Trushali
- 6 August 2026
Wednesday 5 August 2026 at 9:07pm
Marina Jenkins
Journalist, ITV News West Country
At the end of 2025, there were more than 3,000 children waiting to be adopted.Credit:Â ITV News West Country
Adoption is changing – are the words of one social worker who works tirelessly to match children with adoptive families.
The 4th of August 2026 marks 100 years since adoption was legalised in England and Wales. Today, experts working within the sector, say the system is under “increasing pressure”.
Julia Neilson, who is an experienced social worker with Western Bay Adoption Service in South Wales, said: “Adoption is changing.”
“Children that come to us now have often experienced early trauma and that impacts on their development and the kind of parenting that they need.
‘We are absolutely stretched, we are dealing with crisis every day’
Coram is the UK’s longest and oldest serving children’s charity established in 1739.
The charity collects data on behalf of the Department for Education and estimates that by the end of 2025 there were more than 3,000 children waiting to be adopted but less than 1,500 approved families.
Ten years ago, it was the other way round, with more families than children.
Dame Carol Homden, Chief Executive of Coram, explains why there is a shortage of people coming forward to adopt.
“I think it’s because of demographic changes, so the age profile of the population. Also, we have a cost of living crisis, housing costs in particular are very high for some families.
“But we are also in a time where science has made great advances in fertility treatment, so some people who might have considered adoption earlier are taking the opportunity.
“So the combination of all of these things, plus the continued number of children entering the care system means we have reached the point where we do not have enough adopters for the children who are waiting,” said Dame Carol.
The Department for Education said it is working to “improve” support for both adopted children and their families.
A Government spokesperson said: “We consulted on how adoption support services could be improved earlier this year and will set out our full plans in response shortly.
“In the meantime we have increased the funding we make available for specialist therapies where children might have experienced trauma or abuse through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.”
In its centenary year, the adoption system has evolved, but Dame Carol believes we are at a critical moment.
“Every child must have consistent and fair access to support and there is a huge variation of that access.
“This is a really important moment both governmentally and as a society, to invest in our children.
“So we have as responsive a system as possible. How to achieve that is where the challenge lies.”