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Feasibility study into family finding on the internet

Issued: 1 November 04

The British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF) is conducting a feasibility study into the advantages and disadvantages of featuring children waiting for adoptive families on the internet in order to help find new families for them. BAAF will then make a decision about whether or not to develop such a service.

BAAF chief executive, Felicity Collier, said 'Children in their teens who never found an adoptive family tell us that they wished their social workers had tried harder to find them a family. We believe it is our duty to investigate the benefits of new technology, given the wide accessibility of the general public to the internet.'

Experience of BAAF's monthly family-finding newspaper, Be My Parent, as well as some national newspapers, shows that featuring children's photographs and brief details brings forward many more prospective adopters. They can begin to imagine what it might be like adopting an older child or a child with difficulties when they see real faces. Many people go onto adopt children other than those they first saw.

When they are old enough to understand, children are asked their consent before being featured. They help their social worker to write themselves and the family they would like. BAAF has strict guidelines about using photographs - they must be less than 6 months old, must meet acceptable standards about dress and should be respectful. Although many children featured have particular difficulties, these are described in very general terms. Later, when enquirers are approved, they learn more about a child before making a decision to continue their interest in adopting that child.

Last year, 250 children featured in Be My Parent moved into families who identified them through the newspaper that is sent to subscribers and people who have expressed an interest. Some of the children may never have found permanent families otherwise and may have drifted in care - something that can have a devastating outcome on a child's future.

Even with the success of Be My Parent, no one comes forward for 1 in 4 children. A balance needs to be found between the risk to a child of growing up without a permanent and loving family, with the small risk that being featured in the media might compromise confidentiality, but the improved chance they have of finding a new family.

BAAF is sending out questionnaires to children in public care, adopted young people, social workers and 3,500 Be My Parent readers to find out what they think. An online questionnaire will gauge public opinion.

A review of UK and north American sites that feature children has found that some profiles are posed by models. Although this protects the child's identity, it can be misleading. Some of the information was also out of date. Most of the UK sites are not run by registered adoption agencies so enquirers have to be passed to the child's social worker, thus identifying the child's local authority area. As a registered adoption agency, BAAF can make intermediary arrangements for adoption by taking enquiries, giving information about adoption and, where appropriate, passing details to social workers, thus protecting confidentiality.

A web-based family-finding service would have the advantage that when enquiries are received about a child, their profile can be taken off the site, whereas a newspaper can be in circulation for many months.

The study is being advised by a group that includes adopted people, organisations representing birth parents who have lost their children to adoption, local authorities, children's rights officers, voluntary approved adoption agencies and IT specialists.

Ends

Contact:

Gabriella Brooks, Media Manager, 020 7593 2053 or 07767 444 589
Lucy Handford, Media Assistant, 020 7593 2054

Notes to editor