“For children to find a stable, loving home in which they can grow up and feel a part of is the way in which they recover from the things that have happened to them in the past. It’s the way in which they will turn into adults that can make their way in the world, level and equal with all the other children that turn into adults.”

DAVID FRY, Service Manager for Adoption at Hillingdon Council, says the biggest challenge facing adoption teams nationally is the sheer number of children needing a loving home. Nationally, there are approx 7,000 children with adoption plans, yet only 3,000 registered adopters.

National Adoption Week was established by the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF).

It was an idea that came 15 years ago from BAAF staff, who realised it would offer a focus point during the year to highlight the constant need for people to keep coming forward to adopt.

BAAF Chief Executive David Holmes said: “It's such an important opportunity to get people talking about adoption, to dispel myths about who can and can't adopt and to encourage people to find out more.”

There is a particular need for children in sibling groups, who need to be adopted together, as well as disabled children, those with complex needs, children from a range of ethnic backgrounds and older children.

Yet, the term ‘older children’ in adoption terms can mean as young as three. Mr Fry says his adoption services find it relatively easy to find adopters for young healthy babies and children.

However, he adds: “The children for whom we have more difficulty finding adopters are therefore the ones waiting the longest.”

Hillingdon’s Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services, Cllr David Simmonds, says:  “Most prospective parents have an idea of the age and type of child they would like to adopt, but the reality is there are children from a wide range of backgrounds and circumstances who are looking for a family.”

Children can only be adopted through an adoption agency - either a children’s services authority or a Government-approved registered adoption society.

It was not until the 2002 Adoption and Children Act that the pool of potential adopters was really widened. Before then, the right to adopt was largely restricted to married heterosexual couples.

The Act modernised the adoption legal framework, allowing single people to come forward.

It also introduced the new legal order of special guardianship and, when the law was adjusted three years later, unmarried couples were also made eligible to apply jointly, effectively giving them the same rights as married partners.

However, Mr Holmes says: “There is an acute shortage of adopters in the system. We have several thousand children waiting for adoption and we desperately need families to come forward for them.”

As part of National Adoption Week and to encourage residents to consider opening their homes up to children, Hillingdon has organised an information evening on November 29, 6.30-9pm at the Civic Centre.

Cllr Simmonds says: “We encourage anyone wishing to adopt to begin the process with an open mind and to find out about all the options available, so we can help them find the right child.”

Mr Fry says it is immensely rewarding and that having a child in your life is something that gives a two-way loving bond.

He explains: “It is a life-changing thing that prospective adopters are going to do. It’s life-changing for them and it’s actually life-changing for the children.”

Once somebody decides to adopt and makes an application, Hillingdon Adoption Services aim to get them through the preparation and assessment process in about 6-8 months.

Next, they may be presented to a panel, which will assess their offer and see whether there are any children available for adoption.

To find out more, visit www.hillingdon.gov.uk/adoption