There are currently more than 200 children across London waiting to be adopted, and children from BAME backgrounds often wait longer to be placed with adoptive families. Coram helps to find adopters for children from different ethnic backgrounds, and focuses on matching children with families who can respect and promote the child’s ethnicity, culture and identity.
The free event takes place at 6.30pm on Tuesday 28 May at the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton and will give prospective adopters the opportunity to speak to Coram’s social workers about the adoption process and hear the experiences of other adopters from BAME backgrounds, within a friendly and informal environment.
Veronica and David adopted their son Ethan through Coram in 2017. As black adoptive parents, they felt it was important to adopt a child of African or Caribbean descent so they would be best placed to understand and promote the child’s cultural heritage as they grew up.
Veronica said: “We feel very comfortable to teach our son about his heritage and are best placed to support him with any challenges and issues. In our culture, adoption isn’t something that’s always considered. I think we need to dispel myths around adoption. There are children who need a home and there are regular people out there ready to adopt. I think that’s something that everyone in our communities could resonate with.”
Alice Noon, Head of Coram Adoption in London, said: “We are very pleased to host our first adoption information event within the BAME community. At Coram we believe it is important to find permanent, loving homes for every child that is waiting to be adopted. Unfortunately, children from BAME backgrounds often wait longer to find their forever families so we want to do everything possible to encourage more people from the BAME community to come forward as adopters.
“We are here to guide adopters through the life-changing process of becoming parents, and we offer support for all families who adopt with us, for as long as they need us.”
To find out more and book free spaces on the event, please visit: coramadoption.org.uk/event/adoption-information-meeting-brixton-28th-may-2019