Helping brothers and sisters to stay together is the theme of National Adoption Week in Lancashire this year.

Lancashire County Council is always looking for adopters, but from 16 to 22 October there's a special focus on finding people who would be willing to keep families together by adopting siblings.

Brothers and sisters are among the children who wait longest to be adopted, as there are not enough people coming forward who are able to give them a safe, permanent and loving family.

County Councillor Susie Charles, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Schools, said: "We realise that when people first start to consider adoption, they don't usually envisage adopting two or more children. But I'm hoping that we can encourage people to at least think it over.

"We keep brothers and sisters together whenever we can. For children who cannot be brought up by their own parents, those sibling relationships take on extra importance. In the midst of the trauma and losses these children experience, being placed with a brother or sister can be an important source of comfort and support, and give them the opportunity to grow up together.

"Adopting more than one child takes a special kind of commitment, and a willingness to accept a big change in circumstances. But we know it can work, because we already have some very happy families here in Lancashire which were created when people adopted siblings.

"Our focus this National Adoption Week is to find homes for these children.

"However, we know that adopting siblings might not be for everyone, and we still need adopters to come forward to look after children of all different ages and circumstances."

Consideration is given to anyone who wishes to adopt, regardless of their age, marital status, sexuality or gender. There are no strict rules about whether people should have jobs, their own homes or have their own children.

Among the 100 Lancashire children ready to be adopted, there are 13 two-sibling groups and five three-sibling groups.

The county council is keen to hear from a broad range of prospective adopters, including single people and couples, same-sex and heterosexual, from all religious backgrounds or none.

It is also happy to consider people who have already adopted, already have a family, or are looking into adoption because they are unable to have children of their own.

The only legal requirements are that adopters must be over 21 and live within Lancashire or nearby.

Not everyone is able to adopt more than one child and there are many single children who need a family too.

Adoptive parents are also needed for children from young babies up to eight years of age, and particularly for the following groups:

• Children aged over four, either gender
• Children with special needs, disabilities or unpredictable medical issues
• Boys of all ages
• Mixed-heritage children of all ages

Anyone interested in finding out more about adoption can contact the county council by calling the friendly adoption team on 0300 123 6723, visiting the website at www.lancashire.gov.uk/adoption and filling in the enquiry form or attending an information evening. More details are available on the website.

People can help spread the word about adopting with Lancashire County Council on their online channels. This can be done by following the county council on Twitter @LancashireCC and searching for #LancsAdoption for messages to retweet, and Liking the county council on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lancashirecc and sharing the posts about adoption.

By doing this people can help to spread the word to their friends and family, their colleagues and maybe the organisations they work with.

Lancashire County Council is part of Adopt North West, a regional adoption recruitment project that is funded by 22 local authorities in the North West.

During National Adoption Week and into early November, the county council will be supporting the regional initiative, as well as running their own campaign aimed at recruiting adopters for the children in their care. Promotional activity will focus on finding forever homes for these children.