Adoption agencies warn of growing gap between children waiting and families available

Children are waiting too long for adoptive families as the number of prospective adopters declines and agencies face mounting financial pressures, according to a new report from the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies (CVAA).

Supporting Children and Families Through Adoption: The VAA Contribution CVAA Data Report 2025-26, published during National Adoption Week, examines the contribution of Voluntary Adoption Agencies (VAAs) and the pressures facing children and families across the adoption system.

The report, based on data from 15 member agencies, found that enquiries from potential adopters to VAAs fell by 8%, while average agency income decreased by 3% in 2025/26. Delays and cuts to adoption support have also left some agencies having to fundraise, draw on reserves or make redundancies.

Andrew Webb, Chair of CVAA UK, said: “Adoption delivers some of the best outcomes we see anywhere in the care system. But it cannot sustain itself. It needs funding, recognition and active support from governments, the wider care sector, and all of us working within it.”

Despite the pressures, the report highlights the contribution VAAs make to finding families for children who may be harder to place and supporting those involved in adoption. Two thirds of the children placed by the agencies covered by the report were siblings, older children or children from Global Majority communities.

VAAs also provided more than 56,000 hours of adoption support to over 13,000 people, investing in services beyond the Interagency Fee and government funding.

The findings come as adoption agencies across the country seek to encourage more people to consider becoming adopters. During National Adoption Week, regional adoption agency One Adoption West Yorkshire said around 160 children across the region were waiting for a permanent family.

The agency is supporting You Can Adopt’s Every Day is Everything campaign, which aims to challenge misconceptions about who can adopt and highlight the importance of everyday family experiences in helping children feel safe, loved and secure.

A new national report from Adoption England and Coram warns that, if registrations continue to decline, there may be enough approved adoptive families for just 13% of children needing a permanent home in England by 2030. However, if registrations returned to levels seen a few years ago, nearly 1,000 additional children could find permanent homes by that year.

Across Yorkshire and Humber, the number of children needing adoption has risen by 60% over the past five years. Children are spending an average of 294 days without a permanent home after an adoption plan has been agreed.

Michelle Rawlings, Head of One Adoption West Yorkshire, said: "National Adoption Week is an opportunity to shine a light on the children across West Yorkshire who are waiting for the security and stability of a permanent family. With around 160 children currently waiting for adoption in our region, many people do not realise that they could provide the loving home a child needs.

“This year's Every Day is Everything campaign focuses on the ordinary moments that make family life special, whether that's reading a bedtime story, sharing a meal together or simply being there at the end of the school day. For children who have experienced uncertainty, those everyday moments can mean everything. We'd encourage anyone who has ever thought about adoption to get in touch and find out more."

Sarah Johal MBE, National Adoption Strategic Lead at Adoption England, said: "Social workers are unable to find families for all the children who need adoption, but we can change this trajectory. The families that these children need are out there. They may even be thinking about adoption already but have not come forward yet."

CVAA said voluntary agencies could not close the gap between children waiting and families available on their own, calling for closer work with government, local authorities and partners across the sector to build a system that meets every child’s needs.

The report’s findings underline the importance of both recruiting more prospective adopters and ensuring agencies have the resources to support children and families throughout the adoption process and beyond.