Adoption system not fit for purpose, warns charity

Adoptive families are facing violence in the home against a backdrop of diminishing support, warns leading adoption charity Adoption UK.
Its seventh national adoption survey, the Adoption Barometer, has shone a spotlight on what it describes as “yet another year of significant failures by the government and the sector”.
The survey of 3,500 people across the UK found:
- Only two thirds (66 per cent) of adoptive parents say they feel optimistic about the future
- 65 per cent of parents experienced violence in the home due to their child’s difficulties
- Nine out of ten of adopted teenagers and young adults have sought help with their mental health
- Only 29 per cent felt that support from CAMHS made a positive difference
- Over a quarter (29 per cent) of adoptees in England are not in education or training – more than double the national average
- More than eight out of ten (84 per cent) of parents believe their adopted child needs more support in school
- More than half (57 per cent) of adult adoptees do not feel they have the information they need about their early lives or their adoption
The survey found the adoption system “frontloads attention” on finding adoptive families for children but then neglects long-term support.
More than three-quarters (77 per cent) of adoptive parents in England say support is hard to find once their child has joined their family.
Just 16 per cent of adult adoptees say there is an appropriate range of therapeutic services, even though 72 per cent have sought support.
Support with education was the most common reason for contacting adoption services in England followed by experiencing violent and aggressive behaviour.
A quarter of parents seeking help contacted emergency or duty social work teams with a similar amount contacting the police. Child protection teams were contacted by 15 per cent of families.
There are additional hurdles for adults who had been adopted, the survey found, including lack of support for accessing personal adoption records and for tracing and reunion with birth families.
Adoption UK’s chief executive Emily Frith said: “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.”
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.”
Dr Tennyson believes public services should work more closely with adoptees to strengthen systems around children and better support adopted adults.
He added: “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.”
Cuts
Adoptive families fear more adoptions could break down following cuts to government funding for therapy.
Despite a manifesto commitment to adoption, the government recently announced 40 per cuts to the amount a child is able to claim for therapy from the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.
Families say the fund has been transformational for their children. Of parents who had accessed it, 85 per cent of those responding to the Adoption UK survey noticed a positive impact.
Frith said: “Good progress is being made in some parts of the adoption system, for example with early support planning, and provision of core adoption support such as support groups, general training and advice.
“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.”
Adoption UK is calling for an independent review of adoption support in England, leading to a new national adoption strategy.
Among its recommendations, the charity is calling for:
- Robust support plans that are regularly reviewed, particularly at moments of major change
- Training for health and education professionals from the start of their careers on the needs of adopted children
- Ring-fenced, permanent funding for well-evidenced therapeutic 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