Uncovering the truth behind forced adoption

It marked the beginning of a journey that uncovered truths about our shared and separate personal histories, as well as raising questions about policies and practices that forced many thousands of unmarried mothers to be separated from their babies, so they could be adopted in the decades following World War II.

In March 2013, the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard apologised to those affected by forced adoption in the country. In recent years, the UK government has been lobbied to make a similar apology, and apologies have already been delivered on behalf of the Scottish and Welsh devolved governments. By accepting responsibility, governments relieved mothers of the perceived shame of having ‘given up’ their children. They relieved adopted individuals of the belief that they were rejected by their mothers.

However, these national apologies have limited value if they are not validated by concrete measures that seek to alleviate the grief and loss that survivors continue to experience, and that transcends generations. Increasingly, distress is voiced, not just from parents and adoptees, but from siblings and grandchildren across original and adoptive families, who also suffer loss of connection, belonging and family history.

A Churchill Fellowship provided an ideal opportunity to discover how different Australian States had responded to the recommendations published by the Senate committee. I travelled to Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia, all of which have their own legislation governing community services, and different strengths in their responses to the national apology. I met with politicians, government officials, campaigners, researchers, and survivors.

I learned how information services had been reformed to provide identifying information to all those affected, and how State governments had ensured a safe balance between rights to information and rights to privacy.

I learned about the difficulties in ensuring that mental health services are affordable and available and that medical professionals receive training. I learned that a lack of research has limited the knowledge base about the complexities of relationships following reunions, and that no practice model has been developed.

I learned about benefits of social support available through peer activities and counselling.

I learned that the effectiveness of measures regarding information and support services is often limited by a lack of community awareness. I was privileged and personally overjoyed to speak to former Prime Minister Julia Gillard who told me of the importance of a National Archive exhibition that had toured Australia. Memorial statues in States play a vital role in providing focal points for commemorative events and quiet reflection.

If there is a single theme that ran through all my findings, it is the demand for truth to be told, whether at an individual level or in how such policies and practices developed in public, religious and third sector bodies.

As my son and I continue to navigate our journey, it is my hope that we, in the UK, can learn from those measures that have created healing in Australia. Theatre Alliance based in Kilmarnock has already produced a musical play based on interviews and testimonies from mothers and fathers and includes language from the Scottish apology. This manner of awareness raising is key to developing a more truthful and nuanced narrative of this historic injustice.