ADOPTION POLICY: INSTITUTIONALIZING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM?

In the report of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, ‘institutional racism’ was defined as

“the collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture or ethnic origin.  It can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic people.”

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ADOPTION: SIMPLISTIC SOLUTIONS?

The complexity of adoption is again in the news – although the process is being presented as a simple exercise that only takes a lot of time because of “politically correct” (and therefore incompetent) social workers.

Figures are thrown around without explanations of the context.  For instance, “3600 children under the age of one were in care last year” ^a  with no explanation of the proportion of those babies who were actually available for adoption – in contrast to those in temporary care arrangements, whose parent(s) may not have released them for adoption, who may have complex disabilities requiring particular family circumstances, or who may be part of family groups including older children.   One press report compared the number of adoptions in 2010 with the numbers from the years before the full impact of changes in the abortion legislation reduced the number of babies who were given up at birth. ^b

IMPORTANCE OF RACE AND ETHNICITY IN ADOPTION OF BLACK CHILDREN

In a discussion of adoption on Radio 4’s Today programme last year, Dr Derrick Campbell, Chief Executive of Race Equality Sandwell, stressed the importance of considerations of heritage and culture when black children are being adopted.

Ben Douglas, a black man adopted by a white family, was dismissive