The Derby Evening Telegraph has joined forces with Derby City Council and Derbyshire County Council to launch a campaign to find parents for needy children.

NEP Midlands’ Adoption-net website is playing a key role, posting stories and features online to boost the appeal.

The Give A Child A Chance campaign aims to boost the number of foster carers so that children can be given a better future.

The Telegraph has focused on three in the first of its features, who are in care because of alleged parental neglect. They are being looked after in a short term foster placement but need to find a secure, loving, long-term family home.

The paper, ThisIsDerbyshire and Adoption-net feature quotes from the youngsters, who are making a plea for their own future.

The eldest, Mark (12), said: “Me and my brothers would really like a new family to look after us, where we can stay together.”

The trio have responded well to being looked after by their current foster carers but need a family to provide them with a long-term solution.

The city council wants to ensure the brothers are kept together so that they can maintain their strong bond.

The Derby Telegraph has already been successful in helping to find parents for children in care.

In October 1999 the newspaper was behind a ground-breaking adoption website run in conjunction with Derbyshire County Council.

The authority took an unusual step to raise the profile of children looking for new families by running a feature on its own internet site.

The site, run by the Evening Telegraph, featured photographs of six children.

Within four days it had received 19,000 visits and the pictures were removed so social services staff could sift through applications from prospective guardians.

It was following this that the newspaper and county council got together to launch the adoption-net site last July.

This site is updated daily with news about adoption, fostering and child welfare from across the UK, with advice on how to become an adoptive parent or foster carer.

Do you have a story for us?
Ring the HoldTheFrontPage newsdesk on
01332 291111 x6022, or to e-mail us now – click here