Historical Forced Adoption

Education Committee Open Non-inquiry session
Opened: 2 Jun 2026 Parliament page
In July 2022, the Joint Committee on Human Rights (the JCHR) published its report The Violation of Family Life: Adoption of Children of Unmarried Women 1949–1976 which examined the adoption practices in England and Wales during that time. In its report, the JCHR made a series of recommendations, including on … Read more
19 Recommendations
4 Conclusions
1 Report
2 Oral sessions
9 Letters
2 Events
Activity timeline 13 events
14 Jul
2026
Correspondence
9 Jul
2026
Report published
2 Jul
2026
Correspondence
10 Jun
2026
Correspondence
9 Jun
2026
Correspondence
29 Apr
2026
Correspondence
27 Mar
2026
Report published
24 Mar
2026
Correspondence
24 Mar
2026
Correspondence
24 Mar
2026
Correspondence
10 Mar
2026
Oral evidence
24 Feb
2026
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 2 sessions
10 Mar 2026
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Historical Forced Adoption
Ann Lloyd Keen · Movement for an Adoption Apology Debbie Iromlou · Adult Adoptee Movement Diana Defries · Movement for an Adoption Apology Josh MacAlister MP · Department for Education Sally Ells · Adult Adoptee Movement
24 Feb 2026
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Historical Forced Adoption
Brenda Farrell · Barnardo's Colonel Peter Forrest · The Salvation Army UK and Ireland Dr James Gallen · Dublin City University Dr Janet Greenlees · Glasgow Caledonian University Dr Michael Lambert · Lancaster University Emily Frith · Adoption UK Emma Crowther-Duncan · PAC-UK Professor Gordon Harold · University of Cambridge
Title HC No. Published Items Response
8th Report - Historical Forced Adoption HC 1713 27 Mar 2026 23 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
6 results
Clear
14 Recommendation Accepted in Part
8th Report - Historical Forced Ado…
The Government must listen to and engage with survivors of forced adoption practices.
The Government must listen to and engage with survivors of forced adoption practices. The Government should commit to a survivor engagement strategy that guarantees regular consultation and clear lines of accountability, both in the short term as the Government works … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts the principle, stating it has already undertaken and will continue structured engagement. It commits to maintaining ongoing dialogue, co-developing communications and guidance, and considering mechanisms for accountability.
Department for Education
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17 Recommendation Accepted in Part
8th Report - Historical Forced Ado…
The Government must take steps to ensure that all affected individuals receive timely, consistent and...
The Government must take steps to ensure that all affected individuals receive timely, consistent and transparent access to adoption records. This obligation should be underpinned by clear statutory duties requiring every record-holding body to maintain accurate records and meet nationally … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts, committing to support a national platform for locating adoption records and strengthening expectations on record-holding bodies through endorsing best practice. They will review progress before considering further regulatory or legislative steps.
Department for Education
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20 Recommendation Accepted in Part
8th Report - Historical Forced Ado…
The Government must introduce a nationally funded and regulated intermediary service to ensure that all...
The Government must introduce a nationally funded and regulated intermediary service to ensure that all adoptees and birth relatives have access to skilled, trauma-informed professionals who can support them in navigating contact, reunion, or information-sharing processes safely and sensitively. As … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts, committing to expand access to funded intermediary services for historical cases and support national virtual peer-support groups, but does not address the regulation of ancestry tracing sites.
Department for Education
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21 Recommendation Accepted in Part
8th Report - Historical Forced Ado…
The Government must introduce a dedicated, trauma-informed health pathway for all those affected by historical...
The Government must introduce a dedicated, trauma-informed health pathway for all those affected by historical forced adoption. This should include improved access to specialist psychological support for birth mothers and adult adoptees, national clinical guidance recognising the heightened prevalence of … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts, committing to strengthen access to trauma-informed care through existing NHS pathways by co-producing materials, improving clinician awareness, and enhancing signposting. They do not commit to a dedicated new health pathway.
Department for Education
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22 Recommendation Accepted in Part
8th Report - Historical Forced Ado…
Adult adoptees told us that one of the harms they experienced was the loss of...
Adult adoptees told us that one of the harms they experienced was the loss of their health records. The Government should introduce an adoption marker on health records so that requests for medical history can be sensitively handled and additional … Read more
Government Response
The government accepts in principle, committing that NHS England will explore how patients can have their forced adoption experience recorded in health records. This includes improving clinician responses, providing clearer guidance on screening, and enhancing understanding of adoption-related needs.
Department for Education
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23 Recommendation Accepted in Part
8th Report - Historical Forced Ado…
The Government should commission and fund independent research into historical forced adoption, including quantitative and...
The Government should commission and fund independent research into historical forced adoption, including quantitative and qualitative studies on outcomes and on best practice for support interventions, to build a comprehensive evidence base that informs future policy decisions and improves support … Read more
Government Response
The government partially accepts, committing to commission a testimonials project and improve how relevant information is recorded within existing systems to build an evidence base. It will take a phased approach to further research, keeping the need for large-scale studies under review.
Department for Education
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Government Response AI assessment · 23 of 19 classified
Accepted 13
Accepted in Part 6
Acknowledged 4
Total 19 recs + 4 conclusions
Correspondence 9 letters
14 Jul 2026 To committee Letter from Chair to Secretary of State on the Historical Forced Adoption Apology dated 14.07.26
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2 Jul 2026 Government Response to Historical Forced Adoption, dated 02.07.26
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10 Jun 2026 Correspondence with Secretary of State on Historical Forced Adoption dated 10.06.26
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9 Jun 2026 To committee Letter from Barnardo's on Historical forced adoptions dated 29.06.26
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29 Apr 2026 Correspondence with Secretary of State on Historical Forced Adoptions dated 28.04.26 and 29.04.26
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24 Mar 2026 To committee Letter from Barnardos on Historical Forced Adoption, dated 04.06.26
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24 Mar 2026 To committee Letter from The Salvation Army on Historical Forced Adoption, dated 12.06.26
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24 Mar 2026 To committee Letter from The Salvation Army on Historical Forced Adoption, dated 05.06.26
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24 Feb 2026 To committee Letter from Natalie Don-Innes MSP, Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise on Historical Forced Adoption, dated 19.02.26
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