You don't have to be perfect to offer a loving home

In National Adoption Week, DAVID HUNTLEY looks at some of the misconceptions around the subject

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HOPEFUL North East parents are being urged to consider adopting due to a shortfall in the region.

As National Adoption Week begins, adoption agencies across the country are tackling the misconceptions around needing a perfect home, showing that children who need to be adopted don't need perfection - they need a welcome home.

There has been a 50% shortfall in adopters for North East children, and a new survey by You Can Adopt has revealed that nearly nine in 10 adoptive parents surveyed were worried they needed a 'perfect home' to pass the adoption assessment process. However, the reality is far more modest - with just over 41% of adoptive parents surveyed living in a house with two bedrooms or less, 65% not having a garden and a quarter living in rented accommodation.

The information comes at a time when the disparity between prospective adopters and the children in need of an adoptive home continues to grow, with latest available figures showing 190 children waiting in the North East and only 93 approved adoptive families available as a potential match. Factoring in that those potential adoptive parents may not all be the right match for those particular children, widens the gap worryingly further.