If you have ever thought of adopting a child, Merton Council is calling on you to step forward.

To mark national adoption week, which began on Monday, the local authority is highlighting a demand for adoptive parents for children aged between two and eight-years-old who are in foster care.

Merton Council’s cabinet member for children’s services, Councillor Debbie Shears, said: “Anyone can adopt. It doesn’t matter if you are married or single or whether you are in employment or not.

All that matters is that you want to give a child a happy, loving home.

“Adoption can turn around the lives of children who, for whatever reason, cannot live with their birth parents. It means that instead of growing up in care or constantly moving from one foster carer to another, they can settle permanently with a loving parent or parents and grow up in a caring, stable environment.”

Adults wanting help and advice on adopting a child can contact Merton’s family placement service on 020 8545 4688 or email adoption@merton.gov.uk

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