Adoptions need to quadruple, says outgoing Barnardo's chief

[DJKillaQueen]

From Guardian.co.uk

Britain is facing a dangerous collapse in adoption rates because of the prejudiced attitudes of some local authorities and adoption agencies towards white parents adopting minority ethnic children, according to Martin Narey, the outgoing chief executive of Barnardo's.

The adoption rate of babies must increase fourfold, and the numbers of toddlers and older children placed with new families must also increase dramatically, he said in an interview to mark his resignation from the charity he has run for more than five years.

He said adoption was at a historic low and had all but disappeared for babies, despite being a "vital tool in the child protection armoury", particularly for under-ones. "Only 70 babies were adopted last year compared with 4,000 in 1976. We need that figure to get back into the thousands so we need to quadruple it over the next few years ? and quadruple it again," he said..

Narey said the collapse in the use of adoption was perplexing. Citing evidence that it offers the best outcomes for children, he said: " Early adoptions are particularly successful and yet it remains out of fashion."

He accused local authorities and adoption agencies of thwarting the law through a reluctance to allow white couples to adopt children from different ethnic backgrounds. The "prejudice" was so entrenched he feared it would not be easily reversed.

He said: "The law is very clear. A child should not stay in care for an undue length of time while waiting for adoptive parents of the same ethnicity. But the reality is that black, Asian and mixed-race children wait three times longer than white children." Narey's comments come in the same week a survey revealed widespread poor practice among adoption agencies. The Adoption UK research found that prospective parents are frequently unfairly rejected or forced to endure waits of up to six months after their initial inquiry, three times longer than legislation demands.

I think that the advance of IVF treatment has meant many couples who would have been childless in the past now have hope and wait until it is too late to consider adoption as well. This isn't helped by many adoption agencies refusal to place children with anyone over 40 years of age.

[vinceayre]

If the government stopped paying for IVF the adoption rate would increase massively. I had friends who adopted a few years ago and they said the process was so horrendous it nearly broke their marriage up as they were treated like child molesters from word go. it took them two years to adopt, it is verging on a crime for white middle class couples who are over 30 to want to adopt a child in some inner London boroughs. The Social Workers would rather the child stay in care than make a decision that may prove not to be a perfect fit. When I was first adopted it wasn't a right fit so I went back to the orphanage but then my "parents" came along and chose me and I had what can only be described as a wonderful and loving childhood. They would be too old to adopt under todays regime, I would probably not have been taken as i was getting on a bit and of course all couples would like a baby which is understandable.

There are tens of thousands of young children in care just wanting to love someone and call them their own, I find it heartbreaking.

[Marmora Man]

Points:

1. IVF rates - the NHS has already in many areas reduced the number of NHS funded IVF cycles to just one (from three). In the future cash constraints are likely to make publicly funded IVF very rare.

2. Adoption agencies seem to have some form of Platonic ideal of parenthood against which they judge potential adoptees. It is not just their obsession with matching ethnicity - age, housing, once divorced, being a smoker etc can all be grounds for rejection.

3. Most parents and families are a messy combination of love, care, financial problems, lost homework, support, help, kindness, dietary fads & fancies, pushiness, tiredness, enthusiasm, pride, relative cleanliness, good to poor housing, stress, relatives, arguments, acceptance, guilt and I could go on. Greater acceptance of this reality by adoption agencies might allow more adoptions to go ahead. If "natural" parenthood can occur at, say 45 or to a couple that smoke or have a slightly messy home, why forbid potentially loving and kind adoptive parents of the same the opportunity to adopt?

[DJKillaQueen]

I whole heartedly agree with you both. Why is someone at 40 plus too old to adopt? Seems daft not to place children with adults that want them, and in preference to what? A lifetime in care. A quick look at how well most children who grow up in care don't do should be proof enough that a less than perfect family is good enough.

[Ridgley]

I think the whole, adoption systems needs reviewing all three points I agree with but they need to sometimes take race out of the equation if there is not enough black and Asian families coming forward I cannot see why white families cannot adopt a black or Asian child if they have a loving home and can give that child what he or she needs is that not better than staying in the care system.

