ALMOST 70 children across York, North Yorkshire and beyond are in need of a permanent home due to a shortage of people wanting to adopt.

One Adoption North which consists of five councils in the northern Yorkshire and Humber area - City of York, East Riding, Hull, North East Lincolnshire and North Yorkshire has said there are currently 69 children who are waiting for permanent, loving homes due to a shortage of people coming forward to adopt.

They said that “unfortunately many potential adopters rule themselves out, due to myths and outdated beliefs about who can adopt and the qualities they need”.

During this year’s National Adoption Week, which takes place from October, 14 until 20 One Adoption North and Humber is urging all potential adopters to come to an information event or contact the agency to find out how they can create a forever family.

Suzie Grove, head of One Adoption North and Humber, said: “We would love to hear from anyone interested in learning more about adoption. We need all kinds of different families to meet the varied needs of children across our region and particularly need adoptive parents for sibling groups of all sizes

“As the adoption service of five councils working together we are able to speed up the adoption process for our children and help find the right adoptive parents for them more quickly. Our team has lots of experience helping people create a family and are always on hand to answer your questions.”

People who are interested in finding out more about adoption can visit West Offices in Station Rise in York on October 19, or alternatively, can call 0345 305 2576 to speak to one of the team or visit www.oneadoption.co.uk.