Potential adopters put off by recession

In the past six months, the local adoption agency found that 10 per cent of people that enquired about becoming adoptive parents subsequently pulled out.

The potential adopters, some of whom had already started attending adoption preparation groups, told the agency that fears about job prospects and finances had compelled them to delay their plans.

Others felt unable to continue with the adoption process after being made redundant.

Norman Goodwin, chief executive of Adoption Matters Northwest, said the problem had been reported across Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside, North Wales and Greater Manchester, where there are currently 600 children hoping to be adopted.

He said: "We completely understand people's concerns and reasons but it's still bad news for the 4,000 children across the UK who are waiting for the opportunity of a fresh start with a new family. I hope that the promised economic recovery will give people back the confidence they need to get their adoption plans back on track."

John Simmonds, director of policy, research and development at the British Association for Adoption & Fostering, said he was unaware of the problem, but admitted that it was unsurprising, given the downturn.

He warned: "It's really distressing to see that 10 per cent of these adoptive parents have withdrawn over the past six months, if that was replicated nationwide it would be a very serious problem."