BAAF Myths and Legends

CHILDREN MISS OUT ON ADOPTION BECAUSE OF ‘MYTHS AND LEGENDS’

New UK-wide research released in November 2010 reveals alarming public misconceptions around adoption, on issues including obesity, smoking and gay and lesbian adoption. The myths and legends around adoption could cause children to miss out on permanent families, warns a national charity.

The ICM Research was commissioned by the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF), as part of National Adoption Week (1-7 November 2010). The charity is concerned that people may be needlessly disqualifying themselves from adoption simply because they don’t have the full facts.
 
Key research findings include:
• 32 per cent believed anyone over 40 was ruled out of adoption
• 29 per cent thought single men couldn’t adopt
• Over 1 in 10 (11 per cent) said gay/lesbian people couldn’t adopt
• Over a third (36 per cent) thought you couldn’t adopt if you smoke
• 29 per cent thought being obese excluded you from adoption.
 
In fact, health issues such as smoking and obesity do not rule people out of adopting, although any implications are considered further during an assessment.
 
Some people knew that having some types of criminal convictions, particularly against children, would exclude you. However, many others thought that there was a blanket ban on anyone with a criminal record, which is not necessarily true as this would depend on various factors such as the type of offence and how recent it was. Other reasons people thought you would be prevented from adopting included not being able to swim, reading a tabloid newspaper and being religious. None of these are true.

As the charity celebrated its 30th anniversary, it was concerned to find that public perceptions about the adoption system were over 30 years out of date. Thirty-nine per cent thought that the main reason children were adopted was because they had been ‘given up’ by their birth family. Several others thought most children waiting for adoption were ‘orphans’. While this used to be the case many years ago, nowadays the most common reason for children needing adoption is because they have been removed from their birth families because of abuse and neglect.

In addition, nearly a third (29 per cent) held the view that adoption is primarily a service for infertile couples or existing parents who want to add to their families. Although this may be the reason that people come forward to adopt, the emphasis of adoption changed many years ago to become a service specifically for meeting the needs of children.

David Holmes, Chief Executive of BAAF, said “It is worrying how many myths have come to dominate in adoption. It concerns us that people may disqualify themselves needlessly, which could mean a child misses out on a family.

“The key message is anyone over 21 can apply to adopt. However, there is no right to adopt and everyone whose application is taken forward will be subject to a very thorough assessment. Every case is treated individually.

“The good news is that 94 per cent of people who make it to an adoption panel get approved. So we strongly urge anyone interested in adoption to make an enquiry. Don’t rule yourself out without at least finding out the facts.”

To help spread the word, BAAF released a nationwide team of adoption champions into local communities during National Adoption Week. These champions all have some kind of link to adoption. They will use their direct experience to encourage others to think about whether adoption could be right for them.

About National Adoption Week
Since its launch in 1997, National Adoption Week has gone from strength to strength, reaching people across the UK wanting to know if they can adopt.

The theme of the 2010 campaign was ‘every child deserves a family’. During the campaign, people were encouraged to come forward to adopt the children who wait the longest — older children, children with disabilities, brothers and sisters, and children from some black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

National Adoption Week is so important in reminding people about the backgrounds of the children waiting for adoption and the difference adoption can make to a child’s life. It is known from existing adoptive families that it can be hard work, but the rewards are huge. This is a chance to transform a child’s life for ever.

National Adoption Week also attracts people wanting to find out about their own adoption or about a child they put up for adoption. There is advice and support for these people. Others want to get involved in the campaign so they can make a difference too. For these people there is the Adoption Champions scheme.

For more information about the Adoption Champions scheme, or any other part of National Adoption Week, visit: www.nationaladoptionweek.org.uk.

The British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF, helped match 516 children with families through their family- finding services from April 2009 to March 2010. Many of the children are those who to tend to wait longer — older children; those from black and ethnic minority communities; disabled children and sibling groups.

The charity has achieved this success in family-finding through the Adoption Register for England and Wales, which matched its 1000th child with a family last year; Be My Parent, who have seen an increase of 27 per cent of visits to its website from last year; the work of the BAAF Managed Consortia (regional family linking services); and the launch of the Adoption Regional Information System (ARIS) in Northern Ireland.

David Holmes, Chief Executive for BAAF, said I am particularly proud of the fact that, through our family-finding services, BAAF helped 516 children to [be placed with]loving, new, permanent families in 2010. BAAF believes that every child deserves a family.”