Louise Tickle raises the issue of secrecy in the family courts (Child protection: Judge’s play reveals brutality of ‘secret’ family courts, 18 December) but doesn’t say how she would go about making Children Act proceedings more transparent. The vast majority of children falling into the “looked after” category have been shown to be at serious risk of harm, or living in a home where the parenting capacity is chronically inadequate (Department for Education: Children looked after in England (including adoption), year ending 31 March 2019). These are not cases to which the open justice idea easily lends itself. Neither parents nor children would necessarily appreciate open reporting here.
However, on a more positive note, while the rate of adoption has fallen, the adoption rate is now matched by special guardianship orders, which typically keep the child in the extended family. There are some problems. A review by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory recommends much more support for potential special guardians, but the introduction of special guardianship has undoubtedly been beneficial.
Bob Mountain
Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire
• Adoption is a contested, controversial and complex area of social policy and practice. The experiences powerfully conveyed in the Guardian this week (Adoption process is unduly negative, Letters, 17 December; Glossing over the challenges of adoption sets families up to fail, Letters, 19 December) indicate that this is so as much today as it has been in the past. On one side, adoption focuses on and prioritises the lifelong needs of children whose early lives have been profoundly influenced by abuse and neglect. On the other, adoption agencies have to recruit prospective adopters where the messages are a combination of the powerfully positive – “this child needs you” – and the worrying: “this might be very difficult”. Parenting in itself is challenging, with a combination of the expected and unexpected. Adoption amplifies this significantly, with a lifelong impact. But in the complex detail of becoming an adopter, we must never lose sight of the fact that it is an individual child and their need for a family for life that is at the heart of what drives what we do as adopters and professionals. Trust, openness, transparency and support must be key in enabling this to happen.
Dr John Simmonds
Director of policy, research and development, CoramBAAF
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