The adoption process has been criticised as too slow and unnecessarily bureaucratic and during Barnardo’s Fostering and Adoption Week, Redbridge Council said it will look into implementing any changes.

A spokesman said: “We are awaiting new guidance from a working party set up by the government, which has been specifically designed to look at the adoption process, and we will look carefully at any recommendations.

“We would welcome improvements both in terms of the requirements on local authorities and the time it takes for courts to agree to adoption applications.”

This comes as The British Association for Adoption and Fostering claims the ease in finding and contacting people through social media sites is having an impact on many adoptive families.

A council spokesman said: “It is important people are aware of the risks of social networks as both parties are unlikely to be prepared for the emotional complications involved with a reunion.

“However, the possibilities of this are fully discussed in preparing adoptive parents and for parents who encounter this problem are advised to contact the placing agency.”

Adoptive parents are encouraged to have open conversations with children about their past as curiosity can lead them to seek out birth parents unsupervised.

Anne Marie Carrie, chief executive of Barnardo’s, which has its headquarters in Tanners Lane, Barkingside, said: “The government needs to be brave in responding to the advice of these experts as it must act fast to implement meaningful changes that could make a real difference for those children waiting to be placed with a stable, loving family.”