Why Are So Few Children Adopted in England?

The population of England: approximately 52 million. The number of children in state care: 65,520. Number of babies adopted last year: 60 .

The number of babies adopted in England fell to 60 last year despite a sharp rise in the number of children in care.

The total number of adoptions has continued to drop, falling by 5% to 3,050 in the past year, according to Department for Education statistics.

The number of babies adopted fell more sharply, to 60, compared with 70 in the previous year and 150 in 2007. This compares with about 4,000 in 1976.

The number of children placed for adoption also fell to 2,450, a decline of 10% since 2007.

The decline comes despite the statistics also showing there are 65,520 children in care, the highest number since 1987, with 3,660 of them under a year old.

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