Taking the next step: enquirers to national adoption week one year on.
Ward, Emma
Introduction
In England and Wales around 3,200 children are adopted annually
from the care system (Department for Education, 2010). As a result of
the Prime Minister's Review of Adoption (Performance and Innovation
Unit, 2000), government policy set out to increase the number of
adoptions by 50 per cent by the year 2005/06 but this target fell short
by some 21 per cent. Since then, there has been a further drop in
adoptions, despite legislative changes allowing unmarried and single-sex
couples to adopt (Adoption and Children Act 2002) and the development of
strategies to link prospective parents with children regionally (via
consortiums and exchange days) and nationally (via the National Adoption
Register). This shortfall in the availability of adoptive parents may in
part be due to insufficient numbers of suitable applicants coming
forward in the first place. Published research suggests that using
popular media (Lunken, 1995; Triseliotis et al, 1997; Creedy, 2000;
Fenton, 2001) and targeted recruitment campaigns for specific groups
(Simon et al, 1994; Bausch and Serpe, 1999; Rule, 2006) are effective
ways of generating enquiries, but little is known about how many of
those responding pursue adoption and ultimately become parents (Geen et
al, 2004).
The focus of this study is National Adoption Week (NAW), the
UK's most high-profile recruitment campaign, organised annually by
the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF). It utilises
national and local media and invites interested people to request an
adoption information pack to be sent to them. In one of the few studies
on adoption recruitment, Simmonds's (2000) survey of NAW found that
23 per cent of enquirers had gone on to approach an adoption agency and
a further 13 per cent had started the adoption process. Recruitment
drives attract a lot of initial enquiries (for example, NAW had over
5,000 enquirers in 2003), but only a small proportion of respondents
initiate the adoption process and become parents. Factors such as
personal characteristics, agency experience, motivation, levels of
support and the profile of the children available can all affect the
decision to pursue adoption.
The most common thinking about what prevents people from pursuing
their interest in adoption is that there is a mismatch between the
children available and the type of children sought by prospective
parents, as evidenced by the hundreds of children left waiting on the
National Adoption Register (Cousins, 2003). Prospective adopters have to
accept that most of the children available for adoption in the UK are of
toddler age and often present challenging behaviour, learning
difficulties and developmental delay, frequently due to past experiences
of abuse and neglect (Howe, 1996; Selwyn et al, 2006). Enquirers who
decide on adoption have to be accepting of the children and willing to
support their needs, yet research has repeatedly shown that most
enquirers have an initial preference for healthy infants (Simmonds,
2000; Wallis, 2006). Indeed, over 90 per cent of agencies represented in
Dance et al's (2010) linking and matching study did not have enough
adopters for older and for black or minority ethnicity (BME) children,
and those with complex needs.
Perception or experience of the adoption process is another factor
that might potentially influence people's desire to become adoptive
parents. The first step of calling an agency is a critical turning point
in their thinking about adoption (Daly, 1988); this can be reassuring if
handled sensitively or demotivating if not (Simmonds, 2000; Geen et al,
2004; Katz, 2005; Wallis, 2006). Simmonds (2000), for example, found
that 23 per cent of NAW enquirers who had contacted an agency cited a
lack of positive feelings from the agency as their reason for
withdrawing.
Recruitment campaigns and information are widely thought to build
on enquirers' motivations to be interested in adoption (Geen et al,
2004). This motivation is usually associated with infertility, altruism
and/or the desire to create a specific type of family (Thoburn et al,
2000). It is considered a necessary condition for making an enquiry in
the first instance and maintaining interest beyond. Research into how
these motivations interact with decision-making is limited, although
Wallis's (2006) study of enquirers to 17 adoption agencies
indicated that people motivated by infertility may be more likely to
apply. Other research suggests that those who adopt older children or
youngsters with significant needs are often prompted by their existing
experience of children (Feigelman and Silverman, 1983; Glidden, 1989;
Lowe et al, 1999; Corbett, 2003). However, caution should be taken when
generalising as most adopters share similar motivations and most
adopters of older children or children with complex needs started the
adoption process not necessarily planning to adopt such a child
(Cousins, 2006).
