• Publish Your article
  • Editorial Policy
  • Contact
  • Advertise
Friday, August 1, 2025
No Result
View All Result
UK Herald
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Sports
    England rugby stadium Twickenham given new name after more than 100 years in shock new deal

    England rugby stadium Twickenham given new name after more than 100 years in shock new deal

    Peter Morgan dead at 65: Former Wales and Lions rugby star who became a politician passes away as club pays tribute

    Peter Morgan dead at 65: Former Wales and Lions rugby star who became a politician passes away as club pays tribute

    Horse racing tips: Unexposed Group 1 contender can stun the big guns at 14-1

    Horse racing tips: Unexposed Group 1 contender can stun the big guns at 14-1

    Woman ‘raped seven times by two French rugby stars who left her riddled with bite marks & with horror injuries’

    Woman ‘raped seven times by two French rugby stars who left her riddled with bite marks & with horror injuries’

    Horse racing tips: Gary Moore’s charge can gain revenge after falling last time out

    Horse racing tips: Gary Moore’s charge can gain revenge after falling last time out

    Ian Buckett dead at 56: Former Wales rugby star who was ‘admired and feared equally’ dies as tributes pour in

    Ian Buckett dead at 56: Former Wales rugby star who was ‘admired and feared equally’ dies as tributes pour in

    Horse racing tips: Bash the bookies with these longshots including 9-1 fancy

    Horse racing tips: Bash the bookies with these longshots including 9-1 fancy

    Shayne Philpott dead at 58 – New Zealand All Blacks rugby legend dies after suffering ‘medical event’

    Shayne Philpott dead at 58 – New Zealand All Blacks rugby legend dies after suffering ‘medical event’

    Horse racing tips: This 7-1 chance appears to have been laid out for race he won last year

    Horse racing tips: This 7-1 chance appears to have been laid out for race he won last year

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • food
    • Health
    • Travel
    Wizz Air launches 5 new Spanish routes from the UK – but not everyone is happy

    Wizz Air launches 5 new Spanish routes from the UK – but not everyone is happy

    I flew 4,600 miles to a Jamaican resort that offers more than just ‘fly and flop’

    I flew 4,600 miles to a Jamaican resort that offers more than just ‘fly and flop’

    I was Jet2 and Virgin cabin crew – here’s 3 ‘secret’ European destinations

    I was Jet2 and Virgin cabin crew – here’s 3 ‘secret’ European destinations

    British airport announces ‘major redesign’ including new restaurants and runway views 

    British airport announces ‘major redesign’ including new restaurants and runway views 

    ‘Like the Caribbean’: Ibiza’s quiet little sister with lunar beaches and turquoise oceans 

    ‘Like the Caribbean’: Ibiza’s quiet little sister with lunar beaches and turquoise oceans 

    This street in Europe is just 50cm wide and has traffic lights so tourists don’t get stuck

    This street in Europe is just 50cm wide and has traffic lights so tourists don’t get stuck

    My holiday breakfast buffet hack is controversial but it’s a money saver

    My holiday breakfast buffet hack is controversial but it’s a money saver

    UK company launches £5,000 sex cruise — these are the rules passengers must follow

    UK company launches £5,000 sex cruise — these are the rules passengers must follow

    Ryanair calls for ‘urgent’ reform as French air strikes stretch to four days 

    Ryanair calls for ‘urgent’ reform as French air strikes stretch to four days 

    Is it safe to travel to Crete? Latest tourist advice amid wildfire evacuations

    Is it safe to travel to Crete? Latest tourist advice amid wildfire evacuations

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Health
  • Opinion
  • Science
  • Tech
  • Crypto
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Sports
  • More
    • Press Release
UK Herald
No Result
View All Result

Tom Gordon: ‘Adoption breakdown in the UK is a silent crisis demanding urgent reform’

by Justin Marsh
April 9, 2025
0
0
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterReddit


Adoption is often viewed as the happy ending in a child’s journey through trauma and instability, but for many families across the UK, it marks the beginning of a far more complex and challenging chapter. The issue of adoption breakdown — when adopted children leave the family home prematurely — is a crisis that continues to grow, largely hidden from public view and governmental action.

