evidence: The HSCB said the number of adoptions in Northern Ireland averages between 85 and 90 every year. [...] As of November 2018, 24 children were waiting to be placed with adopters across Northern Ireland, according to the HSCB. [...] Director of Adoption UK in Northern Ireland, EJ Havlin, said: "If you’ve a child who has gone through social services and a family who has gone through the adoption process through social services the first port of call for them is not always going to be social services. That can be a difficult relationship and for that reason a lot of people will come to an organisation like ourselves for peer support and advocacy from others who've a 'lived experience'."