Norfolk is defying national trends by increasing the number of adoptive parents coming forward, even as adoption interest declines across the UK. While there has been a 12% drop nationally in families considering adoption this year, Norfolk County Council’s Adoption Service has seen a remarkable 53% rise in approved adopters compared to last year.
In the 2024/25 period, 43 adoptive households were approved in the county, up from 28 the previous year. Among them, 37 were couples and six were single adopters. The council has also reported an encouraging rise in adopters from global majority backgrounds and the LGBTQ+ community, reflecting the diversity of families willing to provide stable, loving homes.
The news comes during National Adoption Week, which this year focuses on challenging common myths about who can adopt. Cllr Penny Carpenter, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said the increase in adopters was “brilliant news” for children waiting for families but added that the need for more remains urgent.
“The rise in adoptive parents is fantastic, as it gives more children in our care the love and stability they need to flourish,” she said. “But we can’t stop here — there are still children waiting for their forever families. Even if people are only just thinking about adoption, we’d encourage them to come forward. It might not be right for you now, but it could be perfect in the future.”
Every adoption story is unique, and Norfolk’s Adoption Service works to carefully match children with the right parents. Richard Potter, an adopter from the county, shared how adoption changed his family’s life. “We always wanted to be parents, but it was never quite the right time,” he said. “After I lost a leg in an accident, we realised how precious life is and wanted to give something back. Adoption was the ideal route for us — Theo was the perfect match, and four years later, we can’t imagine life any other way. Every child deserves to be loved and given a chance at a normal, happy life.”
This year’s National Adoption Week campaign highlights how adoption doesn’t require a “perfect home.” Research shows that 86% of prospective adopters worry about needing ideal living conditions, yet most adoptive families live in ordinary homes — 41% in properties with two bedrooms or fewer, 65% without gardens, and 25% in rented accommodation.
Celebrity chef and adoptive mother Prue Leith, who supports the campaign, said: “When I adopted my daughter, it was in the kitchen that we bonded most — over meals, mess and everyday life. Adoption is messy, joyful, challenging and real. It gives a child a place at the table, and that’s where love truly grows.”
Around 250 children come into care in Norfolk each year, though not all will require adoption. Some return to their birth families, others live with relatives or remain in long-term foster care. Currently, Norfolk Adoption Services is seeking families for 10 children who are waiting to be matched with adoptive parents.
