THE ISSUE of adoption is zooming up the political agenda. This week is National Adoption Week and on Wednesday, after hearing that there are 50,000 children in institutional care, and 5,000 waiting to find adoptive families, the House of Lords defeated government plans to broaden the base of potential new parents, by allowing homosexual and unmarried couples to adopt. In this special report, Melanie Warman and Faith Eckersall examine the situation in Dorset and Hampshire.

TODAY 5,000 children in Britain are waiting for a new family, writes Melanie Warman.

Earlier this week, National Adoption Week, a MORI survey revealed 44 per cent of adults believe the law should be changed so gay and lesbian couples in stable and long-term relationships can adopt. Some 36 per cent disagree and 20 per cent are undecided.

But just hours later the Lords voted to keep the ban on unmarried and gay couples adopting children.

The defeat was a setback for ministers.

Afterwards, social services minister Jacqui Smith said: "I am disappointed that the Lords have voted in favour of restricting potential adoptive parents to only married couples.

"The Commons overwhelmingly endorsed the need to widen the pool of potential adopters, ensuring that more children are adopted from care and placed with stable and loving families."

The chief executive of the British Association for Adopt-ion and Fostering Felicity Collier said the poll showed the public today accepted that families came in many different shapes and sizes.

"When so many children are relying on us to find them a family, we cannot afford to let them down. It is a total myth to say there are enough families for children who are waiting. Our evidence shows that no families are coming forward for many of the children who need them."

There are 14 children currently looking for parents to call their own in Bournemouth. The borough assesses potential adopters within roughly a 30-mile radius of the town.

Team manager of the family placement team, Heather Freeman, says it can take a lot of courage to come forward initially because people think they won't be considered.

But there is a need for different sorts of families because every child is different.

"We need to look for people who are able to cope with more than just normal parenting because the children are emotionally damaged, if nothing else, by what's happened to them.

"It's a difficult thing to do - a challenging thing to do. You have got to be prepared to put that time in. It can take time before children can really trust again."

And although most people are looking for a pre-school child, there are also those slightly older, those with special needs and brothers and sisters who need to stay together.

She admitted the assessment process is "quite intrusive" and when people are matched with a child the introductions are taken at the child's pace and can be lengthy.

But she said most people never look back.

"There may be difficult times, but if you ask whether they would go back, they wouldn't and that's the bottom line."

Interim head of children's services Terry Burns said: "Adoption remains an important means of securing the best future for some children. Who is suitable to meet the needs of those children is an important decision when matching them with adopters.

"As a local authority, Bournemouth welcomes any improvements in the law. The matter of unmarried people, whether heterosexual or gay, remains an ongoing debate and must be judged against the suitability of those adults to meet the needs of the child."

Every year around 50 children are adopted in Hampshire.

The county adoption team is always in need of more adoptive parents.

Manager Pauline Pearce said: "We welcome enquiries from a wide range of people with a variety of ethnic, racial, religious backgrounds and living arrangements."

They are particularly interested in hearing from people who could meet the needs of older children, whose experiences in life so far may mean they have demanding behaviour, as well as children of all ages with special needs.

They are also looking for homes for groups of two, three or four brothers and sisters who they would like to keep together.

Hampshire County Council's executive member of social care councillor Felicity Hindson said: "We know that adoption is a very successful way of helping children to grow within a stable home situation.

"Our department works very hard to train and support adopters every step of the way along the path to adoption and we would be very interested in hearing from anyone considering whether they could give a child a new start in life. Adoption can be hugely satisfying and rewarding, as well as of course being hard work, but most of all it helps a child to grow."