Mothers of forced adoption encouraged to apply for support

St David’s Children’s Society and Adoption UK on behalf of the National Adoption Service for Wales, are aiming to make more women aware of the support available to them if they had a birth child adopted before 1976 in Wales.

Between the 1940s and 1970s, many unmarried women were pressured into giving up their babies for adoption due to the societal and religious attitudes at the time. It’s estimated that 185,000 babies were affected across England and Wales. TheWelsh Government has since formally apologised for the tremendous, life-long heartbreak and distress this practice placed on mothers in particular.  

In 2023, following a formal apology by the Welsh Government, St David’s Children Society and Adoption UK launched the Pre-1976 Access to Record and Intermediary Service, to provide help for those who may have been affected, so that they can receive appropriate support if they wish.

The service does not automatically mean a reunion, and can be taken in a step-by-step way so that everyone feels comfortable with the amount of information they receive.

Anyone who had a child adopted in Wales before 1976 can apply. All contact will be handled sensitively, and individual support workers will help each person with their case.  

Corienne Strange, Head of Policy, Practice and Communication at the National Adoption Service for Wales said “ The overall goal of the service is to help people impacted by adoption before 1976 understand their history, and then support them as much as they need”.

Corienne said: “While many adoption cases that happened in the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s are well documented, many others were never made public. Social pressures and prevailing attitudes at the time contributed to mothers not disclosing their experiences and we believe this has continued for some who may also not have felt able to share with their families.

“Many mothers in particular will not have told anybody that they had a child placed for adoption and have possibly gone on to have other children and live lives without anyone ever finding out about the past. They may also have continued to struggle with the decisions that were made by, or for them, at the time, as most did not receive ongoing support afterwards. That’s why we are here, to help those affected, either directly, or through a family member.

“What that support looks like is different for everyone. For some, their goal may be to find their child who was adopted, and to make contact with them. For others, it’s just about finding information for will provide peace of mind.

“The important thing is that everyone who needs support can get it, and that’s why we’re so pleased that Age Cymru is helping us share this message. We’d encourage anyone affected, or anyone who knows someone who might be affected, to get in touch with us and see how we can help.”

For more information, or to speak to someone about getting support, you can call St David’s Children Society on 02920 667007, or go to https://stdavidschildrensociety.org/birth-parents-intermediary-service/.