A Scoping and Scanning Review of Research on the Adoption of Children Placed from Public Care

Abstract

The aim of this review is to map the literature on the adoption of children from public care, to identify the extent of research-based knowledge and to note gaps in the evidence. Adoption research has grown over the last 40 years but, as the methodological quality has increased, so has the complexity of the questions to be answered. This review covers research on the problem profiles of placed children and the challenges to new parents, matching and preparation, contact arrangements, medium and long-term outcomes and interventions with adoptions in difficulty. The article recommends that adoption research needs to be considered as an integral part of general research into placement choices for children. Looking to the future, the commissioning of large-scale studies is recommended to gain a lifelong perspective on adoption, to identify predictors of outcome, the consequences of contact arrangements for all the parties, and the cost-effectiveness of different types of adoption support. Many smaller scale studies need to be commissioned to monitor the progress of the various policy initiatives and legislative changes designed to increase the use of adoption as a placement choice in the UK.