Ministers Urged to Digitise Adoption Records as “Long Lost Family” Highlights Forced Adoption Scandal
Campaigners are pressing the UK government to digitise records from the forced adoption era, warning that many vital documents could be lost amid Angela Rayner’s local government reorganisation. The plea comes as the ITV documentary Long Lost Family: The Mother and Baby Home Scandal shines a spotlight on the tragic legacy of unmarried mothers coerced into surrendering their babies between the 1940s and 1980s.
The Hidden Horror of Mother and Baby Homes
These homes, often church-affiliated or state-supported, facilitated forced adoptions with little transparency or consent. Many women were subjected to emotional abuse, rigorous labor during pregnancy, and denied the chance to say goodbye or take a photograph of their newborns.
Survivor testimonies featured in the documentary, such as those of Ann Forbes-Burford searching for her long-lost brother, underscore the human cost of inaccessible records and institutional neglect.
Why Digitisation Matters
Campaigners argue that digitising these records is essential not only for emotional closure but also for identifying health risks, like inherited conditions and exposure to anti-lactation drugs used in those institutions.
While devolved administrations are moving forward, Northern Ireland has already digitised over 5,500 records and plans a permanent archive, and Scotland is collaborating with campaign groups on oral history projects, Ministers in London say that such a project is not feasible under current budgets.
A Wider Context of Demand for Redress
No Formal Apology Yet: Despite cross-party support and a parliamentary inquiry in 2021 that held the government ultimately responsible, no official apology has been issued. Instead, the government offered a societal expression of regret in 2023, stopping short of formal acknowledgement.
Commemorations and Memorials: In May 2025, survivors and campaign groups inaugurated a plaque at Rosemundy (Cornwall) and a memorial garden in Kendal (Cumbria) to honor those affected, further amplifying the public call for accountability.
Gordon Brown’s Plea: Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has joined the chorus, calling for a formal apology and recognition of the harm done to an estimated 200,000 women in England and Wales.