Special appeal to find loving, permanent home for two Blackpool sisters

A special appeal has been launched to find a loving, permanent home for two sisters.

Adoption Lancashire and Blackpool help children of all ages find loving families. This year, they are especially in need of people who could adopt very young children, with 85% of the children ready for adoption aged under 4, and almost half aged under two.

The #NewYearNewFamily campaign is running for the second year, to offer support and advice to anyone thinking of starting or growing their family through adoption.

One of the sibling groups they are hoping to find a permanent loving home for are sisters Sarah and Gemma. Adoption Lancashire & Blackpool are currently looking for a family who can adopt them together.

This is a real-life case study but we have changed the children's names and the image is posed by models to protect their identities.

Sarah

Sarah started school this year. Everyone who meets her says she is adorable. She is a happy little girl and loves nothing more than to play with other children and spend time with her little sister.

Her foster carer says she has lovely manners and is great fun to be around. She loves to draw, dance, sing, and have little tea parties with other people and her dollies. She likes to dress up like the little princess she is and has a fantastic imagination.

Gemma

Gemma is younger and lives with Sarah and their foster family.  Gemma was very tiny when she was born because she was born early. She is still quite little but she's got a great big character.

Gemma loves it when Sarah plays with her, and she is much more fun to play with now she is crawling around and playing with toys. Gemma took quite a long time to start to sit up and get on the move but now she has got going she is doing lots of new things all the time. Their foster carer says Gemma is a delight to be around and to look after.

She loves it when adults play with her and she has a brilliant little giggle. Gemma likes to play with her sister in the playroom and she loves to play on the swings at the park. When she is in the bath, she loves to splash her legs and make the water go everywhere

County Councillor Cosima Towneley, Lancashire County Council's cabinet member for Children and Families said: "Sarah and Gemma are an adorable duo, who are looking for an adoptive family together. Sarah is an inquisitive and lively little girl, who melts everyone's hearts.  Gemma is a petite child, who is a little behind in her development and also has some hearing difficulties.

"In the last four months, she has made huge leaps in her development and is now crawling, rolling, sitting up and standing up with support. Her little personality has really started to shine. She is still eating foods that are very smooth as she struggles to chew, but she gets help from lots of different professionals such as the physiotherapist and early years services to help with her development.

"We are looking for an adoptive family for Sarah and Gemma who will love them and continue to support them to enable their personalities and potential to flourish."

Louise Anderson, chair of Adoption Lancashire and Blackpool, continued: "We want to keep our brother and sister groups together as we are keen to keep as much stability and love in their lives as possible.

"We enthusiastically accept applications from people of any sexuality or gender. It doesn't matter if you are married, have a partner or are single. Caring for children can be for anyone.

"The most important thing for us is that these amazing children find loving, stable, supportive homes. We are hopeful that someone very special is out there for them, we just need them to come forward.

"Anyone who would love to adopt but has concerns about whether they can take on the costs of expanding their family is encouraged to talk to our adoption team."

You can find out more about adopting Sarah and Gemma or other children in our care, by booking onto one of our information events www.adoptionlancashireblackpool.org.uk

Councillor Jim Hobson, Blackpool Council's cabinet member for Children’s Social Care, said: “We always strive to keep a sibling group together in an adoptive family wherever possible as it’s often in the best interests of the children, so we are keen to hear from people who feel that they may be able to offer a loving, secure, and understanding home to Sarah and Gemma.

“If you’re considering adoption, then please think about whether you could look after siblings. The idea of taking on two children may seem daunting at first, but our dedicated adoption team will support you every step of the way.

“You can talk to our friendly team on the phone and we also hold regular information events across the county where you can find out more about adopting with us and ask any questions you may have.”