The Church of England has apologised for the “pain, trauma and stigma” caused to those affected by historical forced adoption, as its lead bishop spoke of a deep shame that the practice had happened to people “in the care of Christian communities”.
Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally said the impact on families had been “lifelong” for many and noted survivors having spoken of the “indignity” they faced.
In a direct video message to survivors, she said: “You have nothing to be ashamed of, the shame is ours.”
While the apology does not address compensation, it is understood some situations of coercive adoption which are deemed to have a clear connection to the Church might be eligible under a wider redress scheme – with potential payments up to £660,000 in rare and exceptional circumstances.
But campaigners said there had been a lack of consultation on the apology, with one group representing people who were adopted branding the statement “an insult to survivors”.
The Adult Adoptee Movement (AAM) claimed there had been “no meaningful engagement” with their group, and said the apology “virtually ignores adoptees”.
While the Movement for an Adoption Apology (MAA), which campaigns for mothers and babies separated by the forced adoption practices, welcomed the statement, it said it is the Church’s “first step on a long road to redemption” and urged “real and tangible support” to be provided.
The Church’s formal apology came a day after the Government confirmed it would be saying sorry for the state’s past role in what Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson described as a “shameful period” in the country’s history.
It is expected the Prime Minister will make the apology in the Commons in the coming weeks.
Administrations in Cardiff and Holyrood have previously said sorry to people impacted, but campaigners have long called for an apology from the Westminster Government.
The Church of England’s statement follows one a decade ago from then-leader of Catholics in England and Wales Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who in 2016 apologised “for the hurt caused by agencies acting in the name of the Catholic Church” on forced adoption.
An estimated 185,000 babies of unmarried mothers were adopted in England and Wales between 1949 and 1976.
The Church of England said while it cannot give a precise number regarding its own involvement in forced adoption, it believes it is likely tens of thousands of mothers and babies were in Church of England-linked homes across that period.
It said while there were other providers of such homes within the wider system, there were potentially more than 200 homes across that timespan with Church of England involvement.
In a statement, Dame Sarah said: “We are profoundly sorry for the pain, trauma and stigma experienced – and still carried – by many people because of historical adoption practices in homes affiliated to the Church of England.
“We have heard first-hand the accounts of mothers who were separated from their babies in circumstances where they had very few meaningful choices.”
She spoke of how many women and girls were “at times made to carry out menial and manual work as a form of ‘correction’”, and how prejudice regarding race and disability at times “shaped and defined experiences and outcomes”.
She added: “We are listening to the voices of people affected. They have told us about the pain, shame and indignity experienced both then and now.
“Today, we say to each of you: the shame you were made to feel was wrong.
“You have nothing to be ashamed of. Rather, we are deeply ashamed that this happened to people in the care of Christian communities.”
Dame Sarah, who said survivors recalled being treated “in ways that felt like punishment”, recognised that the Church had “helped to sustain” attitudes of the time that secrecy and respectability were to be prioritised and valued over compassion and care.
She committed the Church “to listen, to lament and to learn – to acknowledge this history and respond with openness, reflection and learning, and to ensure that this leads to change”.
The Church said its research considered documents including meeting minutes, policy papers, annual reports from homes, and guidance issued to staff and chaplains, but added that records were incomplete and in some cases had been lost or were not kept in the first place.
It added that dioceses should no longer hold adoption records and if they do should hand them to “relevant local archives as soon as possible”, welcoming Government efforts to make it easier for people to find and access personal records.
Bishop Joanne Grenfell, chair of the Church’s working group on historical adoption practice and deputy lead for safeguarding, said this a “time of reckoning” and vowed efforts will be made to ensure survivors get “the kindest, most professional, practical response” from the Church.
She said: “We don’t want to do further harm. We want to make sure that people get the kindest, most professional, practical response that they deserve when they make contact with the Church of England.
“It’s a time of reckoning. It’s about looking at what we got wrong, understanding it, saying sorry and pledging that we do better.”
The Church’s redress scheme, expected to open by the end of 2026, was set up to acknowledge harm caused by abuse within the Church of England.
Redress could take the form of a financial payment of between £5,000 and £660,000 in what the Church described as rare and exceptional circumstances, as well as things like therapy and spiritual support.
The Church said decisions on eligibility will be made on a case-by-case basis and encouraged anyone who believes they might be eligible to register for updates online.
