Ethnicity

I have never experienced love like this...
When Charlotte and William decided to adopt, they hadn’t quite imagined how completely their lives would change, and how much love they would feel for the little boy who would come to join their family…

You can't teach a child to be black
Veronica, an African-Caribbean social worker based in Central England, is very clear about what she looks for in a permanent family.

"I’ve got hair like you, Mummy!"
Marcia, a single woman who describes herself as being British of Jamaican parentage, decided to adopt in her mid thirties. She initially found it challenging to help her adopted mixed heritage daughter, Candice, develop a sense of her own identity…

Sharing pride in who you are
As a black parent, Debbie wants to share her sense of confidence and pride with her birth daughter and with her future foster daughter.

A sense of identity
Although black, Asian or mixed race children often have to wait the longest for a new adoptive of permanent foster family, there are many stories of successful adoption in black and Asian families, some of which have been collected in a book published by BAAF Looking after our own.

Preparing my children for what's out there
Hudson brings his experience of being a black man to parenting his three children.

Night light
Now that her daughters have reached adolescence, Josie finds she is facing new challenges.

Adjusting to the real child
Jackie is white English and her partner, Harold, is black Jamaican. They have a birth daughter of 19, and adopted Holly five years ago. Holly, now 10, is of mixed heritage, white UK and black African-Caribbean. Jackie explains what adoption means to the family.

Support, guidance and wisdom
Ken and Polly talk to Leonie Sturge-Moore about adding a child to their existing family.

Someone like me
Julie, a white single parent, is planning to adopt. Her birth daughter, who is of mixed parentage, is keen that the new child should have the same kind of background as herself.

In the best interest of the children
All children need families who are willing to give them a new home, will meet their needs and provide them with a loving and secure environment. It is also important that their family matches their ethnic and cultural descent as closely as possible, whether they are white, black, Asian or of mixed heritage.

You don't have to be perfect
Olivia and Junior were meant for each other…She was in her late thirties, single, African-Caribbean and white. He was also African-Caribbean and white, a lovely little boy of just over two looking for a new family!

Finding the right family can be hard
The law says that all children should have the opportunity to grow up in a family which has a similar ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic background to that of their birth family. In practice, it’s very much a question of the best compromise for each individual child.

Last updated: 16 November 07

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