People in Bolton are being asked to consider what family means to them as National Adoption Week highlights that ‘the journey to a family is not always a traditional one’. From today to Sunday, 27 October, Bolton’s local adoption agency, Adoption Now, is joining others across the country in a bid to raise awareness of ‘Adoption Journeys’ and encourage local people to start theirs. Sixty-six per cent of people in the North West believe there is no such thing as a ‘normal’ family and 52 per cent come from a ‘non-traditional’ family structure themselves, highlighting to potential adopters the ‘village’ that makes every journey unique - from social workers and foster carers to birth families and grandparents.
Rachel, Winnie & Daniel The campaign comes as the latest data shows a 22 per cent increase in the number of children with a plan for adoption not yet matched with an adoptive family in England in 2023-4, compared to the previous year, meaning there are 780 more children not yet placed with a family than there are approved adopters waiting to be matched with a child. With fewer potential adopters coming forward – believed to largely be a result of the cost-of-living crisis - nearly half (47 per cent) of all children face delays of over 18 months to be placed with an adoptive family. READ MORE: Meet the Bolton couple who adopted six children Bolton Council’s Executive Member for Children’s Services, Cllr Martin Donaghy , said: “National Adoption W.