Mr and Mrs Clifford have adopted nine children, all older and all with a range of emotional or developmental difficulties. They believe that adopted children invariably need more than love — but training in therapeutic parenting and post-adoption support for parents is thin on the ground. The system is all about vetting, not preparation.
“During the approval process parents are asked what they can cope with. Because they are desperate to be parents, they say they can cope with anything. Instead, they should be informed clearly what the different behaviours might be, and supported to cope with it,” Mr Clifford says.
“ We have taken nine of the most damaged children, virtually unplaceable. We have kept all nine and all nine are doing well. The breakdown rate for adoption is at least one in five, probably closer to 40 per cent for older children. We must be doing something right.”