Monday 28 September 2009

No children in the UK available for adoption

How many times have I heard prospective adoptive parents telling me that they have been told this? So many times. We don't have any children for you, we will not be able to match you with any children, there is no chance that we can find a child for you...
and yet the government no propose to spend £850000 arranging adoption parties because so many children are waiting in care for parents to come forward.
This last case today - can't or won't be matched because the couple is of two different races and there aren't any children that match their ethnic mix.
In todays world, in London the most multicultural city in the world - they would prefer to keep children in care then give them to a mixed race family.
This is institutional racism of the deepest kind and is costing the government thousands to keep them in care and the children the right to grow up in a loving and secure family environment. It is common sense children need families and there are families now who are available for these children but no for some outdate conventional wisdom it is not to be.
No one is disputing that there may be challenges to grow up in families where the parents do not look like you - but are they insurmountable? And the costs/challenges must be weighed up by a life time in care - we know what we would choose if we were a child given the option.

Friday 25 September 2009

Horrific reports about Irish Institutions

Listening to Radio 4 at the moment and the horrific stories of children who were placed in the institutions in Ireland and the dreadful abuse that they suffered. The Ryan Report outlines events in details. It is a disgrace - the whole complex system that was privy to what was going on behind the doors of those institutions to those little children and who did nothing. I feel such moral outrage - not only for these Irish children but to the whole attitude in this country as to 'it is better to keep children in institutions' then adopt them out to loving and secure families.
I can't listen anymore to the report it is too disheartening - but hopefully it will awaken the heardness in the hearts of the anti-adoption debate.