November 2007 News
National Adoption Week
Former MP Oona King is backing Hackney’s search for homes for local youngsters.
The ex-member for Bethnal Green and Bow is supporting National Adoption Week, which runs from 5 to 11 November, as Hackney’s Adoption Team strives to recruit more prospective parents from Black, Asian and dual heritage backgrounds.
As someone who successfully adopted a baby boy last year, Oona knows first hand the rewards it can bring.
Now she plans to adopt a second child and is hoping to find a little brother or sister for two-year-old Elia in Hackney.
Oona was devastated when her fifth attempt at getting pregnant through IVF failed. But once she and Italian husband Tiberio decided to adopt there were no regrets.
She said: “I went through several cycles of IVF treatment before my husband and I decided to adopt.We were told the whole process might take ages but actually it only took a few months.
“I am so happy with my son that I am even grateful to have failed the IVF. If I hadn’t I wouldn’t have Elia.
“Once you love your child, you can’t imagine life without them.”
Oona, who is now the Chair of the Institute for Community Cohesion, added: “Adoption has been a really wonderful experience for me and I support Hackney’s endeavours to find more adopters, especially from Black and mixed raced backgrounds.”
More than 4,000 children across the UK wait to be adopted every year. In Hackney, there are currently 64 children in need of loving, supportive and committed families.To reflect their backgrounds, the Council’s Adoption Team is looking for families for children from Black, Asian and dual heritage backgrounds, siblings, and children with development problems.
Cllr Rita Krishna, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People in Hackney, said: “Every child is special and deserves to grow up in a loving, secure family.
“The process for becoming an adoptive parent is rigorous, as it should be. But please don’t think we’ll turn you down because you’re over 40, for example, single, or don’t own your own your own home.
“What we really need are people who can offer care and love. People who can help a child recover from the reasons why they came in to care and can help them go on to thrive.”
To find out more about what’s involved in adopting, people can attend an information evening on 8 November, 6 to 8pm, at the Adoption and Resource Centre in Homerton.
More information
To book a place, call: 020 8356 6320, email: adoption@hackney.gov.uk, or visit: www.hackneykids.org.uk
For more information about adopting in Hackney, or to download an application form, visit: www.hackney.gov.uk/adoption
Page updated: 5 Nov 2007