Between 1949 and 1976, thousands of unmarried women were pressured into giving up their babies for adoption through a system partly overseen by churches. The Church of England has now apologised for its part, but Tarn Bright says repentance must be matched by action
The era of forced adoption in the UK is a dark chapter of social history, primarily spanning the three decades following the second world war. During this time, an estimated half a million children were taken from unmarried mothers and placed for adoption without their free and informed consent, largely in response to social stigma.
The machinery of forced adoption was a collaboration between the state, the Church and medical professionals, driven by a desire to hide illegitimacy and provide children to married couples.
During this time, the Church, primarily through three main denominations, managed a vast network of “mother and baby” homes, moral welfare organisations and adoption agencies.
Given the Christian faith is deeply centred on forgiveness and redemption, acknowledging wrong is fundamental to bringing healing and trauma resolution, both for those who perpetrated wrongs and for the hundreds of thousands who were wronged. Therefore, Home for Good and Safe Families welcomes this apology and stands with every mother, father and child affected by this, thankfully now, illegal practice.
This apology is, however, long overdue and has only come following sustained scrutiny, including reports from the Education Select Committee (2026) and the Joint Committee on Human Rights (2022), both of which called for the Government to formally acknowledge and apologise for these injustices. That the Church of England has apologised too is good and right. It is our hope other institutions may do so too.
The harm done
The psychological damage to mothers who had their children removed was profound, as they were often young and unsupported. The levels of coercion and mistreatment they experienced was, at times, inhumane and there was no post-adoption support for them to manage their grief and loss. Let us not forget too the fathers.
Both birth parents lost their children to a system that meant that inconsistent record keeping and children being sent to antipodean nations resulted in never again seeing their children, nor ever being able to trace them.
The consequences were lifelong, with many continuing to live with trauma and unresolved grief decades later. Of fundamental importance, too, is the impact on the children who were forcibly removed from their parents.
It is now well-documented that adoption, in and of itself, is a trauma and recognised as an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). This ACE would have been seriously compounded by a profound lack of understanding of attachment theory, intergenerational trauma and the importance of connections to people with the same genetic identity.
In keeping with the theme of ACEs, research shows that adoptees, while afforded permanence and stability via adoption, face life-long complexities. Still today, adoption is not the panacea for children that many assume.
The voice of the adoptee
Earlier this year, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Adoption and Permanence, coordinated by Home for Good & Safe Families and Adoption UK, published its Adoptee Voices inquiry. More than 300 adoptees aged 13 to 25 shared their experiences, sadly highlighting a care system that too often fails to keep pace with their needs as they grow older.
Led and shaped by adoptees themselves, this report highlights that while adoption is intended to be lifelong (certainly from the adopters’ perspective, remembering the child had no agency in the decision), the statutory system incrementally withdraws after the point of legal adoption and vital and necessary therapeutic scaffolding falls away as young people grow older.
Many adoptees describe significant struggles with identity, belonging and access to appropriate mental health support. Their voices highlight the need for a system that deeply listens, bends to the individual requirements of each child, invests in educational excellence and holistic mental health services and psychologically supports adoptees into adulthood as a minimum.
A large majority of the adoptees interviewed (82%) said they are not well understood or supported. While 76% told the inquiry they want to continue in education or training, many face barriers. Isolation increases with age, with half of those aged 18 to 25 feeling no sense of community, and 92% said they need specialist support to understand their past but cannot access it. These experiences point to a system that is not yet equipped (after a century of adoption being legally recognised) to meet the lifelong realities of adoption.
The Church’s role today
Addressing these challenges will take more than government action alone. It will require a collaborative effort across civil society, with faith groups predominantly from the Christian tradition being a significant part of the solution.
Therefore, while the institutionalised Church was a part of the problem in historic forced adoptions, the 50,000 churches across the UK are currently regarded as one of the richest sources of resilient and compassionate foster carers and adopters.
Church communities are uniquely placed within neighbourhoods, able to offer both practical support and a strong sense of belonging. Across the country, many are already stepping forward, including those supporting not just the children and young people but caring for the foster carers, adoptive families themselves with consistent, relational care.
Having acknowledged its part in past harms, the Church now has an opportunity, and a responsibility, to bring its best and care for the most vulnerable in our society which reflects the heart of the Gospel message.
The apology from the Church of England and the Government is a moment of reflection and a call to action. The Church must fully acknowledge the harm caused and the lifelong impact of forced adoption. But it should also prompt a renewed commitment to the children and young people who rely on the care system today.
If we are serious about learning from the past, we must ensure that every child, whether through fostering, adoption, or supported lodgings, has the opportunity to grow up in a safe, loving and stable home. That is the responsibility we carry forward, and one we must now meet with urgency and resolve.
