By . Steve Doughty . PUBLISHED: . 19:57 EST, 26 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:01 EST, 26 September 2013 . Increase: The number of adoptions has increased 28 per cent in just two years (library image) Adoptions have risen to a 20-year high of nearly 4,000. The total has increased by more than 28 per cent in just two years following pressure from ministers to relax rules that excluded couples taking a child of a different race. Children’s Minister Ed Timpson said the increase was ‘hugely encouraging’. But charities warned that the adoption process is still taking too long, with the average time a child spends in state care standing at two years and seven months, a figure unchanged in five years. And the number of babies adopted before reaching their first birthday remained below 100. The figures, for the 12 month period ending in March,  showed there were 3,980 children adopted from state care, where they had been living either in children’s homes or with foster parents. Adoptions were up by 510 in a year and 890 since 2011. However, numbers of care orders have also risen by more than 10,000 since the Baby P scandal in 2008 encouraged social workers to remove more children from dangerous homes. According to the 2013 count, there were 68,110 children in care this spring – the highest since adoption records in their present form were started in 1992. Mr Timpson said: ‘It is hugely encouraging that the number of children adopted from care has risen to the highest level yet – but too many children are still waiting too long for stable, loving homes.  More needs to be done to recruit adoptive parents.’ Education Secretary Michael Gove, who was himself adopted at the age of four months, has led the drive to prevent children languishing in state care system. He says children in care are highly likely to fail at school and fall into crime and benefit dependency as adults. Mr Gove has tried to persuade social workers to push for more adoptions in the face of what some critics say is deep-seated prejudice against adoption in council children’s service departments. Positive: Children's Minister Ed Timpson, pictured with his wife Julia above, said the increase was 'hugely encouraging,' but there was still work to do to find many children loving homes . New rules say a child must not be denied adoption because the would-be adopters are not from the same ethnic or cultural background, and adopters should not be turned away because they are the wrong race, age or are too middle class. A spokesman for the Department for . Education said: ‘The Government is radically reforming adoption so that . children who are waiting to be adopted are provided with stable and . loving homes much more swiftly, giving them the opportunity to settle . and bond with their adoptive families.’ Acknowledging . concerns that some children would be better off returned to their . natural parents than adopted, the spokesman added: ‘Adoption is not the . right approach for every child. ‘We . are improving the skills of social workers so they are able to judge . what is best for each child and taking forward comprehensive reforms to . fostering services and children’s residential care.’ Radical: The Department for Education, headed by Gove who was adopted himself, have made several changes to the adoption process, including tackling the issue and rules surrounding mixed race adoption .
For the 12 month period ending in March, 3,980 children were adopted .
Children’s Minister Ed Timpson said 28 per cent increase over the past two years was 'hugely encouraging'
Charities warned that the adoption process is still taking too long .
Follows radical changes by the Department of  Education, including rule that couples could not take a child of a different race .
By . Steve Doughty . PUBLISHED: . 19:57 EST, 26 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:01 EST, 26 September 2013 . Increase: The number of adoptions has increased 28 per cent in just two years (library image) Adoptions have risen to a 20-year high of nearly 4,000. The total has increased by more than 28 per cent in just two years following pressure from ministers to relax rules that excluded couples taking a child of a different race. Children’s Minister Ed Timpson said the increase was ‘hugely encouraging’. But charities warned that the adoption process is still taking too long, with the average time a child spends in state care standing at two years and seven months, a figure unchanged in five years. And the number of babies adopted before reaching their first birthday remained below 100. The figures, for the 12 month period ending in March,  showed there were 3,980 children adopted from state care, where they had been living either in children’s homes or with foster parents. Adoptions were up by 510 in a year and 890 since 2011. However, numbers of care orders have also risen by more than 10,000 since the Baby P scandal in 2008 encouraged social workers to remove more children from dangerous homes. According to the 2013 count, there were 68,110 children in care this spring – the highest since adoption records in their present form were started in 1992. Mr Timpson said: ‘It is hugely encouraging that the number of children adopted from care has risen to the highest level yet – but too many children are still waiting too long for stable, loving homes.  More needs to be done to recruit adoptive parents.’ Education Secretary Michael Gove, who was himself adopted at the age of four months, has led the drive to prevent children languishing in state care system. He says children in care are highly likely to fail at school and fall into crime and benefit dependency as adults. Mr Gove has tried to persuade social workers to push for more adoptions in the face of what some critics say is deep-seated prejudice against adoption in council children’s service departments. Positive: Children's Minister Ed Timpson, pictured with his wife Julia above, said the increase was 'hugely encouraging,' but there was still work to do to find many children loving homes . New rules say a child must not be denied adoption because the would-be adopters are not from the same ethnic or cultural background, and adopters should not be turned away because they are the wrong race, age or are too middle class. A spokesman for the Department for . Education said: ‘The Government is radically reforming adoption so that . children who are waiting to be adopted are provided with stable and . loving homes much more swiftly, giving them the opportunity to settle . and bond with their adoptive families.’ Acknowledging . concerns that some children would be better off returned to their . natural parents than adopted, the spokesman added: ‘Adoption is not the . right approach for every child. ‘We . are improving the skills of social workers so they are able to judge . what is best for each child and taking forward comprehensive reforms to . fostering services and children’s residential care.’ Radical: The Department for Education, headed by Gove who was adopted himself, have made several changes to the adoption process, including tackling the issue and rules surrounding mixed race adoption .
increased by more than 28 per cent in just two rules that excluded couples taking a child of a different race. Children’s Minister Ed Timpson said the increase was ‘hugely encouraging’. But charities warned that the adoption process is still taking too long, with the average time a The figures, for the 12 month period ending in March,  showed there were 3,980 children adopted