The Journey

To inspire more people to take the first step towards growing their family through adoption.

For the first time in recent years, there are more children in England in need of adoption than there are parents registered to adopt, with nearly half of children in need of adoption now waiting over 18 months to find their forever home.

With children of all ages now facing long delays to be adopted, we helped You Can Adopt launch its new campaign, The Journey.

The campaign comes in the midst of the cost-of-living crisis, which has heightened parental anxieties about finding the 'perfect' time and circumstances to start a family, especially for prospective adopters - with nine in 10 saying it has directly affected their adoption decisions. But for a child waiting to be adopted, the perfect time is now. To inspire more prospective adopters to come forward, a new film has captured the ups and downs of the adoption journey - hoping to tackle a concerning decline in adoption rates by showing that adopting a child is a life-changing journey full of adventure, challenges, chaos, conversation and love.  All you need to do is take that first step.

To launch the campaign, Freuds+, Freuds Social, and Atomized Studios worked with real adoptive families from all walks of life, including star of The Traitors, and adoptive father of two Miles Asteri – who has opened up about his adoption journey, describing it as ‘the adventure of a lifetime’. Miles is aiming to highlight that like any new parents, many prospective adopters worry about their ability to cope - but with adoption, this is a journey you can navigate together, with support available along the way. Miles is also hosting a new podcast episode from You Can Adopt, where he discusses his own experience with adoption, alongside single adopter, Alexandra.

Content filmed and produced by Atomized Studios.