Year: 2014
Type: other
Abstract: Between April 1 st 2000 and 31 st March 2011, 37,335 children were adopted and of these 565 were known to have disrupted post order and information was available in the database. Nearly two thirds of disruptions occurred during the teenage years. Gender and ethnicity were not associated with greater risk of disruption. The children whose adoptions had disrupted were significantly older at entry to care (average 3 years old) in comparison with children (average 1 year old) whose adoptions were intact.Nearly three-quarters of all the children had been abused or neglected. Children who had experienced a disruption also had significantly more moves whilst looked after and waited longer to be placed with their adoptive family compared with those children whose placements were intact. Children who were no longer living with their adoptive families were significantly more likely to have lengthier adoption processes compared with the children whose adoptions were intact.This was the case for those who entered care under the age of 4 years old and those who entered over 4 years of age. Three-quarters of the children who experienced a disruption were older than 4 years of age at placement with their adoptive family and a quarter were younger than 4 years of age.In comparison, 70% of children in intact placements were under the age of four. Children whose foster carers became their adoptive parents entered care at a similarly young age to those who were adopted by stranger adoptive parents.However, they waited on average two years before their foster placement was confirmed as an adoptive placement and were on average 5.2 years old at the time of the Adoption Order.In comparison, those adopted by strangers were only 3.8 years old at the time of the Order. Foster carer adoptions were not more stable than adoptions by stranger adoptive parents. The proportion of adoptions that disrupted varied by local authority. Summary Between April 1st 2005 and 31 st March 2011, 5,291 SGOs and 5,771 ROs had been made and information was available in the database.Information was available on 121 SGOs and 415 ROs that had disrupted. Unlike adoption disruptions, 69% of SGOs and 68% of ROs disruptions occurred when the child was under the age of 11 years old.Most SGO and RO disruptions occurred within two years of the date of the legal order.In comparison, the majority of the adoption disruptions occurred more than five years after the Adoption Order.However, it should be remembered that data were only available for five years of SGOs and six years of ROs. The child's gender and ethnicity were not associated with greater risk of disruption. Children on SGOs were less likely than children adopted or on ROs to enter care because of abuse and neglect. Children on ROs were more likely to have been looked after on a Section 20 compared with children on SGOs who entered on interim/full Care Orders.Child has left home: 23 of the 34 children had a diagnosed condition RAD Asperger's syndrome, Tourettes Asperger's syndrome OCD Attachment disorder Motor coordination, eating disorder PTSD Attachment disorder Attachment disorder Neurofibromatosis type 1 Attachment disorder
Language: English
Topic: Child Welfare and Adoption
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2165277726