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News reports located on this
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Support
for contact between adopted children and birth
family not fit for purpose, report finds
SUPPORT
for adopted children, young people and adults
wanting to establish and maintain relationships with
birth relatives is not fit for purpose and requires
radical improvement, a new report reveals today.
The Adoption Barometer report published by the
charity Adoption UK, shines a light on the
challenges facing some of the UK's most vulnerable
children as they seek to navigate complex
relationships with birth relatives. Adults who were
adopted in childhood are also struggling with the
legacy of poorly supported contact, and inadequate
services to help with tracing relatives.
Most people adopted in recent decades will have
direct or indirect contact with their birth family
at some point in their lives, either decided by the
courts when they were adopted, or through an
informal arrangement.
Only 12% of adopters had been offered any training
or advice about establishing direct contact after
adopting their child. Among adopters whose children
were having direct contact, 85% said that their
agency does not regularly review their contact
arrangements, and 86% said their child had not been
offered any emotional or therapeutic support related
to their contact arrangements.
The importance of well-managed contact was
highlighted in the Government's National Adoption
Strategy, published last year, and was the only
significant reference to adoption in the recent
Review of Children's Social Care in England.
Adoption UK is calling for free national contact
services to be set up for adopted people from
childhood into adulthood, in each nation of the UK.
When Frankie was 14 she discovered her birth
mother's name and made contact by herself. When she
confided in her family's social worker, she was told
it was a:- 'stupid decision.'
Frankie said:- "I'm pleased I instigated
contact, but unfortunately it has now broken
down, so I feel very rejected. There should be
way more support for adopted young people who
want to contact birth relatives. I also think we
should be allowed to make contact when we want,
rather than having to wait, and our choices
should not be labelled as wrong."
(For more information on this case study and other
case studies who are willing to provide media
interviews, see Case Studies File, attached, below).
The report found that 28% of 13 to 18 year olds had
direct contact with a birth family member, outside
of any formal agreement, during 2021.
Report author, Adoption UK's Rebecca Brooks, said:-
"Contact with birth family is an important part
of many adopted children's lives and often looms
large during adolescence and early adulthood, when
people are exploring their identities. But too
often, the preparation and support available does
not meet the needs of adopted children, their
parents, or their birth relatives. Contact plans
made at the time of a child's Adoption Order can
go out of date very quickly as circumstances
change and children grow older. Later, families
can find themselves navigating complex situations
without the support they need, with devastating
impacts on children's mental health and family
stability."
Only 17% of adopted adults surveyed received
professional support when they were children, to
help with birth family contact. Around a third (37%)
were offered counseling as part of the process of
tracing birth relatives in adulthood, half (52%) of
whom said it felt like a tick box exercise.
Respondents described the process of tracing as:-
"frustrating," "costly," "full of red tape,"
and stressed the importance of long term support
after the initial reunion. Many expressed concerns
that went beyond their own experiences, calling for
a complete overhaul of the system.
Despite the complexities of navigating contact with
birth family, 80% of adopted adults who had contact
during childhood were glad to have had the chance to
do so. The majority (69%) who did not have this
opportunity, or did not pursue it, were regretful
about it.
Data from the report shows that the majority of
adopted people (75%) and prospective adopters (70%)
think contact with birth family should be
normalised, even though it can prove to be both
daunting and difficult. The figure amongst adopters
is lower, but half still agree that contact should
be normalised. Informal contact with birth relatives
among adoptive families with 13 to 18 year old
children, has increased steadily over the 4 years of
the Barometer.
Mrs Brooks added:- "Traditionally adopters are
characterised as being resistant to contact with
their children's birth family, but repeated
Barometer reports have shown this is simply not
the case. There is increasing openness towards it,
if the right support is available."
For the fourth year running most (76%) Barometer
respondents said they face a continual struggle for
support in many areas of their child's life,
including:- contact. The survey results also
highlight the consequences of failure to provide
early and consistent support for adopted young
people. More than a fifth (22%) of 16 to 25 year
olds were not in education, employment, or training
at the end of 2021; more than twice as high as the
UK average.
Mersey NHS Care Trust Specialist Perinatal Services now offering DadPad App
MERSEY Care
NHS Foundation Trust's Specialist Perinatal Service
is marking International Father's Mental Health
Awareness Day by supporting a new app for dads
across Cheshire and Merseyside.
The DadPad app is an easy to use, freely
downloadable resource for new dads, partners,
parents and dads to be in the Cheshire and
Merseyside area, packed with relevant information,
as well as details on local support groups and
service providers. Its aim is to provide new fathers
with guidance on how to develop the mindset,
confidence and practical skills needed to meet their
babies' physical and emotional needs.
"1 in 5 women experience mental health problems
during pregnancy and the 1st 2 years after birth.
When things don't go to plan, this can have a
lasting impact on mums, babies, partners and
families. Our service provides important perinatal
mental health assessment and support for local
women experiencing moderate to severe mental
health issues during this time. This includes
interventions to support family relationships to
thrive including:- the relationship between mum
and baby, and between mum and dad or partner. We
should always remember to keep the whole family in
mind and that it can be a difficult time for dads
/ partners in their own right; the launch of this
app will provide vital access to support."
explained Dr Ruth O'Shaughnessy, who is a Consultant
Clinical Psychologist at Mersey Care.
Building a strong attachment will not only enable
dads to better enjoy their new role, but also
contribute towards positive long term social, health
and educational outcomes for their babies.
Crucially, the app also provides dads with guidance
on how to support and seek help (when needed) for
their partners and themselves as they adjust to
their new roles, and cope with the physical and
emotional strains that this can place on individuals
and relationships.
The app covers topics such as:-
►
Feeding,
holding, changing and cleaning your baby.
►
Surviving
without sleep and coping with crying.
►
Getting
to know your baby.
►
Home
safety and 1st aid.
►
Looking
after yourself and supporting your partner.
Julian Bose, Director of Inspire Cornwall CIC said:-
"The DadPad was created because babies don't
come with a set of instructions, and dads told
us that there was important information that
they wanted to be given on what to expect and
how to care for their baby. We listened to
what dads, their partners and health
professionals asked for and combined it all in
the DadPad. With technology playing such a big
part in everyone's lives today, developing an
app to complement the existing DadPad seemed the
obvious next step. This has opened up a world of
possibilities in delivering new content and
features and, crucially, getting updates and
news out to the dads quickly and easily. We are
delighted to have been given the chance to work
with the teams at Mersey Care NHS Foundation
Trust Specialist Perinatal Service to be able to
now launch this resource for dads and dads to be
across the Cheshire and Merseyside area."
Working in partnership as part of a Cheshire and
Merseyside wide service, Mersey Care has teams
covering:- Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St
Helens and Warrington.
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