Today, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer issued a formal apology on behalf of the UK Government for historical forced adoption practices in England, alongside a £4 million package of support for people affected.

The apology follows decades of campaigning by mothers, adoptees and other survivors, and comes just weeks after the Church of England apologised for its role in historical forced adoptions.

Responding, Adoption UK's Chief Executive, Emily Frith, said:

"Today's apology matters because it acknowledges a profound injustice that should never have happened. For decades, mothers were coerced into having their children taken for adoption, causing lifelong trauma for the women and adoptees who were separated, as well as for their wider families.

"But words alone are not enough. While today's investment in improved support is welcome, it is limited in scope and time. The Government now has a responsibility to match its apology with meaningful long-term action: a comprehensive programme of redress for everyone affected by historical forced adoption, alongside sustained investment in trauma-informed, lifelong support, and a commitment to continue to put the voice of adoptees at the centre of this discussion”.

"An apology should not be the end of this story. It must be the beginning of justice, accountability and lasting change."

Adoption UK welcomes the Government's commitment to establish a lived experience group to help oversee this work. However, the charity is calling for a permanent national adoptee advisory forum to ensure adoptees help influence future policy on adoption and a voice in shaping the lifelong support they need.

The charity is also urging Government to address wider gaps in support for adult adoptees. Adoption is a lifelong experience, yet services remain heavily focused on childhood, leaving many adults without access to specialist help with identity, trauma, tracing birth relatives, or obtaining birth and medical records.

Drawing on the expertise of its Adult Adoptee Advisory Group, Adoption UK is urging governments across the UK to:

• Provide access to adoptee-competent counselling and therapeutic support throughout adulthood;
• Invest long-term in specialist services to help adoptees trace and reconnect with birth relatives where appropriate; and
• Build on the announcements today to continue to improve access to birth and medical records, including new national guidance and wider legislative change, recognising that understanding one's identity and family history is a fundamental right.

Evidence from Adoption UK's Adoption Barometer demonstrates the urgency of these changes. Across successive surveys, adult adoptees have consistently reported significant barriers to accessing specialist mental health support, tracing birth relatives and obtaining birth and medical records.

The Adoption Barometer 2026 found that only a quarter of adult adoptees were able to access appropriate adoptee-competent mental health support, while two-thirds said the cost of tracing birth relatives prevented them from reconnecting with family members.

For many adoptees, the impact of adoption does not diminish with age. Questions of identity, belonging and family often resurface at key moments throughout life, yet support that does exist falls away once an adoptee reaches adulthood.

Today's apology represents an important acknowledgement of the harms caused by historical forced adoption practices. Adoption UK believes it must also mark the beginning of sustained action to ensure those living with the lifelong consequences of adoption receives the recognition, support and voice they deserve.