Children's charity NCH today launches a service to help find adoptive homes for black and minority ethnic children in the care system.
Launched at the start of this year's National Adoption Week, NCH Black Families is designed to tackle the gap between the number of BME children seeking adoption and the number of available adoptive households, due to barriers including language and a reluctance to approach social services.
It will extend to the Midlands and the North of England a pilot project already operating in London, which has placed more than 50 children with BME families since 2003.
NCH has previously carried out research showing 42% of people from BME communities believe they are ineligible to adopt.
NCH adoption manager Sue Cotton said: "It is harder to recruit adopters from BME communities partly because they think they aren't eligible to adopt and partly due to the reluctance of BME adults to approach social services departments."
For more information, call 0845 603 3398.
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