COUNTY chiefs have appealed for prospective adopters to help keep brothers and sisters together by taking in more than one child.

Lancashire County Council currently has 70 children waiting to be matched with prospective adopters, including 10 pairs and two groups of three siblings, and has appealed for people to make a ‘special kind of commitment’ by keeping the siblings together.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Matthew Tomlinson, cabinet member for children, said: “We realise that when people first start to consider adoption, they don’t usually envisage adopting two or more children.

“But I’m hoping that our campaign during National Adoption Week, which starts on November 3, will encourage them to think it over.

“We keep brothers and sisters together whenever we can.

“For children who cannot be brought up by their own parents, those sibling relationships take on extra importance.

“They’re an emotional anchor in what may have been a very uncertain world so far.

“Adopting more than one child takes a special kind of commitment, and a willingness to accept a big change in circumstances.

“But we know it can work, because we already have some very happy families here in Lancashire which were created when people adopted siblings.”

The council is keen to hear from a broad range of prospective adopters, including single people and couples, same-sex and heterosexual, from all religious backgrounds or none.

One couple, who have adopted brothers through LCC, said: “I can hand-on-heart say that the suggestions we heard that having more than one child, or boys in general, wouldn’t be a ‘safe’ choice is utterly wrong.

“There are many benefits to having our two child family in one go, but the biggest two are keeping these brothers together for life, and only having to go through the adoption process ourselves one time.”

The council has asked people to take part in the campaign by tweeting a picture of themselves with their brother or sister, and a line saying why it was special to grow up with them.

Send your message to @LancashireCC and include the tag #LancsAdoption.