Personal characteristics have also been associated with pursuing an
adoption application. Simmonds (2000) found that of those who had
approached an adoption agency, marital status seemed to be an especially
important characteristic linked to further enquiry, with only 11 per
cent of single people pursuing an application compared to 50 per cent of
married couples. In Wallis's (2006) study, professionals were
revealed to be more likely to pursue their interest compared to
non-professionals. Black enquirers, non-professionals and people with
disabilities were found to be less likely to state that they had an
encouraging response from an agency. Concerns around age, finances,
health and marital status were highlighted, issues that if not
adequately addressed in the initial stages are likely to deter possible
applicants who are single or on low incomes from proceeding.
Familial and societal support networks are also important to
adoptive family success (Selwyn et a , 2006) and enquirers who have a
wide support network have been shown to be more likely to apply (Wallis,
2006). However, the extent to which the level of support affects the
decision to become an adoptive parent, along with the other factors
outlined, such as the profile of the children, the adoption process,
motivation and personal characteristics, has not previously been
assessed, especially with adoption enquirers who have not even
approached an agency.
The research study
Aims
This study sought to investigate enquirers (including those who had
taken no further action) to the 2003 NAW. It adds insight into why some
pursue their interest and others do not by considering five points:
1. who responds to NAW;
2. what proportion of enquirers are likely to start the adoption
process;
3. why some enquirers do not pursue their interest in adoption;
4. what characterises enquirers who start the adoption process;
5. what characterises enquirers who are positively interested in
adopting noninfant children.
Sample
The sample was drawn from the 5,000 enquirers to the 2003 NAW. Two
thousand were sent a questionnaire one year after receiving the 2003
information pack. Potential respondents were accessed via the paper
records of NAW enquirers kept by BAAF (equal numbers of records were
randomly selected by hand from each box of records) and questionnaires
were sent out by BAAF on behalf of the researcher. Half of the sample
was contacted via post and half by email to represent the different ways
enquirers approach BAAF for information; the postal sample had requested
an information pack by telephone while the email sample made contact
online. The overall response rate was 25 per cent, with a total of 493
enquirers returning a completed questionnaire--245 of the postal and 247
of the email groups. While this is a passable response rate for an
unsolicited survey, caution has to be taken when generalising from the
results.
Questionnaire
The questionnaire was organised in sections exploring
enquirers' personal characteristics and concerns, perception of the
adoption process, familial support, motivation and the profile of the
children available--factors which, as discussed, can affect the decision
to pursue adoption. All the questions were closed and most asked for a
categorical response. Data were gathered on enquirers' perception
of family support and expectations or experience of the adoption process
using five-point Likert scales. As no scales that measured these
phenomena were found, new ones were devised based on themes from the
literature. These were subjected to tests of homogeneity (factor
analysis) and reliability (Chronbach's Alpha). The scales included
positive and negative items.
Data analysis
Data were analysed using the computerised statistics package SPSS
and mainly chi-square, Mann-Whitney and binary logistic regression
models. Where binary logistic regression was used, many variables had
been shown in the literature as potential predictors but their level of
contribution was not hypothesised. Therefore, a step-wise regression was
considered the best model to explore the data, rather than test specific
hypothesis (Tabachnick and Fidell, 2007). Percentages and odd ratios are
rounded when discussed in the text.
As responses came from NAW enquirers at all stages of thinking
about adoption, we begin by examining who these prospective adopters
were.
1. Who responds to NAW?
Personal characteristics
White British, heterosexual and nondisabled couples dominated this
sample, as less than a quarter of enquirers were single (23%, 102), less
than a sixth were of BME background (14%, 65) and only two per cent (9)
identified themselves as disabled or gay or lesbian. Ninety per cent
(406) of enquirers were female, hence the findings will largely offer a
female perspective. However, most of these women were part of a couple
and further analysis showed very few statistical differences between
genders.
