About the Adoption Story website

The Centenary of The Adoption of Children Act

The Adoption of Children Act (1926) introduced for the first time in England and Wales a legal process by which the rights and responsibilities for a child could be transferred from birth parents to adoptive parents. It provided a legal framework for adoption and is a significant historical development in child welfare legislation.

Coram, the UK’s first and longest continuing children’s charity, will run a programme of activities, launching in January 2026, to mark the centenary of adoption.

Website Content

We will be telling the story of its evolution and its contribution to supporting vulnerable children. As part of this, the charity is aiming to gather 100 stories of adoption from across the years, reflecting changes in adoption and capturing the diverse experiences of adopted people, adoptive parents, birth families and others touched by adoption.

Difficult language and content

The pages in this website may contain language and content that are upsetting or triggering. Coram acknowledges that some records include language that is considered outdated, offensive, and unacceptable today, particularly when describing race or disability. Some stories include descriptions of distressing topics, such as sexual and physical abuse, particularly of women and children. Although this language and content are present in the records, they do not reflect the views or practices of Coram today.

Acknowledgements

Much of the information concerning adoption legislation is to be found in Pepper, J. (2018) Adoption: The journey to where we are now , Civitas: Institute for the Study of Civil Society.

Got a question about the project?

Your name(Required)

Email(Required)

Message(Required)

The inbox this form is sent to is not monitored 24/7. Your submission will be acknowledged within 3 working days.

If you have any concerns about a child please contact your local Children’s Social Care Department. Alternatively, you can contact the NSPCC free helpline service on 0808 800 5000 to speak to an NSPCC counsellor 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They will listen to your concerns, offer advice and support and can take action on your behalf if a child is in danger. If you think a child is in immediate danger don't delay – call the police on 999. If you are a child or young person in need of someone to talk to, you can call Childline anytime on 0800 1111 or, if you are in immediate danger, call the police on 999.

Phone

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

The Centenary of The Adoption of Children Act

Website Content

Difficult language and content

Acknowledgements

Got a question about the project?

Related content