I was reading last week about another actress who has decided to adopt a baby.
This got me thinking again about how the rules applying to adoption in the UK need to be changed quickly.
It is a sad fact that it is often women who are ill-equipped to look after children who end up having several.
Now, I don't want to get into a debate regarding the "Benefits" safety-net, which some people argue incentivises single women to have children. Instead, let's focus on the welfare of the children.
There are tens of thousands of people in the UK who want to adopt children. In the vast majority of cases, these people would be able to provide a loving, secure environment in which a child would thrive.
Currently however, the adoption process in the UK is so tortuous that many applicants drop out. As a result, thousands of children are therefore left to languish with natural parents who are unable to cope with the responsibility of parenthood.
The answer – surely – is to simplify the process by guaranteeing any applicant for adoption is given a final answer within 6 months.
To do this, Social Services need to get out of the self-preserving, ‘protecting their own backsides’ mode.
There will always be risks inherent in the adoption process. However, when in 99% of cases, children would be better off in the care of adopters, it is surely right to move quickly to bring the children that improved position.
Delays in giving children better lives should be unacceptable to all of us.
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