Many children come from and experience ‘hard places’ in Australia and overseas. In Australia last year there were approximately 11,341 children removed from neglectful and violent families and over 50,000 children in foster care.
Worldwide there are more than 18 million orphans; all of these children would flourish in a permanent loving family.
A few years ago I met a woman who reminded me of how important it is for children to grow up feeling safe and secure in their relationships. In my previous role as CEO of Fitted for Work, I met Linda who was participating in a program to help her get work. She had come from a ‘hard place’.
While growing up, she had lived with over 8 foster families. She talked to me about feeling unwanted, unloved and mistrustful. As a result of her childhood experiences, she had developed mental health issues and started using drugs to cope. Linda had two children at a young age, and by the time the eldest child was 4, both children had been placed in foster care. As she said: ‘it’s happening all over again’.
If Linda had had the opportunity of a permanent loving family, no doubt her children would have had that experience too. We know that the impact on children who have experienced trauma and a lack of stable permanent care is profound – on their brain development, well-being and in Linda’s case – on the future of her children’s lives.
The good news is that there is much we can do to change this. As the CEO of Adopt Change, I have met so many people who are yearning to provide a home for a child but have struggled with an adoption system that is fundamentally fragmented and broken.
Only 339 children were adopted in 2012-2013, and adoption, as one way of forming a family, has experienced a downward trajectory – a 77% decline over the last 25 years.
Fortunately for children here and overseas the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has announced that there will be a National approach to adoption and has set a goal of 12 months for families to have adoption processed in Australia. Given that some of the families I have spoken with have waited up to 5 years for an adoptive child, this is a significant commitment.
And there is even more good news: research and programs developed by Dr Karyn Purvis, and Dr David Cross from TCU Institute of Child Development show that by equipping parents, carers, teachers and the broader community with the knowledge and practical skills in attachment and establishing trusting relationships, children (and their parents!) flourish.
For these children who have experienced ‘hard places’, this is terrific news – we have the people wanting to love them and we know the skills and knowledge to help them grow into adults who are able to enter into relationships and contribute to their community. For this reason Adopt Change is advocating for the establishment of a Centre of Excellence in pre and post adoption care, with the support of a University and the State and Federal Governments.
But it also strikes me that by all of us understanding the impact of trauma on children, learning the skills to assist and support each other, we would be a more resilient and compassionate community. In this way, we would all benefit from creating families through an ethical, streamlined and supported adoption process.
For more information on Adopt Change and the activities running as part of National Adoption Awareness Week (including a free webinar by Dr Call and Dr Howard from TCU Institute of Child Development): www.adoptchange.org.au