Publication of ‘Children Adopted from Care in Northern Ireland 2014/15’

Date published: 19 November 2015

This bulletin details statistical information relating to children adopted from care in Northern Ireland, during the year ending 31 March 2015. The tables within the bulletin present a range of information about these children and their adopters, including durations between different stages in the adoption process. The bulletin is based on the DHSSPS statistical return AD1 2014/15, which was collected from each of the five Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland.

Key findings:

• seventy two children were adopted from care during the year ending 31 March 2015, seventeen less than in 2014 (89)
• the average age of children at the time of adoption was 4 years 1 months
• from the last entry into care, the average length of time for a child to be adopted in 2014/15 was 3 years 1 month. This was 2 months longer than in 2013/14
• for children adopted in 2014/15, the average duration from the Trust LAC Best Interest Proposal to adoption was 2 years 4 months, one month more than in 2013/14
• thirty eight children were adopted by their foster carers in 2014/15. This represented 53% of the overall number of adoptions
• children adopted by their foster carers were in general slightly older at the time of adoption than the other adopted children and the duration of the adoption process was generally longer