Using the Standard Occupational Classification codes (Office for
National Statistics, 2000), almost half the sample were classified as
professional (47%, 204) and so were likely to have access to greater
financial support, and 27 per cent (120) worked in a caring profession
(defined as working in health, education or social care). Over half of
the enquirers were aged between 31 and 40 (55%, 246), followed by over a
quarter aged 41 to 50 (26%, 119) and 15 per cent (66) 21 to 30. There
was only one respondent aged under 20 and very few over 50 (4%, 18),
indicating that most enquirers were of typical child-rearing age. A
sixth of enquirers (18%, 80) attended religious services at least once a
month and the vast majority identified themselves as Christian. Just
under half of the sample had at least one child living in their
household all or most of the time (42%, 165).
Motivation
In line with Simmonds's (2000) previous research on NAW
enquirers, around 41 per cent (186) of respondents cited the main reason
for their interest in adoption as infertility. Fifty-nine per cent (261)
gave non-infertility motivations; of these, 28 per cent (128) expressed
altruistic reasons, such as wanting to give a child in need a home, 19
per cent (86) mentioned family design, such as adding children to
existing family, and eight per cent (36) referred to their experience of
rearing children or adoption.
Child preferences
Enquirers had a preference for adopting younger children, as shown
in Figure 1. As the age range increased, the number of enquirers
considering that range diminished. Fifty-eight per cent (265) stated
that a child of two years or under would be their ideal age, compared to
very few expressing a preference for the over-fours, although 45 per
cent (205) said they would consider such a child.
Enquirers were then asked about the type of complex needs they
would consider; while a list of needs is inevitably somewhat crude, it
does indicate the expectations that enquirers have of themselves and the
children. Half said they would consider adopting a sibling group (50%,
226), just over a third stated they would consider adopting a child with
learning difficulties (38%, 173) and just over a fifth said they would
consider one with emotional difficulties (22%, 100). Fewer participants
indicated they would consider a child with physical disabilities (13%,
60), and a fifth rejected the idea of adopting one with complex needs
(20%. 89). Since most children available will present some complex need
(Selwyn et a , 2006), these attitudes suggest that enquirers are
generally naive about the needs of children requiring adoption.
[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]
Perception of the adoption process
Only ten per cent (45) of enquirers believed that most people who
apply to become adoptive parents are approved, indicating another skewed
perception and that anxieties may be misplaced, since research shows
that the majority of applicants are approved once they reach panel
(Ivaldi, 2000). Slightly more encouraging were enquirers' scores on
the adoption process scale, which indicated that most respondents had a
moderately positive perception/experience of the adoption process.
Support
Support from family and friends has been found to be important for
the success of adoption (Miall, 1987; Selwyn et al, 2006; Wallis, 2006)
and enquirers were asked to rate statements relating to how much their
friends and family approved and understood their wish to become an
adoptive parent. Enquirers' scores indicated that over
three-quarters (78%, 338) agreed that their friends and family
supported, or were likely to support, their decision to explore adoption
as a route to parenthood.
2. What proportion of enquirers start the adoption process?
Figure 2 shows enquirers' place in the adoption process one
year after requesting the information pack. Over half had taken no
further action (57%, 280) and a fifth had contacted an adoption agency
or been to an information session but had not started the process (20%,
102). Thirteen per cent (63) had gone beyond this and made an
application to an agency after attending such a session or receiving
information. This was the point at which the enquirer no longer had an
anonymous interest in adoption and had made the decision to proceed. A
small proportion of enquirers had started the adoption process but were
no longer involved with it (5%, 24) and the same number (5%, 24) had had
a child placed with them since the NAW of 2003.
When the enquirers who had had a child placed are included, it was
found that one in six had started the adoption process and committed a
year later.
Although it is impossible to say if this was as a result of the NAW
campaign, allowing for the potential sample bias towards those more
interested in adoption, this result is very positive and suggests that
recruitment efforts can yield results. There also may be a
'hidden' success; the majority of enquirers who had not
started the process stated that they were likely to apply (42%, 146) or
were undecided but considering it (41%, 143), compared to less than a
fifth who said they were likely to remain uninterested (17%, 59).
