The BBC investigation reveals that more than 1,000 adopted children in the UK have returned to care in the past five years, exposing a hidden crisis in which adoptive parents struggling to support traumatised children face blame, threats, and inadequate help from authorities. Families describe being accused of abuse, pressured by social workers, and left without the therapeutic or practical support their children urgently need, often leading to mental-health crises and eventual adoption breakdowns. Experts and whistleblowers say the system is outdated, steeped in a culture of blame, and fails to provide early intervention, despite evidence that many breakdowns could be prevented. Adoptive parents and advocates are calling for systemic reform, better post-adoption support, and recognition that children who have experienced early trauma require specialised, long-term care beyond what love alone can provide.