While adoption is intended to offer children a stable, loving home, the reality for many is far more difficult. Once the legal adoption order is signed, families often find themselves alone, navigating a complex web of trauma, behavioural challenges, and inadequate support.

Since being elected, I’ve spoken to parents in my constituency and beyond who share the same story: exhaustion, isolation and a sense of abandonment by the very system meant to support them.

In recent weeks, uncertainty over the future of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) for 2025/26 has only added to their stress. The adjournment debate I led last week on the issue of adoption breakdown could not have come at a more critical time.

What is undeniably clear is that post-adoption support in this country is falling short. Accessing services is an uphill battle — families often wait months for help, by which point situations have already escalated. The ASGSF, while a crucial lifeline, is stretched thin. Its limited scope, strict eligibility criteria, and precarious year-by-year renewal make it unreliable at best. For families already at breaking point, that instability can be the tipping point. That is why the fund must be made permanent and reliably accessible — before crisis hits.

The need for better support systems is overwhelming. Adopted children often come from deeply traumatic backgrounds, and the impact of that trauma is long-lasting. According to Adoption UK, 70% of adoptive families report significant emotional and mental health needs in their children. Conditions like foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, ADHD, PTSD, and attachment issues are common, and their manifestations can be severe. These realities underscore just how essential the ASGSF is – and how many families urgently depend on it.

This is all happening in the absence of up-to-date, reliable data. The last government study into adoption disruption was in 2014, estimating breakdown rates between 2% and 9%. Local authorities and regional adoption agencies record cases inconsistently, leading to serious discrepancies. For example, while national averages suggest 0.2 breakdowns per constituency annually, my local authority reported three in my constituency in one year. Without accurate, up-to-date data and a true understanding of the scale of the problem, targeted policies are impossible to implement, and families will only continue to fall through the cracks.

The personal stories that have been shared with me highlight the deeply human cost of a system that isn’t working. One mother told me how her son, after surviving horrific abuse, became violent and unmanageable. Instead of receiving the help they so desperately needed, the family was left to cope alone – until things reached a breaking point and the adoption collapsed. Another family spent ten years together before the pressures of adolescence, trauma, and inadequate school support pushed them past breaking point. Both children returned to care and both parents suffered breakdowns. Despite everything the two families gave, the system failed them.

Tragically, there’s a culture of blame rather than support – where adoptive parents are too often held accountable for challenges far beyond their control. Many have told me they were never fully informed about the extent of their child’s needs. When those needs later surface as complex or difficult behaviours, instead of receiving support, they are met with criticism and suspicion. Advocacy group PATCH has highlighted a troubling trend: local authorities shifting blame onto parents, rather than recognising the trauma driving a child’s struggles.

Adoptive families are not asking for miracles. They are asking for the system to work with them, not against them. They have taken on one of the most selfless and challenging roles in society — offering love and stability to children who have already suffered too much. In return, they deserve support they can rely on — not endless bureaucracy, judgement, or silence.

There is a long road ahead, but change must start now. The government must commit to making the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund permanent, introduce a national statutory post-adoption support policy, and urgently begin collecting accurate, up-to-date data on adoption breakdowns to guide future policy improvements.

Behind every statistic is a real child, and a real family doing their best to heal wounds that others inflicted. As a society, we owe them more than just gratitude — we owe them action. It is time for the government to listen, to learn and to act.

Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.

The post Tom Gordon: ‘Adoption breakdown in the UK is a silent crisis demanding urgent reform’ appeared first on Politics.co.uk.



