Adoptive parents’ experiences of birth parent contact in the years after placement

Janes, Edward, Paine, Amy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9025-3719, Holland, Sarah ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7600-3855 and Shelton, Katherine ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1311-5291 2025. Adoptive parents’ experiences of birth parent contact in the years after placement. Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Science Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Objective: We analyzed longitudinal data from adoptive parents to consider changes in the nature and experience of indirect contact with birth parents. Background: Adoption can offer stability to children who are unable to remain in the care of their birth family. Indirect contact between adopted children and birth parents can be beneficial, but poor implementation can be destabilizing. Method: We used survey and interview data from a prospective longitudinal study of adoptive families in Wales. Descriptive analysis was used to characterize contact and support needs. Thematic analysis enabled consideration of why contact changed over time. Results: Indirect contact decreased over time. Key themes included adoptive parents’ perceptions and experiences of contact, perceptions of birth family, and varying experiences of services affecting the seeking of professional support for contact. Conclusion: The study demonstrates adoptive parents’ commitment to contact but gives new insights on why indirect contact can be hard to maintain. We also consider these findings alongside research into direct contact where adoptive parents reported greater long-term contact but a different set of challenges. Implications: Adoptive and birth parents should be supported when implementing indirect contact and if contact falters. Resolving implementation issues for individual families should be prioritized.

Item Type:	Article
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Psychology Research Institutes & Centres > Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Uncontrolled Keywords:	adoption, birth parents, contact, letterbox
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	0197-6664
Funders:	Welsh Government, Waterloo Foundation (Grant 738/3512), Economic and Social Research Council (Grant ES/T00049X/1)
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	14 August 2025
Date of Acceptance:	12 August 2025
Last Modified:	15 Aug 2025 14:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/180420

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