Widening Access to the Adoption Support Fund: A Call To Action
By Charlie Rees
Introduction
Ian Sparks, the former chief executive of the Children’s Society said that “Adoption is a lifelong process”. An adopted child remains an adoptee for their entire life. It is a process that characterises the identity and social and mental development of a person. Beyond the work of charities and voluntary organisations, support in any form for adult adoptees in the UK is limited. Psychological support for child adoptees comes from the Adoption and Special Guardian Support Fund (ASGSF). Support from this fund is only extended to adoptees up to the age of 21, or 25 if they are in full time education. This article makes the case that psychological support should be extended to adoptees of all ages.
Understanding the Adoption Support Fund
The Adoption and Special Guardian Support Fund (ASGSF) provides funding to local authorities and regional adoption agencies in order to pay for essential psychological support to adoptees. The Adoption Support Fund (ASF) was established in 2015 in order to improve access to therapy, counselling and other psychological support for adoptees. Adopted children up to the age of 21 years old are eligible for funding through the ASF. The support is extended to adoptees up to the age of 25 years if they are in receipt of an Educational Health Care Plan. Through the ASF, adoptees that meet the requirements are eligible for up to £5000 of funding per year which can help them access services such as attachment focussed therapy and other forms of psychotherapy. The support provided to adopted children is extensive. Unfortunately, the support provided through the adoption support fund is not afforded to adult adoptees meaning that adult adoptees are largely excluded from state-funded mental health support.
The Challenges of Adoption for Children and Adults
The social development and psychological well-being of adopted children can be impacted by the process of adoption. Adopted children are more likely than non-adopted children to have learning disabilities and mental health problems. Adopted children are liable to experience feelings of anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These mental health problems normally continue into teenagehood and adolescence. A recent report found that 64 percent of adoptees aged 16 had sought help with their mental health. The requirement for adopted children’s access to mental health support is clear.
Psychological problems and other challenges stay with adoptees through the transition into adulthood. Developmental problems, stemming from adoption trauma and mental health difficulties are common among young-adult adoptees. Over a quarter of 16-25 year old adoptees were not in education, training or employment in 2020. Another recent study found that adoptees completing the transition from adoption or foster care to adulthood were at increased risk of homelessness. The study found that up to 46 percent of participants had experienced homelessness at one point in time. Care-leavers and adult adoptees are more likely to be in prison than non-adoptees. 25 percent of the adult prison population have been either adopted or in care. Inexplicably, the number of transitional challenges which face young-adult adoptees are accompanied by a reduction in support. The charity Adoption UK describes how young adult adoptees begin to fall through the cracks of psychological support and other support services. Nearly three quarters of parents to adopted young-adults said that their child’s support either reduced or stopped when they were no longer children.
Adoptees that have completed the transition into adulthood are also found to face many unique challenges. Evidence suggests that psychological problems for adoptees persist into adulthood. One study found that the psychological adjustment of adult adoptees is less favourable than non-adoptees and that they encounter mental health problems such as depression and anxiety at increased rates. In tracing the long-term effects of adoption, the Adult Adoptee Movement found that adult adoptees are at much higher risk for substance abuse and addiction issues.
The challenges faced by adult adoptees are clear; adult adoptees are more likely than non-adoptees to be homeless, incarcerated to encounter substance abuse issues and to suffer from mental health problems. Support services for adoptees are specifically focussed around adopted children. Once adoptees begin the transition from teenagehood to adulthood, they begin to fall through the net of social provision. Services aiding adoptees in this transition, and services specifically targeted at adult adoptees are woefully lacking.
What are the benefits of extending support services?
The adoption support fund has worked to significantly improve the mental health outcomes of adopted children in receipt of therapy and counselling through the programme. 84 percent of parents believed the programme had helped their children. It is clear from this research that psychological support in the form of counselling and therapy is an essential service for adoptees to overcome the trauma and negative emotions that they may experience as a result of their adoption journey. In the face of this evidence, it is unreasonable to exclude adult adoptees from support with such positive potential.
There are clear benefits of the adoption support fund in child adoptees. The benefits of therapy and counselling have also been observed in adult adoptees. Like adolescent adoptees, adult adoptees display improved confidence, healthier personal relationships and positive outcomes for a range of mental health problems as a result of counselling and therapy.
The adoption experience may be wholly positive for some adoptees. It is important to remember that adoption is an individual experience and many adult adoptees experience mental health difficulties as a hangover from their adoptions. The point at which adoptees may experience negative emotions relating to their adoption is variable and support should be available to adoptees regardless of their age.
One anonymous adoptee and therapist advocated for psychological services to be widened, allowing adult adoptees to access support stating that “I believe within the adult adoptee is a baby adoptee and, until the baby adoptee`s traumatic experiences have been acknowledged by an appropriate therapist, ideally another adoptee who has worked on themselves therapeutically, the baby adoptee is stuck”. This account is representative of how many adult adoptees in the UK may feel. Negative emotions regarding adoption can resurface at any point and the regulations around the adoption support fund should reflect this.
The current regulations around the adoption support fund deny state-funding to adult adoptees, simply because of their age. Despite the expectations ingrained in the law, adult adoptees cannot mentally develop beyond trauma and mental health problems of their own accord. Emotional issues relating to the adoption process can resurface anytime and adult adoptees should be afforded equal access to emotional support services.
Late Discovery Adoptees
Late discovery adoptees are a unique demographic and one which calls the restrictions of the adoption support fund further into question. A late discovery adoptee is an adult who was denied knowledge of their adoption before adulthood. The levels of deception and secrecy which surround late discovery adoptions compound the negative emotions and mental health problems that regular adoptees may experience. By definition, late discovery adoptees are adults at the point they uncover their adoption history. Because of this, they are excluded from the adoption support fund and any state-funded psychological support. At the same time, late discovery adoptees experience some of the most severe emotional issues regarding adoption because of the way their adoptions were conducted. The example of late discovery adoption shows another flaw in the current regulations.
A Call To Action
The statistical evidence shows that adult adoptees are impeded in many spheres of their lives. Adult adoptees are more likely to be homeless, experience drug and alcohol addiction and to suffer from mental health problems. Adult adoptees have a right to psychological support throughout their lives and it is important that the regulations which limit the access of adoptees over the age of 18, in most cases, are re-evaluated. Adoptees of all ages respond positively to therapy and counselling which allows them to work through negative emotions that they may experience as a result of adoption. Continued access to the adoption support fund is an investment in the wellbeing of adoptees and of society as a whole. Policy makers must recognise the need for continued access to this support and should change the regulations accordingly.