Press releases

BAAF reveals damage caused to thousands of children in care

Issued: 07 November 2005

• BAAF launches billboard campaign to highlight lack of stability for thousands of children in public care
• At the start of National Adoption Week, the charity appeals for more people to come forward to adopt children waiting too long for a permanent home

BAAF today launches National Adoption Week with a billboard campaign illustrating the damage children suffer when they do not have a loving and permanent family.

The billboards, to be unveiled today in London, Manchester, Cardiff and Glasgow, will read: “This poster has no permanent home. Like thousands of kids in care, this poster will be moved again tomorrow.” As the billboards are moved from place to place, they will become increasingly damaged – mirroring the harm caused to children moved too many times.

Felicity Collier, BAAF Chief Executive, says:

“Many children in public care have suffered abuse or neglect and all are in desperate need of stability. Yet many, for whom adoption is the plan, may never find a ‘forever family’ because of a lack of adoptive parents – particularly for older children, children from black and minority ethnic backgrounds and groups of brothers and sisters. Other children will move from one foster placement to another because of a huge shortfall in foster carers across the UK.

“We are especially worried about babies – 12 per cent of infants in England under two moved three or more times in the last year. This is a shocking figure. There is evidence that a traumatic change like moving to live with a stranger you don't recognise can cause damage which may be irreversible to a baby’s developing brain. Some of these children may never be able to trust adults, make friends, do well at school or parent their own children. The waste of potential is appalling.”

She adds: “There is an overwhelming need to reduce the number of moves these children experience. More placements must be found where infants do not have to move again if they cannot return safely home.”

Samantha Block, 22, from Kent, experienced more than 20 moves during 13 years in care. She attended over 10 schools. She says: “You don’t get the chance to be a normal child if you’re constantly moving around. It becomes harder and harder to make friends and in the end you don’t see the point because you know you’ll be moving on again soon. My behaviour got worse and worse and then placements broke down more easily. I wish I’d had one family who could have helped me through my problems - it would have made all the difference.”

The charity is calling on more Local Authorities to set up concurrent planning schemes, where foster carers are also approved as adopters and are supported to care for children while efforts are made to help them go home. If this is not possible, the foster carers can adopt the child, thereby minimising disruption for that child.

The charity says no baby in public care should have more than two changes of carer in its first year of life (outside their birth family). Local Authorities should publish annual statistics about how many times infants under two are moved and reasons for any moves.

Throughout National Adoption Week (7-13 November) BAAF will be calling on people to come forward to find out more about the 4,000 children waiting in care for a permanent and loving home.

Notes to Editors

1. Statistics:
• There are 78,900 children in public care in the UK
• Up to 4,000 children across the UK are waiting for adoptive families
• 49,000 in the UK are living with foster carers
• About 37% of children for whom adoption is the plan are not adopted, primarily due to a lack of adopters
• Around 50% of children in public care have experienced abuse and neglect
• 46% of young women and 59% of young men are leaving care with no educational qualifications
2. England statistics:
• 13% of looked after children will experience three or more placements in the course of one year
• 12% of looked after children under 2 (640 of them) will experience three or more placements in the course of one year
• 16% of children over 10 will experience three or more placements in the course of one year
3. To find out more about adopting a child, call the National Adoption Week information line on 08450 560120 or visit www.nationaladoptionweek.org.uk