Charity calls for overhaul of adoption system which is ‘failing’ children

A charity is calling for an independent review of adoption support in England, warning that the current system is failing adopted children.

Adoption UK is urging the Government to create a new national adoption strategy as it said there have been “significant failures by the Government and the sector to provide the lifelong support needed to address the impact of abuse, trauma, loss and neglect that adoptees have experienced”.

The charity surveyed adoptive parents and more than three quarters in England said support is hard to find once their child has joined the family.

More than half of adult adoptees also do not feel they have the information they need about their early lives or their adoption, according to the survey.

Adoption UK warned that as adopted children get older, unaddressed issues “become more complex, serious and lasting”.

Emily Frith, chief executive of the charity, 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.

“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 charity is calling for support plans for adoptees and training for health and education professionals to understand their needs, among other recommendations.

It said that as the gap between numbers of prospective adopters coming forward and the numbers of children growing up in care continues to grow, better support would reassure people considering adoption to come forward.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We’re committed to ensuring adopted and kinship families get the support they need to thrive, and through our plan for change we are taking lasting action for the most vulnerable children.

“That’s why we are investing £8.8 million in Adoption England to improve support, including new centres of excellence in regional adoption agencies and crisis services for families.

“But adoption is just one part of the picture – through our landmark reforms to children’s social care we’re making the biggest changes in a generation to keep families safely together and give every child the chance to grow up in a loving home.”