LilMtnCbn
03-18-2004, 07:13 AM
http://www.adoption-net.co.uk/news/2004/March/180304bygone.htm
More babies are needed
There is an appeal at the moment for more people to adopt and foster children
of all ages, creeds and colours.
But in March 1974 every adoption society in Britain had closed its waiting
lists because of a lack of babies being born.
However, there was still a problem placing problem children, even for
fostering.
Jenny Sims, of the Adoption Resource Exchange, said the organisation had 75
such children waiting for foster parents.
"These are the problem children who are almost impossible to place," she said.
They included brain-damaged children, children with congenital heart diseases
and coloured babies of mixed parentage.
But attitudes had begun to change and there were more people coming forward to
foster black children but not to adopt them.
In an effort to make the black community more aware ARE published an article in
the immigrant newspaper, West Indian World.
And it started circulating news sheets of photographs of available children.
One 12-year-old girl's picture was used and resulted in 142 phone calls and a
home being found for her and several other girls of her age.
This method was viewed by some social services as selling the children and was
resisted for a long time.
They regarded it as a terrible way to deal with the problem.
At that time adoption took a long time with in-depth interviews and checks
which could take up to more than a year before completion.
And even then many were refused.
Age and marital status also came under consideration - a far cry from today.
Unmarried couples would not have been entertained at all and certainly not
single people.
Being single and pregnant was considered shameful and so there were not so many
babies born to single mums.
And many who were brought up within the family by the girl's parents as her
sister.
-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown
More babies are needed
There is an appeal at the moment for more people to adopt and foster children
of all ages, creeds and colours.
But in March 1974 every adoption society in Britain had closed its waiting
lists because of a lack of babies being born.
However, there was still a problem placing problem children, even for
fostering.
Jenny Sims, of the Adoption Resource Exchange, said the organisation had 75
such children waiting for foster parents.
"These are the problem children who are almost impossible to place," she said.
They included brain-damaged children, children with congenital heart diseases
and coloured babies of mixed parentage.
But attitudes had begun to change and there were more people coming forward to
foster black children but not to adopt them.
In an effort to make the black community more aware ARE published an article in
the immigrant newspaper, West Indian World.
And it started circulating news sheets of photographs of available children.
One 12-year-old girl's picture was used and resulted in 142 phone calls and a
home being found for her and several other girls of her age.
This method was viewed by some social services as selling the children and was
resisted for a long time.
They regarded it as a terrible way to deal with the problem.
At that time adoption took a long time with in-depth interviews and checks
which could take up to more than a year before completion.
And even then many were refused.
Age and marital status also came under consideration - a far cry from today.
Unmarried couples would not have been entertained at all and certainly not
single people.
Being single and pregnant was considered shameful and so there were not so many
babies born to single mums.
And many who were brought up within the family by the girl's parents as her
sister.
-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown
