‘Keeping in touch’ is the new ‘contact’ for adoptive families

Most adoptive families and adopted people currently have contact with birth family members through letters on an annual basis.

However, research has shown that this isn’t enough.

Providing children with their birth history is invaluable, as they progress along their life journey.

Research from PAK-UK and The Big Consult 2023 showed that

• 90% of adopted people feel that adoption should be more open
• 76% of adopted people said that direct contact with birth parents should be standard practice

There are still lots of discussions about how this is going to be applied, however, adoption agencies are at the beginning of a National Culture Change across the UK.

So, how does this impact adoptive families?

Families currently ‘keeping in touch’, whether that be through letters or face-to-face with birth family members will continue to do so – you don’t need to change anything.

However, adoption agencies will be changing the language from ‘contact’ to ‘Keeping in Touch’ to reflect the culture change.

If you want more information on the research from PAK-UK, visit their website PAC-UK | PAC-UK ‘Big Consult’ findings reveal new insights into adoption experiences