Dozens of children in Merseyside need loving homes

THE regional adoption agency for Merseyside has revealed it needs to find parents for 50 children. The figures from AiM (Adoption in Merseyside) which recruits for Local Authorities in Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral; comes ahead of National Adoption Week, that runs over 14 October to 20 October 2019 and as analysis published by the Government shows that the North West has nearly 3 times as many children awaiting adoptive families as there are adopters.

Jenny Ness, Head of Service for AiM, said:- "The latest figures show that we urgently need loving homes for our children and if anyone has ever thought about adoption to go and find out more. Whether you're married, single, gay or heterosexual, if you think you might be able to give a venerable child a loving home, please get in touch."

Andrew Christie, Chair of the national Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board, said:- "Finding families for some of the most vulnerable children in our country is at the heart of this year's National Adoption Week campaign. I urge anyone who has been thinking about adoption to reach out to Adoption In Merseyside and talk about what it might mean for you. Please don't rule yourself out because there is something about you or your family's circumstances that you think would make you unsuitable; all sorts of people make great adopters."

Adoption in Merseyside are looking for potential adopters that could take on the needs of a child until they are an adult. A total of 59% of children needing to be adopted are in sibling groups, so AiM is searching for potential parents that would be willing to take on the challenge of 2 children.

Many children that come into care have experienced neglect and trauma.

In 1 case Andy and Craig from Wavertree recently adopted their daughter with AiM. Andy said:- "We always wanted to adopt and we had a spare room and a loving home to offer.  The process took around 12 months from the initial enquiry to welcoming our daughter home. It was an intense process, but it was all worth it as we feel like a proper family now."

AiM provides training to ensure adopters understand what to expect and that support is available after adoption as well.

In another case Jayne and Billy originally wanted to adopt 1 child, but when they saw a sibling's profile, they knew they wanted to adopt 2 boys. Jayne said:- "It actually took us several years to realise we wanted to adopt and it happened at the best time for us. We went along to an information session and the process from start to finish took just over 12 months. The process brought us closer together as a couple and it finally feels like we have a family unit. The boys have settled in well and we are looking forward to see what the future holds for them."

People who adopt a child can be:-

► Single, married or unmarried.

► From any ethnic or religious background.

► Heterosexual, lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

► A homeowner or living in rented accommodation

► Employed or on benefits.

► Those who have children or who have none.

► People thinking of adopting for a second time.

Want to find out more? Come down to Liverpool One, South John Street, on Thursday, 17 October 2019, between 10am to 4pm and meet the team to get more information on adoption. For more information about adoption, visit:- AdoptionInMerseyside.Co.UK or call:- 0151 477 8700.

National award winning nursing graduates presented with Edge Hill trophy

3 recently qualified Edge Hill University Learning Disability Nurses were presented with trophies to recognise their innovative contribution to healthcare. At an event held at the Ormskirk Campus, Alice Waddington, Emily Kavanagh and Eve Hesketh, who formally handed 3 national awards to the University for display, were delighted to receive their very own trophies, presented by Deputy Vice Chancellor, Steve Igoe.

He said:- "It's so important that we recognise and celebrate the contribution our students and alumni make to society and in this case, a contribution that is changing lives. That's why it's been an absolute pleasure to present these trophies today, to thank them for that contribution, the hard work they've put in, and to wish them the very best of luck for their careers. We cannot forget that this all happened while they were studying for their degrees, and that alone is no mean feat. We're very lucky to have people like Alice, Emily and Eve in the nursing profession."

Earlier this year the recently qualified Learning Disability Nurses won 3 national awards for the creation of Makaton healthcare cards and support for raising awareness of those who are not able to communicate through speech alone. The prestigious awards they won earlier on in the year included the Andrew Park Student Nurse Award at the 2019 RCNi Nurse Awards, that was presented by Game of Thrones Actress, Emilia Clarke. All 3 awards will now be proudly displayed at the University.

This year marks 100 years since the introduction of specialised training courses for Learning Disability Nurses. Emily, who works as a Learning Disability Nurse, at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, said:- "As lovely as these awards are, we did it for Alice and then anyone else who needed it. If we can inspire people to make that small change in their communication, it'll help other people get their voice."

Alice, a Makaton user, is the daughter of Amanda Glennon, who nominated the 3 students for the 2019 Student Nursing Times Awards for their support in raising awareness for people with learning disabilities. Alice Waddington, who works in an adult community learning disability team, echoed what Emily said:- "We noticed a gap in the curriculum and encouraged other people to become learning disability champions, with other students wanting to learn more, and then all this happened!"

Eve, who works at Manchester Children's Hospital, added:- "We didn't expect this at all, we never expected any glory from this. All we set out to do was improve patient care and for them to have a more positive experience when they go to see their GP, or when they go to Hospital. We just wanted to give them something that was familiar and ultimately put them at ease."

To find out more about the Faculty of Health and Social Care, including recruitment details for Adult, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities degrees (January 2020) on the University website. Also students where able to travel to London to collect the awards with thanks to Edge Hill's Student Opportunity Fund. The fund gives students of all levels the chance to gain career enhancing experiences and transferable skills. You can also find out if you can apply for financial support from the Student Opportunity Fund via the Edge Hill University's website.