Vast regional variations in adoption waiting times

COUPLES desperate to adopt a child from abroad can wait from 10 months to four years to be assessed, depending on where they live.

Official Health Service Executive statistics seen by the Irish Examiner outline the staggering delays faced by people wishing to adopt a child from abroad and reveal huge regional variations in waiting times.

The HSE data shows a total of 939 applications which had yet to go on a preparation course last year – the first step before an assessment by a social worker.