News

The government has announced measures to help people who want to trace children they gave up for adoption. New registered adoption support agencies in England will act as a go-between and support both parents and adoptees.It is estimated that some two million people might be interested in applying to an adoption support agency or might be the subject of an application. The initiative is aimed at ending the current postcode lottery where in some parts of the country there is no specialist counselling available.

Julia Ross, social services director, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
"Parenting is a two-way thing, as every parent and child knows. The cycle of life from child to parent and later to a different relationship with children who themselves become parents is rich, changing and challenging. Knowing who we are and where we came from and why is everyone's right. We all want different things at different stages and adoptive parents, children and those who gave their child up for adoption - willingly or otherwise - need to be part of that jigsaw. They alone, however, can decide whether they want to exercise that right. These new arrangements will be in all our interests, as long as they support what will for some be painful experiences and are flexibly open to people's changing life patterns."

Felicity Collier, chief executive, Baaf Adoption and Fostering
"As this service has already been provided by many agencies, the support needs of those affected are known. Equal access to an intermediary service for all birth relatives is huge progress. It is sad that this cannot be free because there will be some disadvantaged birth parents, who might rely on pensions, who cannot afford to pay and will need charitable funds. Another form of postcode lottery?"

Lisa Harker, chair, Daycare Trust
"It is abhorrent to think that for so many years meeting the needs of birth parents of adopted children has been dependent simply on the goodwill of certain agencies. With sensitivity and careful balancing of the wishes of adoptees and birth relatives, the proposed new intermediary service will help ease a considerable amount of anguish. In a society as sophisticated and civilised as our own we should expect nothing less."

Karen Squillino, children's services manager, Barnardo's
"I was not aware, until reading this story, that there were no requirements on adoption agencies to provide this element of adoption support. It is pleasing to see that the lobbying by the charity, Norcap, has been successful even though it has, I imagine, been a long and arduous process. I am left feeling positive in the knowledge that the implementation of the act will make a positive difference in the lives of many people."

Bill Badham, development officer, National Youth Agency
"This validates post-adoption support services. It is right to establish these on a national scale with proper regulation and registration - and funding. It is right that birth parents should be able to trace their adopted children (once over 18) through an intermediary, but only if the adopted person wishes it. But it must be the right of the adopted child (when under 18) to know of their birth parents and to make contact where circumstances allow."