Appeal for adoptive families across Cambridgeshire

"Every day spent waiting matters" for children who need a permanent home, a county's adoption service has said.

There are 35 children currently waiting to be adopted in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, with 14 being part of a sibling group.

Children typically waited 17 months to be adopted in the past year and were aged two-and-a-half on average, according to the service.

"There are still too many children waiting for adoptive families, and every extra day they wait is a day without the stability they need," said Edna Murphy, chair of Cambridgeshire County Council's children and young people's committee.

She encouraged anyone thinking about adoption to "take the first step" and find out more.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Adoption is the region's adoption agency overseen by Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council.

The service said some adopted children spent more than half of their young lives waiting to find a family.

Children with brothers and sisters often had to wait longer to be adopted.

The service's campaign aimed to reassure people who were considering adoption that they did not need to be "perfect parents".

It said people were welcome as long as they were willing to provide love, stability and commitment.

The average age of adopters last year was 41.

Katy Cole, Peterborough City Council's cabinet member for children and young people, said: "There are children waiting for the security of a permanent family and adopters who could change a child's life forever.

"The challenge is bringing the two together quickly enough, so that children do not spend longer than necessary waiting for the stability they deserve."

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