search
date/time
 | Yorkshire Times A Voice of the Free Press |
Ruby Watson
Feature Writer
1:00 AM 10th June 2023
frontpage
We Shouldn’t Have To Fight For The Help That Our Children Need And Deserve
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Since 2019 around 15,000 children in the UK have been adopted from the care system. Most of these children are placed for adoption because they cannot safely live with any member of their birth family. Over three quarters have experienced neglect and abuse in their earliest years and the average age for a child to be adopted in the UK is 3.3 years old.
Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
Adoption UK’s fifth annual Adoption Barometer report surveyed nearly 3,000 adoptive families, prospective adopters and adopted people over 18. It is the most comprehensive stock take of adoption in the UK and offers a rich picture of the impact of both adoption policy and practice in the lives of adopted people and adopters in the UK.
Image by John Hain from Pixabay
Additionally, the report revealed that 23% of adopted 16 to 25-year-olds are not in education, employment of training (NEET). This is nearly double the UK’s average. It also found that 16% of 13 to 18-year-olds have been drawn into criminally exploitative activity.
All of this points to the vulnerability of children adopted from the care system.
Adult adoptee Angela said:
“Growing up I was well provided for, but I’ve needed a lot of therapy. From the age of 8 or 9 I felt alienated from my adoptive family. My parents didn’t understand me at all and we didn’t get any support. The family broke down and I sought out people who I thought approved of me. But I ended up involved in drugs, suffered abuse and was drawn into forced criminality.”
“I had my first therapy at the age of 21 for lack of self-esteem, self-destructive behaviour and feeling emotionally empty. I’ve had to work hard not to repeat the patterns of behaviour from my childhood with my own kids. Now I work with exploited young people. I’m hurt, but grateful to be where I am today. Adopted children need the right support from the start and throughout their childhoods, including specialist support for teens.”
“Growing up I was well provided for, but I’ve needed a lot of therapy. From the age of 8 or 9 I felt alienated from my adoptive family. My parents didn’t understand me at all and we didn’t get any support. The family broke down and I sought out people who I thought approved of me. But I ended up involved in drugs, suffered abuse and was drawn into forced criminality.”
“I had my first therapy at the age of 21 for lack of self-esteem, self-destructive behaviour and feeling emotionally empty. I’ve had to work hard not to repeat the patterns of behaviour from my childhood with my own kids. Now I work with exploited young people. I’m hurt, but grateful to be where I am today. Adopted children need the right support from the start and throughout their childhoods, including specialist support for teens.”
Adoption UK explain that for many adopted people, trauma experiences in early childhood, along with the loss of identity involved in being separated from their birth family, has lifelong implications for their wellbeing. Many of the normal challenges faced by teenagers, such as grappling with their identity, relationships, and mental health, are greatly heightened in children who have experienced trauma early in their lives.
Alexandra (not her real name) explained:
“Our children were adopted as babies and whilst things were never straightforward, nothing prepared us for the teenage years. Poor mental health, problems with drugs and alcohol, criminal exploitation and difficulties accessing education and training have made for extreme and relentless challenges.”
“Our children need robust support in place from the start, and schools and all the professions that work alongside them need to be trained in trauma and attachment. Too often parents are not believed and when we try and advocate for better support, we are seen as annoying. We shouldn’t have to fight for the help that our children need and deserve.”
“Our children were adopted as babies and whilst things were never straightforward, nothing prepared us for the teenage years. Poor mental health, problems with drugs and alcohol, criminal exploitation and difficulties accessing education and training have made for extreme and relentless challenges.”
“Our children need robust support in place from the start, and schools and all the professions that work alongside them need to be trained in trauma and attachment. Too often parents are not believed and when we try and advocate for better support, we are seen as annoying. We shouldn’t have to fight for the help that our children need and deserve.”
Adoption UK say that only 9% of families with young adoptees aged 13+ are confident that services such as the NHS, education and housing have a good understanding of their children’s needs. There is limited specialist support for the particular challenges faced by adopted teens, such as reconnecting with birth family.
CEO of Adoption UK, Emily Frith spoke about the significance of this report:
“This report shows that the challenges facing young adopted people remain as difficult as ever. It should be a wake-up call for governments and adoption professionals across the UK.”
“Most adopted children have a very tough start in life, and many require specialist, therapeutic support into adulthood. We’re getting a lot of things right in the early stages of adoption, as shown in consistently positive feedback from adopters over five years of the Barometer. There is also good work underway by adoption agencies and charities to improve support for older children.”
“But change is happening far too slowly, putting the futures of thousands of young people a year at risk. It’s time for urgent action from governments and the sector to give adopted people the support they have been calling for, for decades.”
“This report shows that the challenges facing young adopted people remain as difficult as ever. It should be a wake-up call for governments and adoption professionals across the UK.”
“Most adopted children have a very tough start in life, and many require specialist, therapeutic support into adulthood. We’re getting a lot of things right in the early stages of adoption, as shown in consistently positive feedback from adopters over five years of the Barometer. There is also good work underway by adoption agencies and charities to improve support for older children.”
“But change is happening far too slowly, putting the futures of thousands of young people a year at risk. It’s time for urgent action from governments and the sector to give adopted people the support they have been calling for, for decades.”
Adoption UK is calling for the following changes to be made:
Multi-disciplinary assessments for every child to be placed for adoption
Support plans that lay the foundations for good support from the start, and adapt as the child grows
Specialist adoption services extended to at least age 26
Trauma-informed training and standards for health, education and criminal justice professionals, based on the latest neuroscience
Lifelong, psychological support for adopted people, whenever it’s needed
Multi-disciplinary assessments for every child to be placed for adoption
Support plans that lay the foundations for good support from the start, and adapt as the child grows
Specialist adoption services extended to at least age 26
Trauma-informed training and standards for health, education and criminal justice professionals, based on the latest neuroscience
Lifelong, psychological support for adopted people, whenever it’s needed
For more information about the charity, please see: https://www.adoptionuk.org/Pages/Category/about-adoption-uk