A SURGE in the number of children being adopted in the county has been cautiously welcomed by children’s charities.

There has been an increase of almost 67 per cent in the number of children who have been placed with a family for adoption in Worcestershire between 2010/11 and 2011/12.

This is despite the same number of children being placed for adoption during both periods.

The figures released by Worcestershire County Council reflect a national rise in the number of adoptions last year which saw an increase of six per cent.

Janet Grauberg, Barnardo’s UK director of strategy, said: “The fact that more children are being adopted is very good news.”

Currently there are 78 youngsters hoping to find ‘forever families’ in Worcestershire though 34 of these children are still awaiting the outcome of legal proceedings.

Twenty-one toddlers aged between one and three make up the majority of those waiting for a family.

There are also 13 children aged from three to five years old and 10 five to eight year olds hoping to be adopted.

She continued: “We need to strive to move these children to a permanent, stable and secure family as quickly as possible, as the longer a child waits the more they suffer emotionally and the less likely they are to be adopted.

“Children who wait longest for families are siblings, disabled children, older children, and those from black or minority ethnic backgrounds. We desperately need more people to come forward to adopt children – especially for these groups.”

Thirty-five children were placed with families last year compared with 21 between 2010/11 while the decision was taken to place 55 children up for adoption in both timeframes.

A council spokeswoman explained the main reasons youngsters were removed from their family were due to neglect, drug or alcohol misuse by the parent, domestic violence at home or parents with mental health issues.

Councillor Liz Eyre , the county council’s leader member for children’s services, said: “It is important for us to be able to provide our children with a new ‘forever family’ that can meet their needs.

“Our aim is to find the right family, for the right child, at the right time.”

For information about adoption, go to worcestershire.gov.uk/adoption .