A message from Lynn Perry, chief executive of Barnardo’s:
“Historic forced adoptions caused profound and lifelong harm to many children, parents and families. At Barnardo’s, we’ve been deeply moved and humbled by the brave testimonies of mothers, adopted children and their families.
“We fully acknowledge the role Barnardo’s played in this history - and we apologise unreservedly to all those impacted.
“As a charity, we’re committed to making sure we continue to learn from adoptees, birth parents and adopters and all those with lived experience as well as our partners across the sector.
"We also remain committed to making it as easy as possible for people to access their records and those of their relatives and stand ready to support the introduction of a single point of access. We also have support in place ready for anyone who wishes to come to us directly from our dedicated Making Connections service, which holds the archive of records for every child who has been cared for in a Barnardo’s home, school or family placement since the organisation began. Please contact us at www.barnardos.org.uk/get-support/services/making-connections.”