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Breaking news.... 2005

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November 2005

Minister backs National Adoption Week and pledges to improve the current adoption system

Robert Brown, Deputy Education Minister, is to show his support for National Adoption Week by welcoming adoptive families to parliament.

The event, to take place on Monday 7 November, will allow children and their parents to meet the Minister and have an opportunity to put across their views on adoption.

National Adoption Week is a UK-wide campaign organised by the British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF) aims to help find families for up to 4,000 children across the UK who are waiting to be adopted

Anyone interested in finding out more about adoption can request a free pack about adopting a child by calling 08450 560120 or visit www.nationaladoptionweek.org.uk

For full details, click here

November 2005

BAAF reveals damage caused to thousands of children in care

BAAF launches billboard campaign to highlight lack of stability for thousands of children in public care
At the start of National Adoption Week, the charity appeals for more people to come forward to adopt children waiting too long for a permanent home

BAAF today launches National Adoption Week with a billboard campaign illustrating the damage children suffer when they do not have a loving and permanent family

The charity is calling on more Local Authorities to set up concurrent planning schemes, where foster carers are also approved as adopters and are supported to care for children while efforts are made to help them go home. If this is not possible, the foster carers can adopt the child, thereby minimising disruption for that child.

The charity says no baby in public care should have more than two changes of carer in its first year of life (outside their birth family). Local Authorities should publish annual statistics about how many times infants under two are moved and reasons for any moves.

Throughout National Adoption Week (7-13 November) BAAF will be calling on people to come forward to find out more about the 4,000 children waiting in care for a permanent and loving home.

For full details, click here

June 2005

BAAF publishes groundbreaking new research on the 'adoption triangle'

Public perception often believes that adoptive parents are likely to be upset by their son or daughters search for birth family members and that all birth mothers who have placed a baby for adoption are longing to hear from them. But is this the case?

Based on the results of 125 adopted people, 93 birth mothers and 93 adoptive parents who took part in the 5-year study, the findings reveal that reunions are positive and fulfilling for the vast majority involved, and that reunions endure - with 86% still in contact eight years on.

Julia Feast, adoption consultant at BAAF and co-author said: "Having information about how all the key parties have experienced adoption search and reunion is a tremendous leap forward. It means that people and professionals will be able to approach this complex and emotional area much better prepared."

For full details, click here

June 2005

Details of Scottish Adoption Policy Review

Speaking at the BAAF Scottish Legal Group conference in Dundee, Deputy Education Minister Euan Robson announced that major changes are to be made to the adoption system in Scotland.

The changes are based on 107 recommendations made by the Adoption Policy Review Group, set up in 2001 to review adoption and other forms of long-term care.

The Scottish Executive has in principle accepted majority of these recommendations “and will publish its formal response, in the form of a consultation paper, later this month”.

For full details:

Read the news release on the Scottish Executive website

Download the full report from the Scottish Executive website in pdf format (264 pages - 2.68mb - approx 13 mins on a 28.8kbps modem)

Read the BBC news report

January 2005

BAAF advice about the adoption of tsunami victims

BAAF today gave cautionary advice to the many people who are contacting British adoption agencies offering to adopt children orphaned by the tsunami.

Felicity Collier, Chief Executive of BAAF, said "We understand why people have been so affected by the tragic images of children orphaned by the tsunami, children who are clearly in desperate need of care and attention. We must remember, however, that many children will have become separated from their parents in the confusion following the disaster. There may well be relatives and friends elsewhere in the country who will be seeking to trace them. It would be very wrong, and against internationally agreed standards for adoption, to remove these children overseas and arrange for their adoption at this very difficult and chaotic time.