In 2016, the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) commissioned an Enquiry into the role of the social worker in adoption with a focus on ethics and human rights in order to:
- Provide BASW with up-to-date knowledge and evidence from key stakeholders: social workers, managers, adult adoptees, adoptive parents, birth parents, siblings, policy makers and academics on this aspect of social work practice with a particular focus on how ethical and human rights issues and legislation are understood and inform practice;
- Support BASW in developing its policies in this area.
In this report, we discuss the Enquiry’s key messages and the process involved in arriving at them. The Enquiry sought the views of adopted people, birth families, adoptive families, social workers, social work managers and other professionals, and created spaces for dialogue about the role of the social worker in adoption with a particular focus on ethics and human rights.
The Enquiry considered adoptions undertaken by local authorities across the four UK nations, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The focus did not include inter-country or stepparent adoptions. Further information about the Enquiry and supporting documents can found on the Adoption Enquiry website page at www.basw.co.uk/adoption-enquiry
