Nicola Sturgeon Issues Forced Adoption Apology
Nicola Sturgeon today issued an apology on behalf of the Scottish Government regarding forced adoptions which took place in Scotland.
Scottish Adoption welcomes and echoes the important apology made today, Wednesday 22 March 2023, by the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, on behalf of the Scottish Government. Scotland’s First Minister offered a “sincere, heartfelt and unreserved” apology to mothers, fathers and children telling MSPs: “The horror of what happened is almost impossible to comprehend”.
Sue Brunton, Chief Executive of Scottish Adoption, said this in response;
“We are truly sorry for the lasting suffering that mothers, fathers and adopted people have experienced through these appalling historical practices. We are aware, through research in to our own historical records and adult counselling work, that in some cases Scottish Adoption were involved in adoptions where women were given limited to no choice in the adoption of their child. Unfortunately we cannot change what has happened in the past and we will as an agency continue to provide support to all those affected by adoption.”
Over the years, Scottish Adoption has evolved to provide a range of services and support to children, adopters and birth parents. The Bluebird Project provides a counselling and support service to birth parents who have a child who has been permanently fostered, adopted or in kinship care.