From care, to adoption, to parenting: a two generation study of identity, risk and resilience in adoptive families

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For 20 years UK policy has encouraged the adoption of children from care, and tens of thousands are now of an age where they could become a parent. This compulsory form of adoption is controversial at home and abroad and it is vital to fully research the lifespan effects - including what happens when adoptees become parents to the next generation. A child's birth is a key event in any family, bringing joys and challenges. This study will provide a new understanding of the lived experiences and needs of people adopted from care who are now parents, and of adoptive parents who are now grandparents. It will inform support to help adopted young people to prepare for parenthood, promote their resilience, and support them as parents. The majority of children adopted from care will have experienced early adversities such as loss, abuse and neglect. Adoption offers permanence in a new family, but even so about half of adopted young people are likely to have psychological problems which carry on into adulthood. Studies of vulnerable parents (e.g. care leavers) show they are at risk of early parenthood, parenting difficulties, even their own children going into care. But for some, having a child is a positive choice and a healing experience. This study will explore the positives and the challenges of becoming a parent from the perspective of people adopted from care. The concept of 'resilience' (healthy development after exposure to risk) is key and the risk and protective factors that can affect resilience in the context of parenting will be a central focus.This study will also shine a light on the lifelong identity issues for adopted people. For adoptees, building identity can be hampered by gaps in their known life history, feelings of being different or stigmatised, and a lack of connection with birth relatives. Becoming a parent can stir up identity concerns and trigger a search for birth family, but these issues are unexplored for people adopted from care, many of whom will have retained some form of contact with birth relatives. We will explore how adopted people make meaning of their whole life history, including being adopted and being a parent, adding to our understanding of narrative identity development for adoptees in adulthood.The research will also include the perspective of parents who adopted a child from care and who are now grandparents. Adoption has lifelong implications for adopters too, but there is no research on the grandparenting stage of family life in 'from care' adoptions. Because of the ongoing vulnerability of many young people adopted from care, it is important to include grandparents because they may be providing vital support to their child and grandchild.In-depth interview data from 40 adopted people who are now parents (20 men, 20 women), and 40 adoptive parents who are now grandparents will be collected and the sample will include a mixture of linked parent/grandparent cases and non-linked cases. Narrative and thematic analysis methods will be used to answer the research questions. The involvement of stakeholders (professionals, adoptees and adoptive parents) will inform the recruitment of participants, the data collection and analysis will help generate a sound understanding of practice and policy implications.Adoption from care is an extreme intervention in family life and a major focus of policy and investment in the UK. There is a moral responsibility to understand its impact across the lifespan; this project will generate insights about longer term outcomes. It will benefit society though building understanding of a particularly complex and challenging family form with a mixture of biological, legal and relational ties. It will benefit academics interested in narrative identity, adoption, vulnerable parents, grand-parenting, and resilience. Maximum impact on practice will be achieved through working with stakeholders to disseminate findings in a range of formats to different audiences.