Adoption Barometer 2026: established adoptive families (Wales)

What is going well? 

“One particular thing that is really great is the social activities for adopters and their children to meet.” 

“It is good that adoption services are now more aware of the need to support parents dealing with child to parent violence by offering Non-Violent Resistance training, etc.” 

“We’re just about to access support for the first time in years and what is being laid out for us so far is great. If it all follows through we will be really happy!” 

“The Welsh Government funded schools training is a great offer.” 

What could be improved? 

“We have mostly dealt with statutory services over the last couple of years and they just don’t know what to do with a family experiencing child to parent violence. They had to put a child protection order in place for us to be eligible for any real support.” 

“All services end at 18 – things don’t miraculously fall into place at 18.” 

“Priority neurodiversity assessments and CAMHS referrals for previously looked after children.” 

“Statutory requirements for schools to train in the needs of adopted children, and automatic recognition of adopted children’s additional learning needs . . . We should not have to struggle to get schools to listen to us and recognise the children’s needs. Many will never get a diagnosis as services are so scarce.” 

“Ongoing funding for adoption support services, enshrined in law and not at the whim of individual governments.” 

“More contact from adoption agencies to check in regularly to see how adopters and adoptees are getting on to pre-empt any issues that can be supported.” 

Adoption Support 

A high proportion of respondents had accessed adoption support during 2025. 62% accessed core support such as training and support groups, and 56% had contacted their agency for support with a specific need. 

Among those who described their status as experiencing significant challenges or at crisis point at the time of asking for help, 66% were offered enhanced, targeted support, including specialist therapeutic services, counselling, specialist training or multi-disciplinary assessments – more than any other UK nation. However, fewer than half were satisfied with the impact of the support they received. 

“We need more investment in adoption support for research into effective interventions, for therapists and for peer support programmes.” 

“Support is too often reactive rather than proactive.” 

Keeping in contact with birth relatives 

Adoptive parents in Wales were more likely to agree that their agency manages arrangements for contact effectively than in any other nation in 2025. 80% reported having agreements for indirect contact in place although many were not active during 2025.  

Among those who had agreed to indirect contact, 67% reported that this was still active with wider family members, but only 49% had active indirect contact with birth mothers, 48% with siblings and 31% with birth fathers. 

“The original terms of our letterbox contact were changed without our consent or knowledge.” 

Rates of reported direct contact – face-to-face or via messaging apps, etc. – remain lower in Wales than elsewhere in the UK, although this has been rising gradually since 2018, from 16% to 29%. The most common form of direct contact is informal contact with siblings living outside of the adoptive family. 

“We are meant to have direct contact with our child’s siblings but their adoptive parents have not responded to us for years.” 

“We have found our agency helpful in relation to supporting us through sudden and informal birth family contact.” 

Education 

“School remains a challenge and the education authority is inflexible in working with other agencies.” 

“My daughter is severely impacted by her early experiences and was just punished and excluded instead of being understood and supported. She was already disadvantaged and now has been pushed to the fringes of society as I have been forced to home educate her.”