Adoption system “not fit for purpose” and needs radical overhaul, warns charity

The adoption system is failing to provide the long-term support needed by adopted children and adults, according to a new survey published by the charity Adoption UK.

The organisation’s Adoption Barometer 2025, released today, suggests that while the system prioritises placing children with adoptive families, it does not adequately meet the continuing needs of adoptees as they grow up.

Adoption UK chief executive Emily Frith said the adoption system is still based on the ‘fallacy’ that being adopted is the fairy-tale ending.

“It is only the beginning of the story for children who have faced incredibly traumatic starts in life and who must grow up away from their birth families. Despite consistent evidence of the life-long challenges for adopted people, most families tell us that help evaporates as their child gets older, and adoptees say support is virtually non-existent in adulthood.

The annual survey, now in its seventh year, collected responses from adoptive families and adoptees across the UK. Among its findings, more than three quarters (77%) of adoptive parents in England said post-adoption support was difficult to access; while nine out of ten adopted teenagers and young adults had sought help with their mental health. Despite this, fewer than a third (29%) felt Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) support had been effective.

Just 16% of adult adoptees said there was an appropriate range of counselling or therapeutic services available, and over half (57%) reported they lacked sufficient information about their early lives and adoption.

The survey also found that 65% of adoptive parents had experienced violence in the home linked to their child’s difficulties with emotional regulation, and 84% said their child required more support at school than their peers.

Clinical psychologist and adoptee Dr Chris Tennyson said adoption affected “identity, relationships, health and how we make sense of who we are”. He argued that improving support for adopted adults should be viewed as part of the same process as helping children currently entering adoption.

“Working closely with adoptees, public services and governments have an opportunity to reshape how they work, not only to better support adopted adults, but to strengthen the systems around children being adopted today,” he said.

The report comes amid funding pressures in adoption support. The government has confirmed that the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF), which helps families access therapeutic services, will continue next year, but at a reduced level.
Cuts of 40% to the fund were announced earlier this year, with some families warning of significant consequences. Adoption UK’s survey found 85% of families who had accessed the fund said it had a positive impact.

The charity is now calling for an independent review of adoption support in England and for a new national adoption strategy. Recommendations in the report include:
• Regularly reviewed support plans, particularly at key transition points.
• Training for health and education professionals on the impact of early trauma.
• Ring-fenced funding for therapeutic services for adoptees of all ages.
• Dedicated support for adult adoptees in accessing records, reconnecting with birth families, and obtaining health treatment where family medical history is incomplete.

The charity said some positive progress had been made, such as improvements in early support planning and access to adoption support groups. However, it argued that broader reform was needed to ensure consistency and sustainability across the system.