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It was great to catch up with Exeter celebrity chef Michael Caines last week. He was celebrating the Royal Clarence Hotel being named in the Michelin guide for an incredible 100th successive year.
After interviewing him for Exeter FM radio, we started talking about a subject very close to our hearts. We are both adopted and represent the Devon based Families for Children charity which does fantastic work in placing youngsters locally with loving parents.
This year alone, nine children have found new homes in Devon.
Recently there have been headlines about a fall in the number of adoptions nationally. This is clearly a worrying trend, so please forgive me for making a personal plea.
At the moment we are half way through National Adoption Week which is aimed at raising awareness about what’s involved, and appealing for potential new parents to put their names forward for consideration. However there are many misconceptions.
There are no ‘blanket’ bans, so don’t think you’ll be turned down if you are over 40, single, or don’t own your own home. There is no upper age limit, and you won’t be discriminated against because of ethnic background, religion or gender.
Basically if you can offer a child a loving and supportive family for life, I would urge you to find out more.
Families for Children can give you all the information you need and plenty of help and support too. This week you can meet them at their temporary shop in Paris Street.
I was adopted in 1963 through a forerunner of ‘Families for Children’ called the Council for Christian Care which was based in Old Tiverton Road in Exeter. My adoptive parents Dorothy and Henry lived just off Topsham Road and they picked me up as an eight week old from St Olaves in the city centre, which now of course is a hotel and restaurant. I still find it strange to know that my birth name was David !
Twenty years ago I traced my natural parents. My birth mother turned out to be living in Wagga Wagga in Australia and I flew out there to have an emotional meeting with her and my two half sisters. Despite that, I very much regarded my adoptive parents here as my ‘real’ mum and dad.
Times have moved on quite considerably since then of course, and attitudes have changed enormously. The stigma of young, single, mothers giving birth has largely gone away, so the number of very young babies available for adoption has dropped. This may be off putting for some, but I’ve seen at first hand through my work with FFC how rewarding it is for families to give a home to older children. The average age is now 3.5 years, and I understand that if you already have children, an adopted child would be at least two years younger.
There are 4,000 vulnerable children awaiting adoption in the UK. I can’t think of many better places than Exeter and Devon for them to discover a happy, loving family life. If you can offer one, please take this opportunity to seriously consider putting your name forward.
You won’t regret it.