ONE of the first regional adoption agencies in the country has opened its doors to adopters in Warrington.
Together for Adoption brings together the adoption services of five local authorities – Warrington, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, St Helens and Wigan.
The agency was officially launched with a grand opening of its new base in Warrington by Cllrr Jean Carter, the borough council’s lead member for children’s services..
Current figures show there are around 30 children in the area covered by Together for Adoption waiting to be adopted and the service will be looking to find families for around 140 children a year.
Bryan Glover, head of Service for Together for Adoption, said: “Together for Adoption is bringing together outstanding expertise from across the region under one roof and we have talented and dedicated staff and partner organisations who will continue to offer the outstanding service people who have adopted have experienced.
“We will be looking to build on these strengths to give everyone who is interested in adopting, or has successfully adopted, the right support throughout their journey. We know this has been highly valued by adopters and we will continue to offer that professional compassionate and thorough care to ensure children and adopters have the best possible outcomes. It is a really rewarding job, particularly when we hear from families years down the line who have had their lives transformed, for the better, through adoption.”
Together for Adoption has been developed following Government changes announced in 2015 to the way adoption services operate by directing they be run on a regional basis by 2020.
By bringing the teams together it is hoped the process of adoption will be easier, increasing the number of children adopted and improving the experience of adopting.
Cllr Carter said “Adoption offers children the chance to thrive in a loving environment and our priority is to make sure that they get the support they need and that all children get the chance to succeed. Together for Adoption will bring outstanding support to Warrington not just for children and young people but the fantastic people who also choose to adopt.”
To find out more about Together for Adoption visit www.togetherforadoption.co.uk
Picture: The new base in Warrington features artwork designed by children who have been adopted.
