"The shame is ours": Government apologises for historic forced adoptions

The Government has formally apologised for historical forced adoption practices in England, acknowledging the state's role in policies that caused lifelong harm to an estimated 185,000 mothers, adopted people and their wider families.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer delivered the apology in Parliament, where campaigners who have spent decades seeking official recognition of the injustice watched from the public gallery, before meeting ministers at a Westminster reception.

The apology relates primarily to forced adoption practices between 1949 and 1976, when many unmarried mothers were pressured into giving up their children for adoption. The Government acknowledged that many women were denied genuine choice, while children were separated from their birth families, identities and histories. It also recognised the lasting impact on fathers and extended families.

Addressing those affected, the Prime Minister said: "The shame is not yours. The shame was never yours. The shame is ours.

"And I say that on behalf of the whole country, I say it to every single person impacted, we are deeply and profoundly sorry."

Alongside the apology, ministers announced a £4 million package of support over three years aimed at helping those affected access adoption records, reconnect with relatives and receive specialist support.

The funding will improve access to records through CoramBAAF, expand intermediary services such as Family Connect, support research into the long-term impact of forced adoption and establish projects to capture survivors' testimonies. The Government also committed to improving access to appropriate NHS health support, including mental health services, developing peer support networks, increasing awareness across public services and creating a lived experience reference group to monitor progress.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: "The pain carried by mothers, adopted children and their families who suffered this appalling injustice is unimaginable. They were cruelly denied irreplaceable moments, shared experiences and relationships which should have been theirs, and were made to feel ashamed.

"Today, on behalf of the British state, we say with one voice: this was wrong, and we are sorry. An apology cannot undo what happened, but it can be the start of real change, alongside providing the practical action, care and support that people need."

The Government acknowledged that successive administrations funded and relied upon systems that were inadequately overseen, with records in some cases being lost, altered or withheld from those seeking information about their past. While ministers stressed that today's adoption system is fundamentally different, with stronger legal safeguards and judicial oversight, they also recognised that some people experienced coercive practices beyond the period covered by the apology.

The announcement has been welcomed by adoption organisations while prompting calls for more comprehensive measures to address the continuing impact of historical forced adoptions.

Emily Frith, chief executive of Adoption UK, said: "Today's apology matters because it acknowledges a profound injustice that should never have happened. For decades, mothers were coerced into having their children taken for adoption, causing lifelong trauma for the women and adoptees who were separated, as well as for their wider families.

"But words alone are not enough. While today's investment in improved support is welcome, it is limited in scope and time. The Government now has a responsibility to match its apology with meaningful long-term action: a comprehensive programme of redress for everyone affected by historical forced adoption, alongside sustained investment in trauma-informed, lifelong support, and a commitment to continue to put the voice of adoptees at the centre of this discussion.

"An apology should not be the end of this story. It must be the beginning of justice, accountability and lasting change."

Adoption UK welcomed the Government's commitment to establish a lived experience group but said a permanent national adoptee advisory forum was also needed to ensure adoptees help shape future policy and lifelong support.

The charity also called for long-term investment in specialist counselling, therapeutic services and family tracing support, arguing that adoption remains a lifelong experience while many services continue to focus primarily on childhood.

Its Adoption Barometer 2026 found that only a quarter of adult adoptees were able to access appropriate adoptee-competent mental health support, while two-thirds said the cost of tracing birth relatives prevented them from reconnecting with family members.

The Government said it will monitor the effectiveness of the support package over time and keep the need for further research under review as it seeks to improve services for those living with the enduring consequences of historical forced adoption.