By Katy Barnato, Clare Dickinson and Morwenna Coniam
Children would be better off being adopted by adults of races different to their own than remaining in care until an ethnic match is found, the chair of Hackney Council’s children’s committee has said.
Councillor Geoffrey Taylor said: “I don’t think there should be a rule saying that children and carers have to be of the same ethnicity. I wouldn’t want to say that ethnicity matters so much.
“A black child in a white family in Hackney will still know a lot of other black children. It’s very different to rural Cornwall.”
Although there is no law declaring a child must be of the same race as his or her adoptive parents, Cllr Taylor’s views go against the line given by social services and national adoption organisations.
Many social workers do not believe that potential adopters will be able to cater for the needs of a child of a different race to themselves.
One adoption worker, who does not wish to be named, said: “Deep down I think we as a society are nowhere near ready to have successful interracial adoptions. I have little confidence white people really can ever understand racism.”
Nick Glanville, manager at the Adoption and Fostering Information Line, said: “We think more effort should be put into recruiting more adopters from ethnic minorities so that there is more of a choice available for children, but we agree with the principal of ethnic matching.”
Some communities in East London also support the current practice of trying to avoid inter-racial adoption.
Imam Hussain of East London Mosque said: “It is harmful for children. If you are going to force a family to accept the boy or girl and they are not willing, the child […] will feel uneasy. The child’s mind will be forced. Islam cares about the child’s education and their mind.”
“If they are from the same ethnic background they will be honoured, accepted and respected.”
Imam Hussain also said that if a child is younger they will find it easier to fit into a family from a different background, but once they reach two or three years old they will find it harder.
Yashar Ismailoglu, coordinator of the Alevi centre, a Turkish and Kurdish community group said: “Place a Turkish or Kurdish child with a family of different background and it is an attempt to erase the identity of that child forever.
“In the cases that this has happened and children were converted to Christianity, a trust between the Social Services and the Turkish/Kurdish and Turkish Cypriot Community has been has broken.
“We have also witnessed mental health problems in several cases where the children of Turkish Cypriot parents were placed with a family of non-Turkish origin.”
Despite Cllr Taylor’s objections to leaving children in care while waiting for an ethnic match, he said it should be easier to remove children from families where they face neglect or abuse. This comes in the wake of high profile child abuse cases such as the tragedy of Baby P in neighbouring Haringey.
Cllr Taylor, who has been Chair of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Commission since May 2008, said: “There has been an over-emphasis on supporting the parents, on the needs of the birth family. But the needs of the parents can clash with the needs of the child.
“In such instances, it is better to take the child into care, even though the care system doesn’t provide much stability.”
Martin Narey, the head of children’s charity Barnado’s agreed, saying that at present, social services tried to keep families together wherever possible.
“The emphasis is – too much in my view – on fixing families,” he said.
(picture from Bunch & Duke on Flickr)
i find it very odd that people assume it is far worse to be placed in a family who are not of the same race to you, than remain without a family entirely. Furthermore the idea that in highly mixed racial area like Hackney adoptees would not meet people from their racial background. Do those waiting to be adopted tell social services that they will not be adopted by people of different races, or do most just want to go with anyone who will love and raise them? In the long run what is clear is the harm being in the care system long term does. You are far more likely to under achieve in education and get involved in crime. Having an understanding about your ethnic heritage is no doubt important, but it should not be placed above the primary job of social services, to find happy and safe homes for vunerable children.