Mixed-Race: Parenting Book – a look at new adoption guidance
Alex 2 March 2011
‘Instead of placing obstacles in the way of families seeking to adopt a child of different ethnicity, they should be properly trained to cater for its cultural needs.’
During 2010, around 20% of the 2300 children waiting to be adopted in the UK were ethnic minorities. Moreover, experts say that 1 in 5 of those children will never be adopted….
Current guidance that social workers must give “due consideration to the child’s religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background” has often been misinterpreted to mean that adoptive parents must share the same ethnicity as the child.
The new Department of Education guidance for the adoption of ethnic minority children will soon be experiencing radical changes as barriers are lifted for white couples adopting ethnic minority children.
‘Instead of placing obstacles in the way of families seeking to adopt a child of different ethnicity, they should be properly trained to cater for its cultural needs.’ (Mail Online, 20th February 2011).
It is not always about having mixed-race parents; it is about having good parents. But, even good parents cannot be expected to have all of the answers. Mix-d: is developing a Mix-d: Parenting book which will encompass experiences, thoughts and feelings from the experts on parenting: the parents!
It is impossible to create a “how-to” book for raising children, and this is certainly not an impossibility which the Mix-d: Parenting book seeks to remedy. Instead, the book will act as guidance for good parents who want to become better parents to their children. Issues surrounding hair care and skin care will be contained within the book; as well as common medical issues and also a look into the questions frequently asked by mixed-race children, which may relate to their cultural needs or mix-d experiences.
Tony Blair’s proposal to update the Adoption Act 2002 to allow same sex couples to adopt was a step in the right direction, but there remains a sense that the focus is on the “category” of the parent (i.e. gay/white/black/single/married) and not good parenting as a whole. Updating legislation and departmental guidance to fit with the current moral fabric of society is a great revolution; however, it important to relate new guidance to what is happening on the ground. In terms of adoption, the Mix-d: Parenting book will be a sound link between adoption guidance and adoption in practice. It will act as a user-friendly and accessible resource for those raising, or planning to raise, mixed-race children.
Mix-d: Parenting Book – coming soon!
*Could you contribute to the Mix-d: Parenting book? If you are a parent/carer of mixed-race children and wish to share your experiences, please contact alexandra@mix-d.org*