If the council is worried about that particular child cultural background I am sure they can set up some sort of support and awareness if that is what they are worried about. I once dated a guy from the care system it took him a long time to deal with what he went through he would have been happy if he was adopted he did not care if the family was Black or White.

[James Barber]

Hi DJ,

I read the article I think it was in Saturdays Guardian.

I checked out Southwark Council's website which isn't anywhere near as restrictive as you'd assume from the Guardian article which would appear to have taken lowest common UK denominators. http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/160/adoption/1906/who_can_adopt

Southwark Council states the following people CAN adopt:

- Childless couples.

- Couples with children.

- Single people with or without children.

- People over 40.

- People who are gay or lesbian

But it is a problem with not enough people coming forward to adopt.

And I'm sure you're right in that infertility treatments must have reduced the pool of people wnating to adopt to have a family life that includes children.

james.

[Ridgley]

Thats great James to hear :)

[Siduhe]

Although the next paragraph on the Southwark website does say:

At the moment we are looking for dual heritage parents to adopt the higher number of children from similar heritages.

This may just mean they have a preference for parents from the same ethnic background as the children, but it does go to Ridgley's point.

[DJKillaQueen]

I'm encouraged by Southwark's policy on adoption James. Be curious to know what happens in practise though. And Siduhe's point seems to show that even Southwark prefer to place a child with parents of similar heritage. I'm hoping that is 'where possible' and is not prohibitive to the placement of children where parents of any heritage are available.

[James Barber]

Hi DJ, Sudihe,

I shall try and find out.

We were doing well in reducing the number of children in care.

Regards james.

[louisiana]

James, it would be of interest to know how many children are currently in care in the borough...

[Dudley]

Dear Mr Barber,

Dear Mr Barber,

On a subject of this importance you need to do more than pull a general ?who can adopt criteria? from the Southwark website.

For instance:

? Do you know how many children are in care in Southwark, what the average stay for children in care is, and the average age of children in care?

? Do you know how many children are in foster care in Southwark?

? Do you know how many children have been adopted for each of the last 5 years?

? What would also be interesting is what is the family ethnic breakdown of people who adopted children, and their income?

Although very difficult to prove (no doubt due to Data protection rules), anecdotal evidence overwhelming indicates that middle class families, and in particular white middle class families are discriminated against and viewed with deep suspicion if they want to adopt.

Freeing a child for adoption is one of the most serious decisions a court can make for a child and the process should be rigorous. Indeed there maybe some cases where local councils are too quick and enthusiastic to take children into care and move to a process of freeing for adoption. This has been covered by the Telegraph and supported by my colleagues at the family bar who state that post baby P councils were far too extreme in their decision to take children into care.

However once this the rigorous process has been fulfilled and a child is free to be adopted councils should do everything in their power to place that child in a loving adopted home.

70 children adopted is nothing short of a disgrace. The outcomes for children in long term fostering and care are clear; it is disastrous for the child.

These are real babies, toddlers and children we are talking about; real lives.

I thank God everyday that I did not have a problem starting my own family as although I would favour adopting a child and not consider IVF, I suspect the process would be complete nightmare by virtue of the fact that we are a white middle class family.

I myself am adopted and also thank God everyday that the regime that exists today did not exist 30 years ago as instead of having a loving and caring family who adopted me I would have languished in care for years on end.

I would be delighted if you could prove me wrong on my suspicions, but I fear that the adopted child ratio to children in care for Southwark council is very low.

[louisiana]

James: useful to know (for the borough) would be:

- children in care at any given time (average/trend and indicative ages so maybe by age group)

- number of children adopted each year

- number of children in foster care each year (counted in the 'in care' stats?)

Adoption can be brilliant for kids, and foster care also. What is rarely brilliant is living in some LA home or a procession of LA homes. Children need a family.

[vinceayre]

An article in the Daily Mail(apologies for reading such a middle class rag, I shall go and buy two Guardians to repent) that only 70 babies were adopted last year. I find this number totally unbelievable, please someone tell me its wrong. How many children were adopted last year, anyone know?

[Marmora Man]

I understand the national tot is around 3,000 but that "cross race" adopttions are less than 100 - which may be the 70 you're referring to?