3. Why do enquirers not pursue their interest in adoption?
One year on, most enquirers had not done anything more since
receiving the pack and a fifth had approached an adoption agency but had
not followed up their interest. These enquirers (77%, 280) had not
started the adoption process at the time of the survey in 2004 and were
therefore not actively pursuing their interest. They had many reasons
for not doing so, the top six of which were:
* 'still thinking it through' (17%, 62);
* 'fear of not being approved' (13%, 46);
* 'planning to adopt in the future' (11%, 40);
* 'using fertility treatments' (9%, 31);
* 'partner is unsure/does not want to adopt' (8%, 30);
* 'became pregnant' (8%, 30).
It is unsurprising that most people who had not applied were still
thinking about what impact adoption would have on their lives and
whether it was the right decision. However, it is noteworthy that only
one respondent stated that it was specifically the needs and/or age of
the children available for adoption which was stopping them.
The reasons enquirers gave for not taking their interest forward
were grouped together into four categories that mirrored themes about
withdrawing from the adoption process put forward by Geen et a (2004).
The categories were:
* 'unsure about adoption' (51%, 184);
* 'practicalities' (20%, 73) related to reasons such as
moving house or splitting up with a partner;
* 'fear of not being approved' (16%, 56);
* 'process concerns' (13%, 45) related to worries about
the assessment being too long or intrusive.
The majority of enquirers who stated that they were undecided or
still interested in applying, cited being 'unsure about
adoption' as their main reason for not doing so (54%, 156),
indicating that they might have benefited from further help in deciding
whether or not adoption was right for them. In contrast, the greatest
proportion of enquirers who stated they were unlikely to apply gave
practical reasons for their decision (46%, 27).
Seventy per cent (97) of those who had not started the adoption
process were worried about some aspect of their personal circumstances.
The top five concerns, which were comparable to previous NAW enquirers
(Simmonds, 2000), were:
* age (26%, 90);
* finances (17%, 57);
* being single (15%, 49);
* accommodation (14%, 47);
* already having children (12%, 39).
Women were four times more likely than men to have worries about
their personal circumstances, (1) a result which suggests that women
consider adoption more seriously at this initial stage compared to men
(May, 2005) and therefore are more anxious about their suitability.
Single people were also four times more likely to be concerned about
their personal circumstances than couple enquirers, (2) which may
reflect not only their lower financial status but also feelings of
disentitlement to parenthood (Owen, 1999).
Of enquirers who had not started the adoption process, some had
approached an agency for further information (see Figure 2). The
personal characteristics of this group, and whether or not they were
concerned about them, did not differ from those who had not taken any
further action after receiving the NAW pack. Reasons for not taking
their interest forward, however, were significantly associated with
approaching an agency (see Table 1). Proportionally fewer enquirers who
had done so were afraid they would not be approved compared to those who
had taken no further action. This finding indicates either that
enquirers with less anxiety are more likely to approach an agency or
that such a move offers reassurance. Proportionally more enquirers who
had approached an agency were concerned about process issues and were
unsure about adoption than those who had taken no action. This suggests
that obtaining further information may actually increase concerns about
what is involved. Similarly, there was no difference in likelihood of
applying in the future between those who had sought further information
and those who had not, indicating that approaching an agency may not
have boosted their motivation.
A small number of enquirers had withdrawn from the adoption process
(5%, 24), including four who had reached the panel stage. Although too
few to investigate statistically, they offer an insight into reasons for
this decision. Only 14 of them gave a specific reason for not continuing
the process; half gave process-related reasons, four gave personal
reasons and two were unsure about adoption. One enquirer, a single male,
was afraid that he would not be approved because of the reaction he had
received from the agency. Interestingly, seven of these enquirers stated
that they were likely to apply again for adoption in the future, with
only five dismissing this idea.
4. What characterised enquirers who started the adoption process (n
= 87)?
Eighteen per cent (87) of enquirers had started the adoption
process, meaning they were involved in the system or had a child placed
at the time of the survey. This was compared to 78 per cent (382) of
enquirers who had not done anything or merely contacted an agency. A
backward step-wise binary logistic regression was undertaken to
investigate the contribution of factors that predicted those who had
started the adoption process (1) compared to those who had not (0). The
variables entered into the regression (outlined under section 1 above)
related to personal characteristics (excluding sexuality and disability
due to low frequencies), motivation, the children available, the
expectation of the adoption process and levels of support. The final
step and best model are shown in Table 2.
