A story this week about a girl put up for adoption because her
grandparents were 'too old' is just one more in a long line of emotive
but simplified media tales
The British media abounds with highly emotive adoption stories, and
this week was no exception. Howls of protest sounded in some areas of
the press at the news that a three year old girl was forcibly put up for
adoption this week, against the will of her loving grandparents,
allegedly because they were judged ‘too old’ to care for her. It was
reported that the mother of the child had lost custody of her due to
severe mental health problems, but that her parents were willing to take
on special guardianship, against the recommendation of social workers.
The
UK is the only country in Europe, and one of a tiny minority of
countries in the world, that participates in so-called ‘forced
adoption’. This fairly self-explanatory procedure means taking a child
away from its family without – and sometimes against- the agreement of
all family members. This is very much a last resort in a desperate
situation, undergone when there is no safe way for children to stay with
their immediate family. However, there’s no denying that it can feel
extremely brutal for those involved.
In the last few years, the
number of children with an Adoption Order has dramatically fallen. What
this means in practice is that there are just as many children in the
care system – for instance, being fostered – but fewer who have been
recommended by local authorities to be placed for adoption with a new
family. This year alone, the number of children in care with an Adoption
Plan fell again, by 37 per cent. For many of these children, cast
adrift in a sea of uncertainty, this is a depressing state of affairs.
The
key reason for this results from judgments made by the Supreme Court
and the Court of Appeal which reminded local authorities and courts of
the huge significance of adoption. Adoption legally and permanently
severs the child’s legal relationship with their birth family. Again,
the UK is the only country in Europe to do this, however often contact
does continue with both siblings, grandparents and sometimes birth
parents. ‘Forced adoption’ is more accurately referred to in the care
sector as ‘contested adoption’.
Make
no mistake about it: most children who are embroiled in the care system
are there because of serious abuse or neglect. One of the reasons that
contested adoption is legal here and illegal elsewhere is because UK law
puts the welfare and rights of the child first, above those of parents
and any associated relatives. It’s not always in the child’s best
interests to stay with their birth family.
‘Kinship
carers’ – defined as relatives and close friends of the birth family -
often become special guardians of a child. This allows children to leave
the care system and remain within their immediate family, minimising
disruption to that child’s upbringing, and can often provide a
knowledgeable and loving new home. By law, kinship carers must be the
first port of call for social workers. However, there are some
difficulties with these arrangements.
For instance, kinship carers
do not receive access to legal aid, which means it can be difficult for
them to contest a child’s adoption through the courts. Neither do they
enjoy the same benefits as adopters do if they look after a child, such
as the legal right to adoption leave from work. Some have fallen foul of
the Bedroom Tax.
Sadly, finding a loving home for a child can
often be harder than anyone imagined. What is needed is a more holistic
approach to adoption and fostering by the government. The £19.2 million
for the Adoption Support Fund providing therapeutic support for adoptive
children was recently pledged, but this fund doesn’t extend to children
placed with kinship carers. Meanwhile, too many children remain in the
care system without any promise of a permanent and stable home.
No comments:
Post a Comment