Black Adoption Project Launch

At the end of last year over 200 people attended online as Adopt London hosted the launch of the Black Adoption Project Report – the first of many webinars to share information on the findings of the Report and the progress of key initiative as we develop and grow.

Thank you to everyone who attended and for sharing professional and personal experiences that significantly contributed to the depth and richness of our reflections. Special thanks go to our distinguished guest speakers Dr Tam Cane, Senior Lecturer at the University of Sussex and Dr John Wainwright, Senior Lecturer in Health, Social Work and Sport at the University of Central Lancaster, for their invaluable insights.

The full report demonstrates our commitment to learning through different forms of research and looks at the experiences of Black prospective adoptive parents, Black adopted people and Black community perceptions of adoption. You can read the full report here, with just a few of the findings listed below.

• Black children with a plan for adoption are much less likely than other children to go on to be adopted mostly because suitable adoptive parents could not be found.
• Black children who are adopted wait much longer to move into their adoptive family.
• Black prospective adopters are more likely to leave during the assessment process and not go on to adopt a child.

The next webinar – Wednesday 28 February, 2pm – is an opportunity to hear first-hand about how Adopt London’s Black Adoption Project co-developed its Theory of Change and how the Project is taking a different approach to addressing the longstanding disparities for Black children and families in adoption. Please book your place to attend. 

What is the Black Adoption Project?

The Project aim is to create better futures for Black adopted children in London and ensures that every Black child who needs an adoptive family can have one.

This Project was born out of a commitment to address the stark disparities that exist within adoption for Black children and families. It aims to look beyond short-term solutions to understand and respond to the many complex factors that impact the adoption of Black children, and pinpoints where disparities are occurring. The project is a partnership between the four Adopt London Regional Adoption Agencies* (RAAs) and Laurelle Brown Training and Consultancy (LBTC), working in collaboration with people who have lived experience of Black adoption, and with Black communities in London.

Black Adoption Project – next steps

Subject to funding, the Black Adoption Project will embark on several co-developed pilot projects over the coming year. If you want to know more about these initiatives or details of our future webinars, please sign up to our mailing list here.

We are proactively seeking financial support to enable delivery of our plans, alongside building our community and stakeholder partnerships. We welcome discussion about any funding or partnership opportunities, suggestions, or ideas. Please do not hesitate to contact us and share such details with us.

Once again, thank you for your commitment to improving Black adoption outcomes. We look forward to your continued support as we move forward with our efforts to effect tangible change.