Source link

Related Posts

Nigel Farage ‘on the side of predators’ with Online Safety Act criticism, says Labour

Nigel Farage ‘on the side of predators’ with Online Safety Act criticism, says Labour

by Justin Marsh
July 30, 2025
0

Nigel Farage is “on the side” of predators like Jimmy Savile with his criticism of the Online Safety Act, the technology secretary has suggested.  Peter Kyle, the secretary of state for science,...

Michael Gove awarded peerage in Sunak’s resignation resignation honours list

Lord Alton: ‘Peers have a duty to scrutinise the flawed assisted suicide bill’

by Justin Marsh
July 26, 2025
0

Throughout my time in parliament, first in the House of Commons, and now in the House of Lords, assisted suicide has been a subject of serious and sustained debate. My views are well known,...

Ben Goldsborough: ‘Reform’s prison plan is a sick joke – and criminals are the ones laughing’

Ben Goldsborough: ‘Reform’s prison plan is a sick joke – and criminals are the ones laughing’

by Justin Marsh
July 24, 2025
0

If you think Reform UK are the hard-men of law and order, think again. Behind the tough-guy act is a soft-touch scam that would be funny — if it weren’t so dangerous....

‘Deluded’: Conservatives condemned after strategist says party has ‘done the apologies’

‘Deluded’: Conservatives condemned after strategist says party has ‘done the apologies’

by Justin Marsh
July 22, 2025
0

The Conservatives stand accused of being “completely deluded” after the party’s strategy chief claimed they have “done the apologies”. Baroness Maclean, one of Kemi Badenoch’s closest political allies, told supporters that the...

Keir Starmer could learn to fear a left insurgency

Keir Starmer could learn to fear a left insurgency

by Justin Marsh
July 20, 2025
0

The prevailing narrative of Keir Starmer’s first year in office, which critically coloured his inaugural anniversary as PM last week, is one of a leader besieged by the “insurgent right”. Nigel Farage’s...

MPs to vote on making Premier League games free-to-air

MPs to vote on making Premier League games free-to-air

by Justin Marsh
July 18, 2025
0

MPs are set to vote on a landmark amendment that would require at least ten Premier League matches to be broadcast on free-to-air television each season. In the first-ever vote of its...

Next Post
🤖 Bluerock-Wealth.com & The Rise of AI in Capital Markets

🤖 Bluerock-Wealth.com & The Rise of AI in Capital Markets

Popular News

David McCann appointed editor of Times and Sunday Times in Scotland

David McCann appointed editor of Times and Sunday Times in Scotland

July 31, 2025
India again creates history in space: the mission of ISRO-NASA 'Nisar' launches, keeping an eye on Earth

India again creates history in space: the mission of ISRO-NASA 'Nisar' launches, keeping an eye on Earth

July 30, 2025
Nigel Farage ‘on the side of predators’ with Online Safety Act criticism, says Labour

Nigel Farage ‘on the side of predators’ with Online Safety Act criticism, says Labour

July 30, 2025
Zoopla and vauxhall team up to find homes with ev charging

Zoopla and vauxhall team up to find homes with ev charging

July 30, 2025
Wizz Air launches 5 new Spanish routes from the UK – but not everyone is happy

Wizz Air launches 5 new Spanish routes from the UK – but not everyone is happy

July 30, 2025
I flew 4,600 miles to a Jamaican resort that offers more than just ‘fly and flop’

I flew 4,600 miles to a Jamaican resort that offers more than just ‘fly and flop’

July 27, 2025
Nisar Mission to be launched on July 30: to scan the entire earth in 12 days

Nisar Mission to be launched on July 30: to scan the entire earth in 12 days

July 26, 2025
UK Herald

All Rights Reserved © UK HERALD - The Voice of UK

Important Links

  • Publish Your article
  • Editorial Policy
  • Contact
  • Advertise

...

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Politics
  • UK News
  • Business
  • Science
  • National
  • Entertainment
  • Gaming
  • Sports
  • Fashion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Health
  • Food

All Rights Reserved © UK HERALD - The Voice of UK