‘Family is Family … It Does Affect Everybody in the Family‘: Black Birth Relatives and Adoption Support

Abstract

The voices of black birth relatives are rarely, if ever, heard in discussions on adoption support services. Drawing on findings from a larger study of service users' views and experiences of such services, Perlita Harris focuses on a small group of black birth relatives' experiences of post-adoption support, highlights some of their specific support needs, as identified by themselves, and makes concrete suggestions for ensuring that services are appropriate, accessible and welcoming to them. The article demonstrates the importance of developing non-Eurocentric, non-stigmatising, culturally appropriate and anti-oppressive services that are tailored to meeting the specific needs of this group.