The government also expressed concern about the length of time some children wait in care before joining an adoptive family. The number of adoptions are about a quarter of the level they were two decades ago. There were 21,000 in 1975 compared to 5,797 in 1995 About half of adoptions are by step-parents. Some 35,000 children are living with foster parents and a further 10,000 in local authority care. Nearly half of children who are adopted have previously been the victim of abuse or neglect.
Children entering care after the age of five wait an average of five years before being adopted.
More than a third of children who are taken into care have three or more placements prior to being adopted. Around a quarter of adoptions are made by foster carers.