by Alan McGuinness

Children in Medway wait an average of just under two years to be adopted.

Scorecards released by the Department for Education reveal the average time between a child entering care and moving in with an adoptive family is 720 days – three months above the average across the country.

This is 81 days above the threshold set by the government.

The figures for Medway show that the authority is meeting a target to find a suitable home for a child after a court rules they can be adopted.

The average time is four months (135 days), below the national figure of 171 days.

The cards have been released to try and speed up the adoption system.

The figures, which cover 2008-2011, reveal a postcode lottery, which means children in care in West Berkshire are re-homed 10 months quicker than those in the Towns, while in Hackney the wait is nine months longer.

Children's minister Tim Loughton said: "Adoption can give vulnerable children the greatest possible chance of a stable, loving and permanent home.

"Hundreds of children are being let down by unacceptable delays right across the country and throughout the adoption process.

"Every month a child waits to be placed, there is less chance of finding a permanent, stable and loving home. This cannot go on.

"There's been some real progress but these statistics illustrate all too starkly the magnitude of the challenge which we face."

Have you adopted a child? What was your experience of the system? Call 01634227821 or emailmedwaymessenger@thekmgroup.co.uk.