption.

A drop-in session will be held at Les Quennevais Sports Centre on Saturday between 10 am and 4 pm. Two further sessions will be held during half-term, one on Monday 29 October at Ransoms Garden Centre and another on Wednesday 21 October at Tamba Park. These sessions will also run from 10 am and 4 pm.

At all the events there will be Halloween-themed arts and crafts for children.

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