As indicated in Table 2 (in the Exp b column), by far the biggest
predictor was motivation; enquirers who were interested in adoption due
to infertility were six times more likely to start the process than
those who were not and respondents aged over 40 were almost three times
more likely to have done so than those who were younger. These figures
suggest that as other options to overcome childlessness reduce, adoption
may become more attractive. Enquirers who would consider adopting a
child with learning difficulties were over two-and-a-half times more
likely to be in the 'started process' group, although it is,
of course, unknown whether they held this attitude before they applied
or were influenced by the information they received. The chances of
enquirers starting the process rose by 1.5 with every increase in the
adoption process scale, indicating that those who had applied perceived
the adoption process to be more positive than those who had not. Again,
it is unknown whether, for these enquirers, the thought of the process
was worse than the reality, or whether they had a more favourable view
of the process to begin with.
Factors which did not appear to have a significant effect in
predicting those who had started the process included ethnicity, being a
professional, working in a caring profession and regular religious
attendance. Those who had started the process did not appear to have a
preference for older children compared to those who had not taken their
interest further.
5. What characterised enquirers who were positively interested in
adopting non-infant children (n = 166)?
As an expressed preference for adopting infants or older children
was not a significant predictor of starting the adoption process, it is
likely that those who had applied will still have the same preference
for younger children as the sample as a whole. A step-wise binary
logistic regression (see Table 3) was therefore undertaken to
investigate which factors (outlined in section 1) predicted enquirers
who were positively interested in non-infant children. This was defined
as enquirers who had stated that their ideal age of adoptive child would
be three or above and they would consider adopting a child aged five or
above (accounting for 36%, 166).
As shown in Table 3, enquirers who were aged over 40 and interested
in adopting children with physical disabilities or learning difficulties
were also most interested in adopting a non-infant child. Enquirers
motivated to adopt by infertility were less likely to express such a
wish--a worrying result as they were more likely to embark on the
process.
Other than age, no particular personal characteristics were found
to be significant predictors of being positively interested in adopting
non-infant children. Perceptions of the adoption process among people in
this group were not significantly different from those who had a
preference for the younger age group and they were no more likely to
have started the adoption process. However, the variance of the model
was low (between 13% and 18%), indicating that many other factors
explain a person's interest in adopting non-infant children.
Discussion and messages for practice
Although interest in adoption remains high, there are too many
children waiting for adoptive placements and recruiting enough suitable
parents is a factor in this. This article investigates the success of a
national recruitment campaign and whether the profile of enquirers could
add insight into the likelihood of their applying for adoption and
considering non-infant children.
Before discussing the results, some limitations must be considered.
Human behaviour can rarely be fully explained by a simple set of
variables, as demonstrated by the relatively low variance explained by
the regression models. Furthermore, an enquirer's decision to apply
for adoption, and be interested in non-infant children, is affected by
many factors other than those used in this analysis. The time when the
data were collected (2004) should also be acknowledged, as this was just
before legislative changes allowing more people to adopt came into force
(Adoption and Children Act 2002). This research, therefore, cannot
assess the impact of these changes. Despite these limitations, the
findings are useful in informing and adding insight about a relatively
unknown group of potentially important people: those who respond to
adoption recruitment campaigns.
One in six enquirers to NAW went on to start the adoption process a
year after requesting the pack and only a sixth of enquirers said they
were no longer interested in adopting. Even taking into account
respondent bias, these findings suggest that the campaign is successful
in generating applications and maintaining interest. This indicates a
value-added effect (Simmonds, 2000; Geen et al, 2004); the pack can be
referred to and re-read, even if adoption is not an option in the
immediate future. Practitioners should be reassured that media campaigns
are worth all the hard work, even if the results are not immediately
visible. Approaching an agency for further information, however, did not
appear to build on enquirers' motivation to embark on the process
and may even increase concerns about adoption and the procedure
involved. Practitioners should think about the messages they want to
give at this crucial stage and obtain feedback from enquirers.
