Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the need for specific services designed to address the ongoing physiological damage of people affected by forced adoption.

The government has expressed its deepest sympathy to all those affected by unacceptable adoption practices of the past by agencies run by the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church and the Salvation Army. We have also expressed our deep regret that legislation at the time was not robust enough to prevent what happened. Successive governments have since taken action to strengthen the legislative framework so that it cannot happen again.

There is support for birth parents and adult adoptees who have mental health needs arising from past adoption practices. Mental health services are available through the NHS. In addition, many voluntary adoption agencies and adoption support agencies offer specialist birth family counselling, often under contract to local authorities.