Adoption and child protection trends for children aged under five in England: Increasing investigations and hidden separation of children from their parents
The researchers compared child-protection and adoption-related service data for two groups of children reaching their fifth birthday in 2011–12 and 2016–17. More children in the later group had been investigated before age five, while investigations were less likely to result in a child-protection plan. The proportion separated from their parents increased, with differences between local authorities in adoption and child-protection patterns.
Limitations: Administrative records concern service activity, not adoptees’ reported experiences or wellbeing. The analysis includes wider child protection and special guardianship as well as adoption; not every finding is adoption-specific. Observed changes do not establish their causes.
- Research type
- Administrative data analysis
- Source reviewed
- Abstract
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Age group
- Children
Study context and review
Age group as recorded: children
Adoption context: Adoption from care / adoption system
Programme: Not recorded
Institutional context: No relationship identified in the material checked
No adoption-sector organisational relationship identified from metadata reviewed. Funding and conflicts were not comprehensively audited; this is not confirmation of institutional independence.
Bibliographic screening. Bibliographic relationships are not a bias or safety rating.
Topics: administrative data, adoption from care, adoption system
Review scope: Source checked: Abstract. This does not imply full-text or independent human verification.
Country as recorded: England
- Funding
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Commissioner
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Funder role
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Declared conflicts
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Recruitment
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Adoptee involvement
- Not yet checked for this entry
Entry: study_a6c663b3ac8530c1