The recruitment campaign was less successful in generating interest
from a diverse range of people, with the majority of NAW enquirers
reflecting the profile of most adoptive parents, who are white
heterosexual couples (Department for Education, 2010). These enquirers
should clearly be valued and encouraged, but there is a need to recruit
from a more diverse range of people, especially relative to ethnicity in
view of the over-representation of BME children in the care system
(Department for Education, 2010). Indeed, the National Adoption
Standards (Department of Health, 2001, A9) state that 'every effort
will be made to recruit sufficient adopters from diverse
backgrounds' but there are no guidelines as to how this is best
tackled. The research has shown that this is unlikely to be achieved
solely through a national recruitment campaign, suggesting that targeted
campaigns should also be used (Simon et al, 1994; Triseliotis et al,
1997; Bausch and Serpe, 1999).
Single and gay and lesbian people have been shown to be a
potentially good resource, especially for non-infant children (Groze,
1991; Triseliotis et al, 1997; Lowe et al, 1999; Cousins, 2006), yet
were under-represented in the profile of enquirers. However, it should
be acknowledged that at the time of the survey, same-sex couples were
not legally allowed to adopt, which may account for the relatively low
numbers of such respondents. The wider impact that legislative changes
may have had on people approaching agencies and applying remains largely
unknown, but the number of actual adoptions has decreased and the
profile of adopters does not appear to have changed significantly since
the time of the survey (Department for Education, 2010). Good practice
guides exist which provide useful ideas on how to target minority
groups, such as using specialist press, publicity in the local
community, working with religious, campaigning and parenting groups, and
quick response to enquiries by staff who are representative of minority
and single enquirers (Mallon and Betts, 2005; Rule, 2006). Anecdotal
evidence from those in the field suggests that these strategies have
been shown to be helpful, but further research is needed about
successful targeted recruitment campaigns in order to inform wider
policy and guidance.
Men were also vastly underrepresented (10%) in the profile of
enquirers, a finding echoed in many other studies (eg Williams, 1992;
Simmonds, 2000; May, 2005). Parenting is believed to be more central to
women's identity (Featherstone, 2003) and it may be that they are
more internally driven. Men may have a strong desire to adopt but view
action related to family as the woman's role within the
relationship; there is also a common perception that men are slower to
accept adoption (May, 2005). It is likely that the male partners of
enquirers will read recruitment material at some point, so information
included in campaigns and sent out by agencies should address men
specifically, especially given evidence that men can feel marginalised
in the adoption process (Baumann, 1999).
Most adoptive applicants are thought to have motivations related to
infertility (Ivaldi, 2000; Wallis, 2006) and this study confirms the
importance of this group. It is notable that applicants were more likely
to be older than those who had not applied; expectations and desires to
nurture a child do not disappear because biology prevents it. As
biological options diminish, people will turn to alternatives like
adoption (van Balen et al, 1997; Daniluk and Hurtig-Mitchell, 2003;
Ward, 2009). It is therefore unsurprising that most enquirers,
especially those motivated by infertility, had a preference for younger
children and tend to approach adoption from a parent-centred viewpoint.
Recruitment practice (and the adoption process generally) has a role to
play in changing this perspective to one that is more child focused,
especially given that enquirers showed a willingness to consider older
children. Promoting the children available at information sessions
through a range of creative media has been shown to have some success in
shifting people's preferences (Cousins, 2003) but more work in this
area needs to be done.
This research suggests that the expectation of the process may be
worse than the reality, indicating that information given at the
recruitment stage needs to reduce anxieties by providing clear details
about what is involved and why, using methods such as a timeline of the
process, a frequently asked questions webpage/sheet, and accurate
accounts of adoption procedure. Information also needs to reassure
people about their suitability because, as shown in other research,
enquirers were fearful that they would not be approved (Howe, 1996; Bell
et al, 2002; Cousins, 2003; Daniluk and Hurtig-Mitchell, 2003). Findings
from this study revealed that, for some people, fear about the process
was a significant barrier to taking their interest any further. However,
it is probable that anxiety about approval reflected general anxieties
about parenting ability (Geen et al, 2004). Consequently, the
recruitment process needs to include information to reduce stress and
enhance confidence (true accounts from adoptive parents--eg James, 2006;
Wise, 2007; Ashton, 2008; Butcher, 2010--have an important role in
this). In addition, clear messages need to be given by agencies about
age, finances, single status and accommodation, all of which have been
found to be serious concerns (Simmonds, 2000; Wallis, 2006).
