This year, National Adoption Week is focused on the importance of identity and relationships for adopted people. Watch our main film below exploring adopted people’s memories from before, during, and after they were adopted, discussing how these make them who they are today.

Watch our short film

Hear from Tiegan and her birth dad Jay, Emma and her adopted mum Jill, and siblings John and Nikita who were adopted together, talking about their memories and identity.

Adoption is not a line in the sand,
adopted people shouldn’t have to close the door on all connections to their life from before they were adopted. For the person who is adopted, it is one life – and issues around identity and belonging can come to the fore.

Find an adoption agency near you

It’s important for adopted people to be able to feel connected to their past.

Modern adoption is changing and recognises the need for children to have connections to their past, when safe to do so.
While not all adopted people will have mementos from their early life, modern adoption encourages access to a range of quality information.
A new survey found that 6 out of 10 Brits keep a memory box or equivalent. One in four people keep these items because they help them understand who they are and where they came from, and it’s no different for adopted people.
Ongoing relationships with birth relatives or friends (when safe and supported) can be crucial for adopted people to understand their identity.
Many adopters today make it a priority to help their children to understand and develop their identity.

Support for those affected this National Adoption Week

Identity, especially for adopted people, is likely to be a life-long journey that evolves as new information, experiences, and relationships occur. While not all adopted people will have mementos from their early life, modern adoption encourages access to a range of quality information. Many adopters today make it a priority to help their children to understand and develop their identity.

This campaign recognises that not all adopted people will have access to information about their life before adoption, how incredibly difficult that must be, and how it can bring issues around identity to the fore. This year, National Adoption Week aims to open up conversations and ensure that adopted children have better access to information in future.

A series of events are taking place over the week for adopted people, adoptive parents, birth parents and professionals. To view and book onto the events, click here.

Adopted people can contact their regional adoption agency for support, as well as visit PAC-UK, the country’s largest independent Adoption Support Agency, which offers a wide range of services to adopters and permanent carers throughout the country, as well as those thinking of adopting.

The Adoption Support Fund (ASF) has also been established to enable families to access the services they need more easily. The amount available per child per year is £5,000 for therapy, as well as a separate amount of up to £2,500 per child if special assessments are needed. Adoptive parents are encouraged to also contact their regional adoption agency for help with accessing the ASF.

Find your local adoption agency