A shortage in the number of people coming forward to adopt children means 500 children in Scotland will have to wait for a permanent family home.

Those of us fortunate enough to have enjoyed childhood in a loving family of our own will probably never understand the anguish felt by children waiting to be adopted.

We may even take our families and homes, and the stability afforded by these blessings, for granted.

But for many Scottish children the prospect of a secure family home remains uncertain as they wait to be placed with a new family.

The reason is purely and simply a shortage in the number of families coming forward to adopt.

Information from the British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) states that in Scotland alone there are some 500 children between the ages of two and 10 who need new permanent families through adoption or long-term fostering.

The group also rates research which shows children say they wait too long for adoptive families to be found.

New Care Standards are to be introduced next year which will set out clear duties on local authorities to consider adoption for children. It is also hoped they can make the adoption processes more open and accessible.

As part of the National Adoption Week programme, an open evening was recently held at Inverurie Day Care Centre.

Senior social worker Lorraine Hehir, of the council's social work department, said there had been an encouraging response to the open evening.

Mrs Hehir explained the current situation.
"In the last few years we have managed to find adoptive families for children in Aberdeenshire but this year we have had an increase in children who need placements, and not enough families coming forward to adopt."
"There is a particular shortage of families to adopt groups of brothers and sisters," she added.
"We are seeking a range of families for a range of children and we will include both married couples and single people."

"We do occasionally need families for babies but most commonly we need to find families for children aged between five and eight years particularly," said Mrs Hehir.

In April, Education Minister, Jack McConnell, announced that a working group on adoption would be set up. Prior to the start of National Adoption Week, the minister outlined the Executive's commitment to modernising and improving adoption services.

In the meantime, however, hundreds of children throughout the country are waiting for a new family.

Anyone interested in adopting is encouraged to find out more from their local authority's social work department.

There are no upper-age limits for adoptive parents although it is important to be fit enough to care for a child for the rest of their childhood.

Single applicants are also welcome to apply.