Mother and child reunion
From Sue Seabrook
Sir: In her article 'Mummy can't buy you
love' (4 September) on implementing the Adoption and Children Bill, Mary Kenny vividly depicts images of 'birth mothers' standing at the school gate seeking out the children they gave away — images drawn, she tells us, from no less a source than the classic children's television series Grange Hill. Fortunately for families involved with the reality of adoption, the changes being introduced are far removed from the world of children's television.
In fact the Bill gives birth relatives of adopted adults the right to request a confidential intermediary service to contact the adopted person. Contact is only then established with the consent of the adopted adult. Adopted adults can also request a similar service to contact their 'birth mothers' and families.
The Adoption Reunion Handbook (based on the Children's Society's research) suggests that reunions between adopted adults and their 'birth families' have a significant chance of success. Contrary to the figures quoted in the article, nearly 60 per cent are still in contact with each other after eight years. Perhaps just as significantly, 85 per cent of those who did conduct a search rated their experience as positive overall.
Grange Hi// has contributed much to our understanding of life in a comprehensive school. However, for those wanting to find out more about the reality of adoption and reunion, I would recommend reading the handbook.
Sue Seabrook
The Children's Society, London WC1
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