God Sets The Example Of Adoption...

Many people have ruled themselves out for fostering or adoption when the system would rule them in, explains Krish Kandiah

- Krish Kandiah

“I ’ve been so encouraged by the number of people who have stepped forward to become foster and adoptive parents. It’s making an impact; the church is being noticed for being on the case and caring for vulnerable children,” says Krish Kandiah.

Krish, one of the invited speakers at Elim’s Leaders Summit in June, is speaking to Direction as he takes up his new role as chair of the government’s Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board, having recently stepped down from the adoption charity he founded eight years ago, Home for Good.

His move comes at a time when lockdown has caused a surge in the number of children entering care, but also a rise in potential carers stepping forward. Krish is excited to be working with the Department of Education to innovate the adoption system and the process for special guardianship – a legal arrangement for foster carers and family members looking to offer children in care a more permanent home.

“I’m working with them to find loving homes for children in need. Government has so much power to influence people and policies to help children get the care they need. There’s a lot of room for change in the system and I’d love to see more children get adopted or be able to live with extended family,” he says.

Two groups of children are particularly in need of adoptive families, he explains, and this will be a focus in his new role.

“I’d love to see more older children being considered for adoption. At the moment, if you’re three or four, you’re considered hard to place. And nobody looks for adopters for children over the age of ten. It seems really desperate that we’re writing off the possibility of a child having a family at ten years old.