The Trumpet Newspaper Issue 557 (November 3 - 16 2021)

Page10 TheTrumpet NOVEMBER 3 - 16 2021
Adoption
Tackling myths about Adoption
By Sherifa Adenmosun
As part of the #YouCanAdopt
campaign, for the 2021 National
Adoption Week, Social Care
practitioner - Sherifa Adenmosun helps to
tackle some of the myths and
misconceptions that may cause Black
people to rule themselves out of the
adoption process before they’ve even
begun their journey.
Sadly, Black and Mixed Ethnicity
children tend to wait longer to be placed
for adoption, than their White
counterparts. With fewer than 5% of
adopters in England being of Black
African or Black Caribbean heritage,
there has never been a greater time for
more Black adopters to step forward and
make a change.
Myth 1: You can’t adopt if you are
over 35
“There is no upper age limit, as many
people in their 40s and 50s have
successfully adopted children. The only
age-related rule is that you must be over
21 years of age to adopt a child.”
Myth 2: You have to be married
“Being single or in a relationship and
unmarried does not exclude you as a
potential adopter. I’ve placed children
with single adopters who are doing really
well in their care, and they’re thriving,”
shares Sherifa.
Myth 3: The adoption process is
difficult and takes years
“The adoption process is now simpler
and quicker than ever before and there is
a lot more support available throughout
the process - even after you have been
matched with a child.
“Stage One is an eight-week process
that is adopter-led and gathers
information about yourself as a potential
adopter(s),” explains Sherifa. “Stage Two
is a four-month process and is social
worker-led. The social worker will be
involved with gathering lots of
information about you and is essentially a
prospective adopter report that details
everything about you and why you want
to adopt.”
Myth 4: You have to be wealthy
“While your employment status and
financial circumstances are evaluated as
part of the adoption process, having a low
salary or even being unemployed does
not immediately disqualify you as a
potential adopter.
“I’ve placed children with people who
are dinner ladies, postmen - they’re
certainly not wealthy by any means - but
that’s not what we’re looking for,” says
Sherifa. “In the first instance, we need
people that have love, time and
commitment to give to a child.”
Myth 6: You can’t already have
children living at home
“You are still eligible to adopt even if
you have children living with you. If you
already have birth-children, it is usually
the case that an adopted child would be
the youngest in the family by around 2
years at the point the adopted child is
moving in with their family. However,
there may be exceptions to this so I
would encourage you to discuss your
situation with the adoption agency.
Myth 7: You can’t adopt if you
follow a faith and religion
“This couldn’t be further from the
truth. As long as your parenting capacity
isn’t negatively affected by your faith,
you can be from any of the faith groups.
Black children who are waiting to be
adopted come from all walks of life, and
so we need Black adopters from all walks
of life,”
The #YouCanAdopt campaign is
being delivered from a cross-sector of
regional and voluntary Adoption
Agencies, and other key stakeholders
around Adoption in England. The
campaign aims to ensure people have the
correct information about Adoption and
do not rule themselves out based on false
beliefs and assumptions.
Further information on adoption is
available at:
www.youcanadopt.co.uk/blackadopters
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Myth 5: You must be a homeowner
or have a big house
“Whether you rent or own, live in an
apartment or a house - you are still
eligible to adopt. The size of your home
isn’t an issue either, although ideally, it’s
preferred that you have a spare bedroom
for an adopted child because it’s
important that they have a space which
they can call their own.”