By Karen Rafferty
[picapp align=”left” wrap=”false” link=”term=katherine+heigl&iid=10099686″ src=”http://view2.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/10099686/katherine-heigl-her/katherine-heigl-her.jpg?size=500&imageId=10099686″ width=”234″ height=”351″ /]Sandra Bullock has done it. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman did it. Katherine Heigl has done it, and now Midlothian Council has launched an appeal for it. What is it? Adoption. Midlothian Council have release an appeal in the hope finding new families for children in the local area.
At present there are 90 children living in foster care in Midlothian, however homes are specifically needed for siblings or for children over the age of 5. The council aim to assist those who wish to apply to adopt by offering support at every stage of the adoption process.
Councillor Jackie Aitchison said: “Adoption can be rewarding and challenging and we are committed to provide help, guidance and support at each step of the way. We will often pay an adoption allowance to assist in providing an adoptive home for a child, if additional support is required”.
They are welcoming applications from single people and couples from a variety of backgrounds, and offer to provide support and guidance to prospective families. They believe that although there is no such thing as the perfect family for adoption, the main concern is that the needs of the children can be accommodated. According to their website they “require adopters from various backgrounds and with different life experiences who can provide a family for life for children who are unable to live within their birth families.”
This appeal comes as part of a national campaign to highlight the plights of children without families. National adoption week is running until 7 November 2010, and has been backed by national charity BAAF (British Adoption and Fostering). This week, BAAF released the results of research into the many misconceptions regarding adoption. Chief executive, David Holmes said: “It is very worrying how many myths have come to dominate in adoption. It concerns us that people may disqualify themselves needlessly, which could mean a child misses out on a family … every case is treated individually.”
This is certainly the case with Midlothian Council who will welcome applications from all areas of the local community – regardless of gender, age or sexual orientation. Each case will be assessed individually, with the main aim of adoption services to administer to the needs of the individual child.
Kathryn Fretton from Bournemouth, who adopted a baby daughter in 2008, said: “We were unbelievably lucky.” She stressed how rare it was for parents to be able to adopt infants: “It never happens these days.” This is certainly the case for Midlothian Council who is asking for families for children over the age of five.
Myths and legends debunked.
Myth: Many children waiting for adoption have been given up by their families or are orphaned.
Fact: Many children waiting for adoption have been removed from their families due to neglect or abuse.
Myth: Single men cannot adopt.
Fact: Single people can adopt, regardless of their sex.
Myth: People who smoke or are obese cannot adopt.
Fact: Smoking and obesity do not automatically exclude a person from adopting, however health issues do need to be taken into consideration.
Myth: Those with a criminal record cannot adopt.
Fact: This would depend on different factors, such as the nature of the offence and when it occurred. Some people with convictions can still adopt, although exclusions will apply depending on the type of offence committed.
