A forward-thinking South West adoption partnership has announced its new member – Somerset County Council. The council is the latest member of Adopt South West – a partnership of adoption agencies, made up of charities and local authorities from across the region. These include Barnardo’s, Devon County Council, Families for Children, Plymouth City Council, Torbay, and now Somerset County Council. The six are working together to highlight the plight of vulnerable children and help them find their adoptive families.

It comes as Adopt South West prepares to launch its advert on ITV, which will be broadcast across the region for 10 days from Friday 22 January 2016. You can also view the advert, which features scenes from Minehead, on YouTube (https://youtu.be/HGXLFHZsnZE) and on the Adopt South West website (www.adoptsouthwest.org.uk).

Somerset County Council is specifically seeking people who want to embrace its rewarding Fostering to Adopt initiative. Fostering to Adopt places a child with a family who have been approved as adopters and who are given approval temporarily as foster carers for a specific child. This is a good option as the child will live with their likely adoptive family from a young age and be able to form attachments.

The entire Adopt South West partnership is prioritising its search for adopters for children aged 4-plus, siblings, disabled children, and children of black and minority ethnic heritage. This is because these children can often find themselves waiting the longest for their forever families than a baby or a toddler.

Frances Nicholson, Cabinet Member for Children and Families at Somerset County Council, said: “I am delighted to be able to announce Somerset’s membership of the regional Adopt South West partnership, which will benefit vulnerable children in our region.  

“We have a long-standing relationship with our fellow South West adoption services and agencies, and this new partnership will bolster our ability to match children swiftly with their adoptive families.”

For more information about Adopt South West and to enquire, visit www.adoptsouthwest.org.uk or www.fosteradoptsomerset.org.uk, or phone Somerset’s team directly on 0800 587 9900.