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Match postponed The shortfall in British adoptions The cost-of-living crisis has hurt children and prospective parents If “Oliver Twist” were written today, it would be different in many ways. One of them might be the ending. In Charles Dickens’s novel, Oliver is adopted by Mr Brownlow, a benefactor, without any trouble. Today Mr Brownlow would go through a fine-grained background check. His mansion would be inspected for safety and he’d be strongly advised to volunteer with children. If he liked a pipe after dinner, he could end up being rejected for smoking. Many children eligible for adoption today are not finding families. The number of children in England who are waiting to be matched with families has increased by 22% over the past year. In the past decade the number of families approved as prospective parents has decreased by 60%. Some argue that a well-intentioned screening process has become too stringent. The only statutory requirements to be able to adopt a child in
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