Adoptive parents' experiences of negative attitudes or stigma
Are you an adoptive parent who has felt stigmatized or felt you were viewed more negatively than non-adoptive parents? I am a Trainee Counselling Psychologist from Teesside University conducting doctoral research about adoptive parents’ experience of stigma. Research has highlighted that adopters can experience negative attitudes through their family, friends or society in general and feel they are viewed as second class parents. I am interested in understanding your experience, the effect it has had on you and your family and how you and your partner have coped with it.

If you feel you have been stigmatized or viewed more negatively than other parents due to having adopted a child, I would like to complete an online interview with you and, separately, your partner. I am trying to rule out other sources of stigma as much as possible, so I am looking for couples who would describe themselves as heterosexual, white British and who do not have birth children. I am looking forward to hearing from you if you feel you meet above criteria. Please contact Heidi on [email protected] 

From being adopted to becoming a parent: when adopted people become parents and adopters become grandparents 2018-2020
Researchers at the University of East Anglia are conducting a study which will provide a new understanding of the lived experiences and needs of adopted people who are now parents, and of adoptive parents, who are now grandparents. It will inform support to help adopted young people to prepare for parenthood, promote their resilience, and support them as parents.

There is no specific research about the experiences and support needs of adopted people who are parents, even though there is evidence that up to half of such individuals may have psychological vulnerabilities as they move into adult life. Neither have the experiences of adoptive parents as grandparents been studied.

The team at UEA are still looking for participants (adoptees who are now parents and adopters who are now grandparents in England and Wales). You can find out more here.

The Stay Calm project
This project aims to broaden understanding of emotional outbursts in children and young people, recognising that such outbursts can be a significant problem for some families and are prevalent in children who have experienced past trauma.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham have developed the Emotional Outburst Questionnaire to be completed by parents and caregivers, looking at characteristics of emotional outbursts in more detail than other existing measures. You can complete the questionnaire here.

Large Sibling Group Adoption Research Study - find out more here

Other Research Adoption UK has supported:

• Shared Parental Leave
• Marginalised Families Online project
• Research on siblings relationships post-adoption 2017
• Social Outcomes and Early Life Experiences Summary of Findings Summer 2017
• Cohort Study Report - Improving early placement success for adopted children and their families
• Survey by the National Academy for Parenting Research, and the National Adoption and Fostering Service, to gather adopters’ experiences of mental health support
• Permanence for disabled children and young people through foster care and adoption
• Beyond the Adoption Order: challenges, interventions and adoption disruption
• University of Manchester SOCiAL study on adopted children's mental health needs
• Cardiff University study on adoption support services in Wales.