Leading charity Adoption UK is bringing together representatives from Wales’ competing political parties to debate adoption, ahead of the 2021 Senedd Elections.

The online hustings event, entitled: Do adopted young people have a fair chance in Wales? will be held on Wednesday 10^th February, from 7.30pm to 9pm.

The panel will be made up of Julie Morgan (Welsh Labour), current Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services; Jo Watkins (Welsh LibDems) Candidate; Helen Mary Jones, (Plaid Cymru) Current MS; Neil McEvoy, (Propel) Current MS; Anthony Slaughter (Wales Green Party) Candidate; and Abigail Mainon (Conservative) Candidate.

Each panellist will set out their party’s plans to support adoption in Wales, with questions from the audience to follow. Some questions will be submitted in advance while others will be asked live, on the night.

Ann Bell, Adoption UK’s Wales Director, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to grill representatives from the competing political parties about what they’ll do for adoptive families and whether they’ll make adoption a priority. I’d encourage the adoption community and those working in the sector to come along and hear what they have to say.

“The current administration has made great strides in investing in support for adoptive families over the last five years. But we know that outcomes for adopted children still lag way behind their peers. It is vital the next government prioritises adoptive families to help bridge this gap. We know adopted young people need support to help them to fulfil their potential.”

Registration for the election hustings event, which will be conducted using a zoom Webinar format, and chaired by BBC Wales’ Betsan Powys, is now open at http://bit.ly/hustings2021 The deadline to register is 3pm on Wednesday 10^th February.

Members of the public will be invited to submit their questions once they have registered.

Translation facilities will be provided so anyone who wants to participate in Welsh can do so and their questions will be translated into English.