The Department for Education has released statistics showing a 2% increase in the number of children in care, combined with a 5% decrease in the number of children who are adopted.
Barnardo's chief executive Anne Marie Carrie said,
"An increase in care numbers, coupled with another consecutive drop in adoption rates and of children being placed for adoption is deeply worrying.
"Everyone involved in the care system needs to be braver and should “act fast” to place children with a new permanent family when it is clear that even with support the child’s birth family is not going to change and cannot cope.
"It is imperative that decision making is sped up at every stage of the adoption process, as we know that by the time a child is four years old they already have a far lesser chance of being adopted than a baby.
"Successful adoptions not only transform the life of the child for the better, but also that of their new family. We must therefore encourage more prospective adopters to come forward, and support them with adequate training both before and after adoption."
