Eight out of 10 adopted young people say that society doesn’t understand adoption as Parliamentary group inquiry calls for national adoptee forum

A report published today by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Adoption (APPGAP) reveals the isolation and loneliness many young adoptees feel growing up in a society they say fails to listen, understand, or support them.

Eight out of 10 (82%) respondents to the group’s survey said young adopted people are not understood by society or government, and half of adoptees aged 18–25 said they do not feel part of any community that understands adoption. One third said they do not feel confident in their identity or fully understand their own story, despite most saying that adoptees need specialist support to help them understand their past. One young person commented: “There is no space or support for us. I don't think we belong anywhere.”

The Adoptee Voices inquiry report brings together the experiences of more than 300 adopted young people aged 13–25 covering issues of identity, health and wellbeing, and education, throughout teenage years and into adulthood.    

Led and shaped by adoptees, the inquiry reveals that although adoption is lifelong, support diminishes as young people get older. Many described sharp “cliff edges” in support at age 18, when help often ends just as needs intensify. More than half (51%) of young people said they had sought mental health support but were unable to find help that worked for them as adoptees, often falling between services.

Willow, a 23-year-old adoptee, said: "Despite needing support for my mental health, I was frequently discharged and felt unheard. By age 16, I was left to struggle alone as they considered me ‘not sick enough' for adult services.

“The battle for proper care is ongoing, and I feel like I’m fighting it alone.”

Siobhan Rhodes, chair of the inquiry steering group, said: “Adopted people have told us what it’s like trying to find their best way through, and their voices were clear. Poor support, inadequate funding and lack of understanding at every turn.

“Adoptees are vibrant, brave and can contribute so much to society. But to unlock their potential they need the right support. Things need to change, and it can’t come soon enough.”

Key findings:  

• Specialist support is missing. 92% of young adoptees believe specialist help is needed to understand their past, while a third reported gaps in their life history leading to a lack of confidence about their identity.

• Mental health issues and neurodiversity are common, and needs are often unmet. 51% said they wanted help with their mental health but could not find help that worked for them as adoptees. 62% identified as neurodiverse, and 52% said these needs were not understood or met by services.

• Education systems are not set up for adoptees. 83% said adoptees need more help than their peers to manage feelings in school, yet support is inconsistent or absent.  

Adoptees also highlighted how trauma and unmet needs are too often misread as poor behaviour, particularly in education, leading to exclusion rather than support. One young adoptee spoke of being sent to a “wellness room” that was simply a windowless cupboard, while others said they’d been separated from their peers and told to study alone. 

The APPGAP warns that without urgent action, adoptees will continue to fall between systems never designed with them in mind.   

Rachael Maskell, chair of the APPGAP, said: “Many adopted people require ongoing support throughout life to help them navigate the impact of trauma, neglect, and loss in their early lives.  I was really moved listening to the young adoptees discuss the challenges they have to navigate as part of this inquiry.

“It is deeply concerning just how isolated young adopted people said they feel, and the lack of safe spaces they can access to feel understood and supported. This is having a real impact on mental health and life outcomes. The government must act now to set up a national adoptee forum to influence policy and practice and explore the recommendations young people called for.”  

Key recommendations:  

• Embedding adoptee voices in policy and service design, including the creation of a national adoptee forum.  

• Ensuring every school and college has a trained lead who understands adoption, alongside calm, safe spaces where young people can regulate and seek support.  

• Creating adoptee-led spaces at key life stages, particularly during adolescence and early adulthood.

• Reform and sustain the Adoption Special Guardianship Support Fund, following a full public consultation on the future fund, implement a proposal that ensures permanent funding at a level that meets the needs of the child.