BASW motion passed to apologise to mothers and adoptees who suffered forced adoption between 1949-1976
BASW Interim CEO, Professor Sam BaronAs a reflective profession, it is only right that the social work sector recognises these injustices and apologises unreservedly.
A motion was passed at BASW's AGM for the asociation to issue an "unreserved formal apology" on behalf of the social work profession for its role in historic forced adoption.
The motion stated that an estimated 185,000 unmarried mothers and their children were affected between 1949-1976, due to pressure applied through the state, churches and social work profession.
BASW interim CEO, Prof. Samantha Baron said: “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 to offer a formal apology co-produced with those who have suffered."
Background
Ahead of BASW’s AGM in September 2026, members from the Black Country Branch proposed a motion on ‘Forced Adoption’.
They called upon BASW to issue an unreserved formal apology to the unmarried mothers and adoptees who due to pressure from the state, Church and moral welfare workers, as well as other professionals, believed they had no choice but to relinquish their babies for adoption.
Background research includes work by Dr Michael Lambert, of Lancaster University, who looked at the role of social workers, including examining BASW and its predecessors’ archives at Warwick University.
He specifically looked at the Moral Welfare Worker Association, many of whose members were involved in Adoption prior to the 1973 Houghton Report, which led to a strengthening of children’s rights.
The Black Country Branch of BASW stressed that their “…motion is not meant as a criticism of adoptive parents directly, or of social workers who were following the law and policy of the time, (and sometimes following the directive of faith organisations), and 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.”
Recent developments
The issue has been looked at by the Commons Education Select Committee and the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR), and their reports are available on the Parliament.uk website, which also includes a Committee Corridor podcast on the subject and a 2023 JCHR report, The Violation of Family Life: Adoption of Children of Unmarried Women 1949–1976.
Several governments and the Australian Association of Social Workers have issued formal apologies for forced adoption practices.
In July, then British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer formally apologised on behalf of the UK government for historic forced adoption practices in England that largely targeted unmarried mothers between 1949 and 1976.
The Church of England also apologised in June for its role in historic adoption, particularly through its network of mother and baby homes.