26 replies to this topic

[Northern Sol]

http://www.bbc.co.uk...cation-11672674

Some common sense at last.

[l'angelo mysterioso]

http://www.bbc.co.uk...cation-11672674

Some common sense at last.

absolutely.

[Millman]

Great news.

[Steve May]

Seems a bit of a non-story when you actually read it.

Perhaps "People encouraged to do a bit more of something they already do" should be the headline.

[Northern Sol]

Seems a bit of a non-story when you actually read it.

Perhaps "People encouraged to do a bit more of something they already do" should be the headline.

Or more possibly the uber-PC told to do their jobs and stop playing racial politics with children's lives.

Minority children are massively over-represented in the care system and whilst in an ideal world, it would probably be best to match black kids with black adoptive families etc, this often isn't possible and dogmatic social workers have been making life worse for already disadvantaged children by refusing to place them with white families.

Nothing got done about it under Labour.

[Millman]

Arnold from Different Strokes was one cute kid, I'm sure the queue of prospective parents will be massive.

[Northern Sol]

Arnold from Different Strokes was one cute kid, I'm sure the queue of prospective parents will be massive.

It was called "Diff'rent strokes" you Anglo-Saxon value imposer you.

[Shadow]

Arnold from Different Strokes was one cute kid, I'm sure the queue of prospective parents will be massive.

They'll be disappointed

[Tiny Tim]

They'll be disappointed

Not sure even the Condems will allow couples to adopt dead people...

[Ex-Kirkholt]

Arnold from Different Strokes was one cute kid, I'm sure the queue of prospective parents will be massive.

What choo talkin' 'bout Millis ?

[Millman]

The tories should extend this and allow the British Navy to adopt French warships and vice versa.

[Steve May]

Nothing got done about it under Labour.

Hmm.

This week we have..

The government is updating guidance on adoption in England to stress that consideration of a child's race should not be a barrier to finding a home.

But in 1998 we had..

Guidelines have been unveiled to end the blocking of adoption on grounds of a couple's race, culture, age or smoking habits

Now we think..

Children's Minister Tim Loughton said there was no reason to stop white couples adopting black or Asian babies.

But back then we thought...

The Health Minister, Paul Boateng, said it was important disadvantaged children were not "left to languish in the care system". "What's changed is a determination to make sure that race, age and whether or not you smoke is not used as an excuse to prevent adoption."

I think we all agree today that

"Although the law and guidance is clear that due consideration needs to be given to language, religion, culture and ethnicity, this isn't translating into practice. It is much better that a child is adopted by loving parents than left waiting for their future to be decided," he added.

Whereas in 1998 we all thought

"It is unacceptable for a child to be denied loving adoptive parents solely on the grounds that the child and adopters do not share the same racial or cultural background."

The Labour goverment was working on this 12 years back and in fact it was Paul Boateng who put the current guidelines in place. Those guidelines, as I pointed out earlier, actually do suggest that race shouldn't be a major factor when placing children in adoptive families.

If the evidence suggests that the guidelines are still valid, and it appears that is the case, then I'm all in favour of reiterating them or strenghening them but I can't see any fresh thinking or any significant change in this announcement.

If the evidence has changed then the guidelines must also change but it does not appear that this is the situation.

I don't really see this as a party political issue.

[WearyRhino]

I find this whole 'policy announcement' very curious. Labour used to be criticised for announcing policies twice. Now the ConDems are reannouncing policies that were formulated and implemented over a decade ago by another government. Do you get the impression that the present Government are searching for policy announcements for the baying Daily Mail readers that are something other than cuts?

On the substantive issue: Adoptive parents always have to wrestle with the problem of when to tell their adopted child that they are adopted and many will opt to broach the subject when they are old enough to fully understand and deal with the emotions involved. A racially mixed adoptive family, necessarily, have to deal with this much much earlier. My 5 year old stepson was very aware of his skin colour when he was 3 but was already aware of his 'other' Dad.

[sam]

Do you get the impression that the present Government are searching for policy announcements for the baying Daily Mail readers that are something other than cuts?

and the story they're going for to appease the daily mail readers is 'mixed race families are aces'...?

[gingerjon]

If the evidence has changed then the guidelines must also change but it does not appear that this is the situation.

Those presumably are national guidelines rather than those issued by individual adoption agencies.

I suspect it is a re-stating of the same principles but it could be that the actual adoption agencies are not actually following them?

[WearyRhino]

and the story they're going for to appease the daily mail readers is 'mixed race families are aces'...?

Nope - but bashing social workers and 'poiltical correctness' is a Daily Mail raison d'etre, n'est pas?

[Northern Sol]

Nope - but bashing social workers and 'poiltical correctness' is a Daily Mail raison d'etre, n'est pas?

Actually the BBC did so.

[Northern Sol]

Hmm.

This week we have..



But in 1998 we had..



Now we think..


But back then we thought...


I think we all agree today that


Whereas in 1998 we all thought


The Labour goverment was working on this 12 years back and in fact it was Paul Boateng who put the current guidelines in place. Those guidelines, as I pointed out earlier, actually do suggest that race shouldn't be a major factor when placing children in adoptive families.

If the evidence suggests that the guidelines are still valid, and it appears that is the case, then I'm all in favour of reiterating them or strenghening them but I can't see any fresh thinking or any significant change in this announcement.

If the evidence has changed then the guidelines must also change but it does not appear that this is the situation.

I don't really see this as a party political issue.

You mean Labour talked about it for 12 years and did nothing. The Tories actually did something about it.

I can see how the two situations are virtually identical.

[Northern Sol]

I find this whole 'policy announcement' very curious. Labour used to be criticised for announcing policies twice. Now the ConDems are reannouncing policies that were formulated and implemented over a decade ago by another government. Do you get the impression that the present Government are searching for policy announcements for the baying Daily Mail readers that are something other than cuts?

On the substantive issue: Adoptive parents always have to wrestle with the problem of when to tell their adopted child that they are adopted and many will opt to broach the subject when they are old enough to fully understand and deal with the emotions involved. A racially mixed adoptive family, necessarily, have to deal with this much much earlier. My 5 year old stepson was very aware of his skin colour when he was 3 but was already aware of his 'other' Dad.

You won't get any argument from me that in a perfect world, it is best that children are adopted by parents of the same skin colour (or close) for this and other reasons. However, I wouldn't presume that your adopted child would be better off in the care system than being looked after by your good self.

[Northern Sol]

Those presumably are national guidelines rather than those issued by individual adoption agencies.

I suspect it is a re-stating of the same principles but it could be that the actual adoption agencies are not actually following them?

Rather more likely and given that Labour were quite tough about enforcing the right of homosexuals to adopt*, this is rather curious. Evidently you can see where their priorities lie.

* no strong views on this one.