The government has decided to help speed up the adoption process with a £30 million pledge reports the BBC, which is likely to maintain the recent rise in the numbers of children being placed with adoptive parents.
The main barrier for local authorities finding adoptive parents for children in care has been the cost which normally adds up to about £27,000 per child. Despite this, the number of children adopted has risen from 3,200 in 2010 to 5,050 according to the most recent data from 2013/14.
The average time it takes for local authorities to find adoptive parents has also fallen from 656 days in 2012/13 to 533 in 2013/14 according to the BBC. Yet there are still said to be difficulties in placing children that have special needs and it is this that the government hopes its pledge will help so that children are given every chance of finding a stable loving home.
Commenting on the pledge, The Prime Minister David Cameron “I am determined to tear down the barriers to children in care being found loving adoptive parents. The average time it takes to place a child with a new family has been falling and I am delighted we are able to offer this funding to try to ensure it falls further.”