Adoption campaign hopes to find 40 families

Forty families are being sought across South Lanarkshire to adopt children in the area who can no longer live with their birth families.

South Lanarkshire Council have launched a new campaign - Find 40 Families - which aims to place 40 children in loving homes in the next 12 months.

Councillor Lynsey Hamilton, depute chairwoman of social work resources and member of the South Lanarkshire Fostering and Adoption Panel, said: “I am delighted to support this campaign which would mean that 40 babies or children would be matched with their forever family in the next 12 months.

“Adoption is an option for many different family make-ups and indeed for single people.

“There’s a myth that there are all sorts of barriers to adoption and this is not the case.

“We aim to make the process as smooth as possible for applicants, with a view to ensuring that children get their loving home as quickly as possible. And all you have to do to start the process is request an information pack.”

The council is looking for enquiries from single people, couples, families who have children of their own, and same sex couples who have been living together for more than two years.

All applicants must be over 21 years of age and should be able to parent a child until adulthood.

Once people have received an information pack, a social worker will arrange a meeting to discuss the process further and they will be required to take part in preparatory groups, where potential adopters will have an opportunity to ask more questions.

Those who decide to proceed with adoption will then be assigned a social worker who will undertake an assessment, before making a recommendation to the adoption panel.

To get a pack, or for further details, log on to the council’s website www. southlanarskhire.gov.uk or call 0303 123 1008.