g enough prospective adopters for those children still in care for whom adoption is the best outcome. Research published earlier this year suggests that there are over 650,000 adults in England who are interested in becoming an adoptive parent. This is very welcome news but I am conscious that it is not just about numbers. It is about identifying people who have, or could develop the right skills to parent the children currently in care, and supporting them through the adoption process. Adopters are very special people and deserve to be treated as such. Children in care are among the most vulnerable in society and they deserve the very best we can give them. I know from my own family that adoption offers vulnerable children much needed stability and security as well as the support they need to achieve their full potential. I have said it before and I will keep saying it - I am determined that our reforms will ensure that no child in need of adoption has to wait longer than necessary to be placed with a loving family. Edward Timpson MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families 7 Introduction The importance of family life to a child cannot be overstated. It is the fundamental right of every child to belong to a family; this principle underpins the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which the United Kingdom ratified in 1991. Where children cannot live with their birth parents for whatever reason, society has a duty to provide them with a stable, safe and loving alternative family. It is important to remember that delay can have a significant effect on achieving permanence for children. That is why the legislation makes clear that delay in coming to decisions, and in the subsequent stages of the process, is likely to prejudice t