Single people were especially anxious about their suitability to
adopt, so tailored web pages, leaflets or information sessions can offer
specific reassurances. Suitability quizzes, such as that included in the
BBC's Family Wanted campaign, can help enquirers to self-assess
their lifestyle and emotional qualities before they even speak to an
agency which, as well as informing them about the adoption task, can
help relieve some anxieties. In the London Borough of Southwark,
follow-up calls have proved to be effective in recruiting more BME
adopters (Bell et al, 2002; Rule, 2006) and should be considered for all
enquirers. This could be especially effective for less traditional
adopters who have been shown to be potentially more positively
interested in non-infant children than infertile couples, but less
likely to start the process and more inclined to have concerns. A
follow-up call reduces the power imbalance by making enquirers feel that
the agency wants them rather than the other way round; this may increase
confidence and encourage enquirers to enter into an honest dialogue with
the agency.
For the agency, recruitment serves to enlist suitable adoptive
parents; for the enquirer, it provides information about the children
available and offers reassurances about the process and suitability.
These functions are complementary and if well implemented, should result
in more appropriate applicants coming forward.
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(1) ([chi square] (1, n = 307) = 10.43, p<0.01)
(2) ([chi square] (1, n = 306) = 14.06, p<0.01)
[c] Emma Ward 2011
Emma Ward is a Senior Research Associate, School of Social Work,
University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
Table 1
Enquirers' (who had not started the adoption process) level of
information-seeking by main reason for not starting the adoption
process
Unsure Fear of
about Personal not being Process
adoption reasons approved issues
No action 49.2% (129) 22.9% (60) 18.7% (49) 9.2% (24)
Approached agency 57.3% (55) 13.5% (13) 7.3% (7) 21.9% (21)
([chi square](3, N = 358) = 18.789, p < 0.01)
Table 2
Summary of logistic analysis variables for predicting NAW enquirers
who had started the adoption process
Confidence interval
Variable B(SE) Exp b Lower Upper Sig
Constant -13.39 0.00
(1.86)
Aged 40 or above 1.1 2.97 1.45 6.1 **
(no = 0, yes = 1) (0.37)
Motivation 1.79 6 2.66 13.6 ***
(non-infertility = 0, (0.42)
infertility = 1)
Consider learning difficulties 0.95 2.58 1.3 5.12 **
(no = 0, yes = 1) (0.35)
Adoption process score 0.43 1.53 1.34 1.76 ***
(0.07)
Family and friend support score 0.09 1.1 0.1 1.21 0.07
(0.05)
[R.sup.2] = .27 (Cox and Snell), .43(Nagelkerke). Model
[chi square] = 102.272, n = 328, p < 0.001
p < 0.05 *, p < 0.01 **, p < 0.001 ***
Table 3
Summary of logistic analysis variables for predicting NAW enquirers
who would ideally like to adopt a non-infant child
Confidence interval
Variable B (SE) Exp b Lower Upper Sig
Constant -0.54 0.58
(0.29)
Aged 40 or above 0.88 2.4 1.43 4.03 **
(no = 0, yes = 1) (0.26)
Couple status -0.54 0.59 0.33 1.04 0.07
(single = 0, (0.29)
co-habiting =1)
Motivation -0.73 0.48 0.3 0.79 **
(non-infertility = 0, (0.25)
infertility = 1)
Consider learning 0.52 1.69 1.01 2.82 *
difficulties (0.26)
(no = 0, yes = 1)
Consider physical 0.9 2.46 1.38 4.39 **
disabilities or (0.3)
chronic health condition
(no = 0, yes = 1)
[R.sup.2] = .13(Cox and Snell), .18(Nagelkerke). Model [chi square] =
45.875, n = 342, p < 0.001
p < 0.05 *, p < 0.01 **, p < 0.001 ***
Figure 2
Enquirers' place in the adoption process one year after NAW
(n = 493)
No action take 57%
Approached agency 20%
Started the adoption
Process 13%
Withdrawn from the
Adoption process 5%
Child placed 5%
Note: Table made from bar graph.
