Adoption system not fit for purpose and needs radical overhaul

CEO Emily Frith said: “The system is still based on the fallacy that being adopted is the fairy-tale ending. But it is only the beginning of the story for children who have faced incredibly traumatic starts in life and who must grow up away from their birth families. Despite consistent evidence of the life-long challenges for adopted people, most families tell us that help evaporates as their child gets older, and adoptees say support is virtually non-existent in adulthood.

Many of those now entering adulthood were children when the Barometer first began. It’s tragic that there have been so many missed opportunities to help them reach their potential and put support in place for them as adult adoptees. We urgently need to start building an adoption system that delivers life-long support.” 

 “The system is still based on the fallacy that being adopted is the fairy-tale ending. But it is only the beginning of the story for children who have faced incredibly traumatic starts in life and who must grow up away from their birth families." - CEO Emily Frith

Clinical Psychologist Dr Chris Tennyson is an adoptee with first-hand experience of the life-long impact of adoption. He says: “Adoption touches every part of a person’s life – our identity, relationships, health and how we make sense of who we are.  

Working closely with adoptees, public services and governments have an opportunity to reshape how they work, not only to better support adopted adults, but to strengthen the systems around children being adopted today. Improving support for adopted adults is not separate from helping today’s children. It is part of the same long-term solution. If we want adopted children to grow into thriving adults, we must start by listening to those who already have.”   

"Improving support for adopted adults is not separate from helping today’s children. It is part of the same long-term solution. If we want adopted children to grow into thriving adults, we must start by listening to those who already have.” - Dr Chris Tennyson

In England, despite a manifesto commitment to adoption, the government has so far failed to deliver. It has even rowed back on existing support in shock 40% cuts to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF), a vital fund for therapeutic help. Of those who had accessed the Fund, 85% of parents responding to the Barometer had seen a positive impact. The ASGSF has been confirmed for next year, but with no clarity on funding levels. 

In Northern Ireland, even though the Adoption and Children Act promising systemic change was passed three years ago, there has been no progress towards implementing the recommendations. And in Scotland, it remains to be seen how and when the recent Adoption Vision Statement will be put into effect.  

Good progress is being made in some parts of the UK, for example with new support plans being piloted in England, and programmes to improve access to records for adult adoptees in Wales and Northern Ireland.  But to deliver lifelong support, the system needs radical change and accountability. Pressures on other public services mean reform of the adoption system is more urgent than ever. A squeeze on government spending and spiralling demand for support in mental health and special educational needs is putting huge pressure on adoptive families, who often rely heavily on these services. 

This year’s Adoption Barometer reveals:  

• only two thirds ( 67%) of adoptive parents say they feel optimistic about their family's future - fewer than in any previous Adoption Barometer report,

•  64% of parents reported experiencing violence in the home due to their child’s difficulties in regulating their emotions and actions because of the trauma they have experienced,

• more than eight out of 10 (84%) parents believe their adopted child needs more support in school than their peers,

• more than half ( 60%) of adult adoptees do not feel they have the information they need about their early lives or their adoption.  

Investing in reliable lifelong support will ensure adoptees can reach their potential as well as saving the government money.  There are also some simple, inexpensive steps, like ensuring health and education professionals have adequate training about the impact of early childhood trauma, creating new national guidance on contact with birth families, and setting up adoptee reference groups to advise on government policy relating to adoption. 

Among the recommendations, we are calling for:  

• robust support plans that are regularly reviewed, particularly at moments of major change, such as the move between primary and secondary school and the transition to adulthood,

• training for health and education professionals from the start of their careers to equip them to understand and meet the needs of the adoptees they will be expected to support,

• ring-fenced, permanent funding for well-evidenced therapeutic support for adoptees of all ages, combined with opportunities for adoptees to connect with each other for mutual support,

• reliable support for adult adoptees to access personal adoption records, connect with birth families, and be able to access the health treatment they need even if their family medical history is unknown.