Stark decline in black children being adopted, research finds

Figures published by the government’s Racial Disparity Unit reveal that black children made up seven per cent of looked-after children but only two per cent of those adopted in the year to 31 March.

This is proportionally less than the under-18 population of adopted children from care, who make up five per cent.

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The "stark" racial disparity in adoption is outlined in the report, Ending Racial Disparity in Adoption, with figures showing that the number of black children adopted has fallen by fifty per cent in the past five years - from 120 - two per cent - in 2015, to 60 - one per cent - in 2020.

The percentage of black children who stopped being looked after because they were adopted has also halved – down from four per cent in 2015 to two per cent in 2020.

Further data, shared with the Department for Education, shows that in England and Wales children with ethnic minority backgrounds wait longer for adoption and black children wait 10 months longer for adoption than white children.

The Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board (ASGLB), who published the report a week after DfE decided to close the board at the end of the year, said that the data reveals that black children are overrepresented in the care system and they are the “least likely” to achieve the lifetime stability and permanency of a loving family through adoption.

Dr Krish Kandiah, chair of the ASGLB who led the racial disparity task group said: “It is unacceptable that the colour of a child’s skin should determine their opportunity of finding a family for life through adoption. I have seen first-hand the difference that adoption can make to a child’s wellbeing and life chances. There is a huge willingness across the sector and from Government to end racial disparity in adoption – I want to see this become a reality.”

Kandiah, who adopted a child from a mixed-race background, added: “I have made it my personal ambition to champion the outcomes of black children in care. I believe the statistics can and must be changed.”

A three-step plan to end racial disparity in adoption has been put forward by the board. It includes recruiting more black adopters to match with black children; rebuilding the trust between black communities and social workers and better resourcing of interracial adoption materials and support.