It is not only the UK who is in need of more adoptive parents. People in America are also being encouraged to adopt in a bid to find homes for half a million of the country's foster children.

Bruce Willis has been named by the White House as the national spokesman for the cause, helping to promote the campaign alongside President Bush.

In the USA more than half a million children are in foster care and more than 130,000 have been waiting about four years to be adopted.

Many of the children have special requirements such as belonging to a particular ethnic group or the child has physical disabilities. A situation that is echoed in the UK.

To help break down the geographical boundaries the White House has launched a government adoption website. The site will carry adoption information in addition to the 6,500 profiles of children waiting to be adopted.

The website can be found at www.adoptUSKids.org