In August last year, Paralympian swimmer Ellie Simmonds spent two days filming at County Hall in Chelmsford, Essex.
Ellie met our Adoption Service Manager, Caroline James, and spent time with the team learning about adoption, and why children with disabilities wait longer to find adoptive families.
The meeting was filmed as part of a television show, Ellie Simmonds: Finding My Secret Family. The documentary was broadcast on ITV on Thursday 6 July and explained how Ellie was adopted as a child and her search to find her birth mother.
Caroline James, Adoption Service Manager at Essex County Council, said: “Ellie was a true inspiration. I was thrilled to support her journey. We hope this documentary gets the message out about the children who wait the longest to be adopted.”
The programme also discussed current challenges of recruiting adopters for children with disabilities. As well as the societal views of disability.
If you are interested in adoption and fostering in Essex visit our adoption and fostering information pages.