Humanitarian · Children in hardship · 22 October 2026
90 children adopted from care in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland Executive has published figures showing 90 children were adopted from care in the year ending 31 March 2026. The average age of these children was 3 years 10 months. Statistics for the next period are expected in September 2027.
Northern Ireland Executive has published a statistical bulletin detailing information about children adopted from care in the region. The Department of Health issued the report, which covers the period from 01 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. The data provides an overview of recent trends within the adoption system.
A total of 90 children were adopted during this year. The average age of the children at the time of adoption was 3 years 10 months, with a minimum age of 1 year 4 months and a maximum of 7 years 11 months. The average time from a child's last entry into care to adoption was 3 years 1 month, a period slightly shorter than in previous years.
The average duration from the Trust's best interest proposal to the Adoption Order was 2 years 2 months. Adoptions by foster carers took longer than other routes, a difference attributed to different circumstances. The data was collected from five Health and Social Care Trusts.
The department expects to release statistics for the year 2026/27 in September 2027. No further details on future policy changes were included in this bulletin.
Written by StreetOwl from Northern Ireland Executive’s own announcement. It was drafted by StreetOwl’s own model, every figure and quotation was checked by code against the announcement, and it was read and approved by Michael Rossi before it went up. It says what was announced, not what anyone should do about it.
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