BASW apologises on behalf of social work profession for historic forced adoption
The British Association of Social Workers has apologised on behalf of the profession to tens of thousands of unmarried mothers coerced into giving up their babies for adoption during the post-war period.
The “unreserved apology” follows similar moves by the Westminster government and the Church of England earlier this year.
A motion passed at the association’s AGM last week highlighted how some 185,000 unmarried mothers were affected between 1949-1976.
It said they were “pressured - through the state, churches and emerging social work profession - to believe they had no choice but to relinquish their babies for adoption”.
The association’s interim chief executive Samantha Baron said: “BASW is issuing this apology following a motion from our members at our 2026 AGM and we completely agree that we, as the voice of social work, need to acknowledge the history and responsibility of moral welfare workers from this time.
“Mothers had their children removed from them without their informed consent, which would have caused unimaginable pain and trauma.
“As a reflective profession, it is only right that the social work sector apologises and recognises these injustices and the lasting trauma endured by affected women, children and families.
"This apology is an acknowledgment of our members wishes, and we will now be reaching out to consult organisations representing affected mothers and adoptees in an effort to offer a formal apology."
During the summer, former Prime Minister Keir Starmer apologised for historic forced adoption on behalf of the state. It followed an apology given weeks earlier by the Church of England.
The Catholic Church in England and Wales apologised in 2016 for its role in historic forced adoption.
Last year the Australian Association of Social Workers apologised for practices that “represented serious breaches of human rights and resulted in the loss of family connections, identity and history”.
Reaction
The Movement for an Adoption Apology (MAA) noted BASW’s apology but said it was “disappointed” not to have been consulted beforehand.
Chair Diana Defries said: “If you are going to apologise to an individual or group then surely you should have some communication with that individual or group.
"If this is to stand as an apology with any meaning it must be mitigated by support measures, contrition and changed behaviour.”
MAA called on the profession to advocate for those affected to have full access to their records, "without restriction or gatekeeping", and for help searching and researching their background. Reunion support must also be provided by social workers to ensure such fragile relationships can last.
Defries added: “There needs to be acknowledgement of the drugs used on mothers and an investigation into those separated from unmarried mothers then allowed to languish in the care system, and into those babies who died and were buried in unmarked graves when social worker oversight may have prevented them coming to harm.
“There is also the issue of consent – how could a 14, 15 or 16-year-old girl be forced to sign binding legal documents in the absence of any guardian? How could that be permitted? This needs to be examined. Mothers were treated as if we were disposable and our babies were commodified.”
The Adult Adoptee Movement also urged BASW to work in co-production with individuals and families affected by forced adoption.
Phil Frampton, a campaigner who grew up in orphanages after his mother Mavis was forced into a home for unmarried mothers, said: “This is a welcome step by BASW.”
But he added: “In the 14 years I have been campaigning on the injustices, and the ten years since the UK Catholic Church apologised, it is sad to see that BASW dragged its feet on the issue.
“Many surviving mothers allege that moral welfare workers ran a punitive regime, which had nothing to do with the law of the time.
“Hopefully now BASW will make up for lost time and be active in helping undo some of the wrongs by assisting the surviving mothers and adoptees, especially in securing aid and assisting in the investigations regarding infanticide, infant neglect, inappropriate use of drugs and physical abuse.”
Richard Servian, who proposed the motion on behalf of BASW’s Black Country branch, said: “We welcome this move, which is long overdue.
“I would like to see BASW go further and publicly apology with some of those affected. In the 1970s, BASW gave evidence to the Houghton Report that led to changes in law and practice.
“Today, half a century later, it's long after when we should have apologised. We should now be campaigning for better long-term support for adoptees and adopters to prevent the high rate of adoption breakdowns which is another scandal."
A spokesperson for BASW responded: "BASW acknowledges that issuing an unreserved apology to adoptees and unmarried mothers is an important first step, but that more must be done.
"We will now work with the Black Country Branch, the Movement for an Adoption Apology, and other campaigners to co-produce a fuller statement and agree wider actions."
Background
The BASW motion was tabled by the association’s Black Country branch and passed with 53 votes in favour, none against and six abstentions.
The motion stated: “We need to acknowledge this history and responsibility”.
It adds: “This motion is not meant as a criticism of adoptive parents or directly of social workers who were following the law and policy of the time… we recognise many adoptions were successful.
“We argue that as key professionals, we need to recognise the long-term impact on mothers who had their children taken away, and the pain felt by adoptees.”
Campaigners have long called for institutions who played a part in historic forced adoption to apologise.
In April, the government gave strong indication it was poised to say sorry after a cross-party inquiry into Historical Forced Adoption urged ministers to provide “an unqualified, formal apology to all those affected”.
The inquiry heard how many pregnant women, some in their teens, were forced into faith-led mother and baby homes where they were often subjected to cruelty and control.
One mother told the committee it was “like a punishment”. Another spoke of the pain of only being allowed two hours with her baby before it was removed.
In June, the church of England formally apologised for its role in historic adoption, particularly through its network of mother and baby homes.
Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally said: “We are deeply ashamed that this happened to people in the care of Christian communities.”
In July, the government issued a formal apology. Speaking directly to campaigners in the House of Commons Starmer said: “The shame is not yours. The shame was never yours. The shame is ours.”
The BASW AGM motion was created with the assistance of social policy historian Dr Michael Lambert, who has been a central figure in campaigning for an apology.
Dr Lambert carried out extensive research into the Moral Welfare Workers Association (formed in 1938) and other predecessor groups of BASW.
In a recent briefing document, he highlights “the centrality of moral welfare workers in social work with unmarried mothers in terms of casework, and the arrangement of adoption placements for illegitimate infants…”
Unmarried mothers, he said, were seen as “a social problem, a type of moral pathology with illegitimacy serving as a proxy indicator for failed families and homes within post-war norms”.
Using archive records from central government, voluntary organisations and local authorities, Dr Lambert has uncovered how policies and practice concerning children and families were designed and implemented.
He states: “The role of the social work profession in historic forced adoption is inextricable from its period of expansion and professionalisation from the beginning of the Second World War to the formation of the British Association of Social Workers and Social Services Departments in 1970.”
The figure of 185,000 women coerced to give up their babies in the UK in the decades following the Second World War could be a conservative estimate.
Some campaigners put it closer to 215,000 while others believe the figure as high as 500,000 if cases that continued into the 1980s are included.
The motion in full
The 2023 JCHR report, The Violation of Family Life: Adoption of Children of Unmarried Women 1949–1976, estimated 185,000 unmarried mothers were pressured - through the state, churches and emerging social work profession - to believe they had no choice but to relinquish their babies for adoption.
Moral Welfare Workers worked predominantly with unmarried mothers. Their working environment and their religious and ethical values contributed significantly to these practices.
BASW was formed in 1970 by amalgamating several organisations, whose membership included Moral Welfare workers (particularly the Moral Welfare Workers Association). We need to acknowledge this history and responsibility.
Several governments and the Australian Association of Social Workers have issued formal apologies for forced adoption practices.
This AGM calls on BASW to:
- revise its statement on forced adoption
- issue an unreserved formal apology
- recognise these injustices and the lasting trauma endured by affected women, children and families