Voluntary adoption agencies across the UK have come together with a joint mission to stop brothers and sisters who are waiting in care from being separated when adopted.

Almost half of children currently waiting in care* are part of a family group and voluntary adoption agencies (VAAs) are looking for people who can offer them a permanent and loving home.

Diagrama Adoption and Fostering is among 23 VAAs from across the UK that have together created a guide for people considering adoption containing helpful information and advice from parents who have already adopted sibling groups.

Kate Patel, Head of Adoption and Fostering, Diagrama Foundation said, 'The impact on children in care who are separated from their brothers and sisters can be huge. It is vitally important that a permanent family is secured for them, however if this means they are separated from their siblings when they have already experienced a difficult start in life, then this can be really challenging.

'Yet so few people feel equipped or able to consider adopting a sibling group of two, three, or even four children.

'We are excited to be part of this project sharing first hand, heartfelt experience and advice from families who have already done this incredible thing of adopting a sibling pair or group.'

VAAs are specialists in finding families for children who wait the longest in care. They work in partnership with local authorities to find families for children waiting for a permanent home.

As independent, not-for-profit organisations VAAs offer intensive services to provide families with support - both when the children are placed and into the future.

Maggie Jones, Chief Executive, Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies (CVAA) which represents VAAs across the country said, 'Brother and sisters who are adopted together are often the only constant thing in each other’s lives in times of huge upheaval, loss and trauma.

'The voluntary adoption sector are specialists in finding families for sibling groups and being there for them with bespoke packages of support for as long as it’s needed.'

Find out more about Diagrama Adoption

Find your nearest Voluntary Adoption Agency 

*There are currently 2,030 children waiting to be adopted in England. 890 of those are in a family group. 520 children who are part of a sibling group have been waiting for 18 months or more to find a home.