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Care-leavers and their children placed for adoption

Author

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  • Roberts, Louise
  • Meakings, Sarah
  • Forrester, Donald
  • Smith, Audra
  • Shelton, Katherine

Abstract

Young people in and leaving state care are more likely than the general population to become parents at a young age. Relatively little is known about the experiences and progress of care leaver parents and their children, but emerging evidence suggests an increased risk of intergenerational state intervention. Drawing on data from the Wales Adoption Study, this paper examines the prevalence and profiles of care leavers amongst birth parents whose children were placed for adoption. Findings showed that more than a quarter (27%) of birth mothers and a fifth (19%) of birth fathers with children placed for adoption were themselves care leavers. There were no significant differences between care leaver and non-care leaver birth parents in terms of involvement in crime or substance misuse, but carer leaver birth parents were distinguishable from other birth parents by their own experiences of abuse and neglect. Care leaver birth mothers were also more likely than their non-care leaver counterparts to have diagnosed mental health problems and were less likely to appeal the adoption plan. The profiles of children placed for adoption between care leaver and non-care leaver birth parents were similar. The findings presented in this paper strengthen the moral imperative to address the over-representation of care leavers amongst birth parents whose children are placed for adoption. There is an urgent need to revise how children and young people in state care are prepared for parenthood and supported as parents.

Suggested Citation

  • Roberts, Louise & Meakings, Sarah & Forrester, Donald & Smith, Audra & Shelton, Katherine, 2017. "Care-leavers and their children placed for adoption," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 355-361.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:79:y:2017:i:c:p:355-361
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.06.030
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Matta Oshima, Karen M. & Narendorf, Sarah Carter & McMillen, J. Curtis, 2013. "Pregnancy risk among older youth transitioning out of foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(10), pages 1760-1765.
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    Cited by:

    1. McDougall, Stewart & Moore, Tim & Cox, Sarah & Arney, Fiona, 2023. "Parenting aspirations of Australian young people who have experienced adversity: “I’ll work on everything else before working on having a kid”," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    2. Shirley Lewis & Geraldine Brady, 2018. "Parenting under Adversity: Birth Parents’ Accounts of Inequality and Adoption," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(12), pages 1-14, December.
    3. Roberts, Louise & Maxwell, Nina & Elliott, Martin, 2019. "When young people in and leaving state care become parents: What happens and why?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 1-1.
    4. Sam Parsons & Ingrid Schoon, 2021. "Descriptive profile of mothers by their experience of out-of-home care in childhood: evidence from the UK Millennium Cohort Study," DoQSS Working Papers 21-34, Quantitative Social Science - UCL Social Research Institute, University College London.
    5. Bilson, Andy & Bywaters, Paul, 2020. "Born into care: Evidence of a failed state," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    6. Roberts, Louise & Long, Sara Jayne & Young, Honor & Hewitt, Gillian & Murphy, Simon & Moore, Graham F., 2018. "Sexual health outcomes for young people in state care: Cross-sectional analysis of a national survey and views of social care professionals in Wales," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 281-288.
    7. Mauri, Diletta, 2023. "«Becoming parents as mending the past»: care-experienced parents and the relationship with their birth family," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).

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