Perlita Harris

Adoption Reunion Services in British Columbia

Five years have passed since an adoption reunion registry was finally established in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Perlita Harris, a former counsellor with this ‘active’ registry, examines the findings of a recent study evaluating its practice. She also highlights some of the key issues that are important for consideration in the development of services in Britain.

User Views and Experiences of Post-Adoption Services: A Study of a Regional Post-Adoption Agency:

While there has been a growing awareness of the need for post-adoption services for all those personally affected by adoption, little is known about the views and experiences of those who make use of them. The findings here, reported by Perlita Harris, derive from a collaborative study by the University of Warwick and the West Midlands Post Adoption Service (WMPAS), undertaken as a doctoral research project. The aim of the study was to centralise the views of users of WMPAS. The analysis revealed that nearly all service users had approached other people and places for help prior to contacting WMPAS, that most evaluated WMPAS services highly and that, for the majority, receiving a service had in many ways made a positive difference to their lives. Implications for the provision of post-adoption services are discussed, together with some of the studys recommendations. In particular, the latter address publicity, the development of new services and increasing accessibility.

Meeting the adoption support needs of adopted adults who have been abused in their adoptive family: lessons from historical placements

This article focuses on a group whose voice is rarely heard: adopted adults who have been abused or neglected within their adoptive family. The findings are drawn from a larger study of post-adoption services and suggest that the abuse and neglect of children by adoptive family members may be more common historically than has been hitherto acknowledged. The article considers this finding in the context of the changes that have occurred in adoption legislation, policy and practice since these adults were placed. It highlights barriers to effective support for abused adopted adults and discusses their support needs. By looking at one aspect of what can go wrong in adoptions – abuse and neglect perpetrated by adoptive family members – it is argued that appropriate support will not be forthcoming unless we are truly hearing what people want. Suggestions are made regarding the development of support services for abused adopted adults and their birth parents and opportunities for adopted children to disclose maltreatment.

Serious case reviews: The lived experience of Black children

Despite the many high‐profile Black child deaths in England, race as a factor remains a largely underexplored factor of serious case reviews (SCRs). Evidence from analysis of SCRs indicates that race receives limited attention, or is virtually absent. Given that the main function of SCRs is to provide opportunities for learning lessons to improve practice, the way in which issues of race and culture may influence child protection processes for Black children is therefore of critical importance. In this article, we employ content analysis to examine the extent that race and cultural factors are considered in SCRs involving Black children. It is argued that race is often an important factor influencing Black childrens experiences of abuse and neglect, as well as their encounters in the child protection system. This article therefore poses two key questions: (a) What questions are asked about race, ethnicity, and culture in SCRs concerning Black children? (b) How did the SCRs extract lessons to be learnt for improving practice to safeguard Black children? By extending the analysis of race and ethnicity in SCRs, this article furthers our understandings of the needs of Black children in the child protection system.

‘I started to feel not ashamed of who I was’: transracially adopted adults and adoption support

Transracially adopted adults are largely invisible as users of adoption support services in England and their voices are rarely heard in discussions about appropriate provision. This article reports findings from interviews with transracially adopted adults and transracially adopted adult participants at a lesbian, gay and bisexual focus group, carried out as part of a mixed-method study of service users’ views and experiences of post-adoption services delivered by an independent agency. The article opens by outlining the policy context and what is known from existing research about the experiences of domestic transracially adopted adults. It then considers the experiences of 12 adults receiving support services. Drawing on their own words, it describes the difference that adoption support services can make, before highlighting gaps in existing provision and identifying the support needs specific to this group.

'Intercountry Adoption: Policies, practices and outcomes' by Judith L. Gibbons and Karen Smith (eds)

Drawing on scholars from a range of disciplines and countries, this book provides a comprehensive overview of current debates, policies, practices and outcomes related to intercountry adoption (ICA) in different parts of the world. There are five sections: Policy and Regulations; Sending Country Perspectives; Outcomes for Intercountry Adoptees; The Debate; and Pragmatists: Improving the process.