[Pugwash]

When I was training I worked in another SE London Borough in the Fostering and Adoption Team. There was a heated debate when a couple of children needed long term fostering who were Asian Muslim. The borough did not have any Asian Muslim Foster Parents but had a single white woman who was Muslim. There was heated discussion as to whether the children's ethnicity or their religion was the most important. The children were later placed with Asian Hindus.

Many children in care have had traumatic lives and tend to be of school age, it takes a special person/couple who could cope with often emotionally unstable children who may make their lives hell for a year or more until they learn to trust their adoptive parents.

[louisiana]

It strikes me as really odd that the most important factors seemingly being considered in the saga outlined by Pugwash are ethnicity and religion. Religion is a social construct. Surely the logical consequence of that is you end up placing children on the basis of dietary habits, political affiliations and so forth. Or you end up leaving them living in the most unsatisfactory situation of all (in a LA home) because the ideal scenario is not available. Surely that is giving primacy to particular - temporary - social constructs rather than to a caring upbringing?

[DJKillaQueen]

I absolutely agree louisiana. This search for the 'ideal' person and evironment is nonsensical. Is that what we did after wars when faced with an abundance of tramatised orphaned children? All that a child needs is for someone to be there for them, to love them and give them a safe and happy environemnt to grow up in. It doesn't matter if the adults are one or two, wealthy or poor (because children can flourish in all backgrounds). All that matters is the quality of the parenting. The rest is immaterial

[ClareC]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12513403

[Pugwash]

Glad to see some common sense has now prevailed. I have a mixed race step daughter (Black/part Polish/white British)whose mother (Black Carribean) objected to her daughter being exposed to Black History as it was 'not relevant' to her. Stepdaughter grew up in a predominantly white area, where she was the only black/mixed race child in her school. It was left to me and her father to encourage her to explore her cultural back ground.

Yet despite having a mixed race child, if hubby and I wanted to foster or adopt a mixed race child, as 2 white people we would have been refused. As we have friends from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds, a fostered child would have a wide exposure to all religions ( we have Muslim and Buddist friends as well as Christians) all ethnic backgrounds, with many mixed race partnerships and had a loving home.

[Ridgley]

I agree with you Pugwash, my daughter is also mixed race part West Indian and part Jewish we have taught her both cultures there is nothing stopping this happening in adoption with mix or same cultural couples but the main point is a loving home.

[James Barber]

Sorry Dudley & Lousiana for not coming back sooner. The latest Corporate Parenting committee open report is available. I'm a reserve on the committee and did read it thoroughly but forgot to come back here.

Looked After Children in Southwark figures:

Nov 2006 March 2009 Jan 2011

LAC Total 635 530 522

LAC over 2.5 yrs 220 (35%) 186 (35%) 142 (27%)

Same place 2 yrs - stable 135 130 108

Not same 2 yrs - unstable 79 56 34

% in long term placement 61% 69% 76%

Yesterday it was announced by Michael Gove that guidelines around adopting have been reissued and race would no long be a 'dealbreaker' if propspective adopters show they could be good parents and the rules blocking over 45s from adopting will be scrapped. Good pragmatic changes to counter the declining adoption rates nationally.

Apparently family courts are encouraging kid to be placed with extended family members.

The next annual report on adoption and fostering is due 26 April to the committee. I've not been able to track down last years report.

In

[Frankito]

I really want to adopt but have always been put off by the whole bureaucracy surrounding the process. To go through the lengthy and intrusive process only to be informed by some pen-pusher that I am not suitable would break my heart. And all the whilst there are little bubbas out there in homes, growing up, or should I say surviving up, with little/no nurturing....

There are millions out there who, like me, would be willing to lose an arm for the cause but who, don't even try... I challenge the powers that be to make the whole process more transparent and to focus on the real challenges of getting these wee bubbas into real homes where real life is lived...

[Dudley]

Thank you for the reply Mr Barber.

Good to see numbers of LAC over 2.5 have reduced over the 3 years.

[Pamelita]

My husband and I were thinking in adoption sometime ago. I did some research

about the adoption and I have bought a book "Complete book of International Adoption " by Dawn Davenport

but I was advice to have my own at least one child and perhaps to adopt one. I am very happy becouse

I can have both.

I am looking for to have my children very soon if all goes well. I am very happy with my desicion

and my first choice.