Black History Month 2025

Belonging and identity: Black Adoption in London

Adoption has always been more than finding a home for children – it’s about giving children a sense of love, belonging, and identity. For Black children in London, that journey has sometimes been complicated by history. In the past, many children were placed with families who didn’t always understand their culture or heritage and often these children could feel a loss of connection to their roots.

Celebrating identity

Over the years, things have changed. There is now widespread recognition that a child’s background—language, faith, and culture are important. Adopt London work hard to find prospective adoptive parents within the Black community and to support families in raising children with pride in who they are. Projects like the Black Adoption Project are helping more children grow up surrounded by people who understand their culture and who can promote and celebrate their identity.

Our aim is for all Black children in adoptive families to have access to their traditions, their communities, and their history. That they grow up knowing they can be proud of their heritage, while also feeling secure in their future.

This year’s Black History Month theme ‘Standing Firm in Power and Pride’ is a reminder that adoption is not just about yesterday’s struggles, but about today’s victories. Each child who finds a family that celebrates their identity is a powerful story of resilience and love. The legacy of Black adoption in London is one of hope: children who once risked losing their culture are today growing up with the tools to carry it forward with pride.

The Black Adoption Project is working on supporting Black adopted young people by giving them a safe space to explore their identity. Young people asked for quality time with other Black adopted young people, so by working with Black history experts, parents and professionals including a psychotherapist, we are creating a relaxed, fun and creative space that evokes pride and builds on their identity.

For news and updates on this and other pilots, join the Black Adoption Project mailing list as we create better futures for Black adopted children in London.