Main content

Adoption: The Blame Game

The lies and blame within the UK's adoption system. Some adoptive parents say they鈥檝e been given so little support that they鈥檝e been forced to return their children back into care

File on 4 Investigates discovers a world of lies and blame within adoption in the UK. The 麻豆社 has conducted the most extensive Freedom of Information request ever into adoptions that have broken down, finding that more than 1,000 adopted children in the UK have returned to care in the past five years. That is much higher than the figure in a recent government report - but the true number is likely to be even larger, as only a third of authorities said they collected this data as standard practice. Some adoptive parents say they鈥檝e been given so little support that they鈥檝e been forced to return their children to the care system.

This programme explores the scale of the crisis as we hear from parents pushed to the limit, a teenager returned to care and a social worker giving a rare view of the system from the inside.

Producer: Ashley Kennedy & Claire Kendall
Reporter: Judith Moritz
Sound designer: Richard Hannaford
Production coordinator: Hattie Valentine
Editor: Tara McDermott

(Photo: Close-up portrait of couple Verity & Ian standing outdoors. Credit: Brij Patel)

Details of advice and support with adoption are available at www.bbc.co.uk/actionline

Available now

38 minutes

Featured

  • .

Broadcasts

  • Tue 2 Dec 2025 20:00
  • Wed 3 Dec 2025 11:00

Download this programme

Subscribe to this programme or download individual episodes.

Podcast