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Journal of Social Work
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Over Half a Million Fathers

An Exploration into the Experiences of Fathers Involved in Adoption in the Mid-20th Century in England and Wales

Celia Witney

chwitn{at}ntlworld.com

• Summary: Very little is known about the almost a million unmarried fathers whose children were lost to adoption in England and Wales in the mid-20th century.1 Between the first Adoption Act and the present day nearly 900,000 adoptions have taken place.

• Findings: In the context of the social conditions of the years between 1926 and the present, the data report the experiences and reflect the emotions of the original fathers concerning the discovery of their partner’s pregnancy, the process of the child’s adoption and their searching and sometimes reunion with their adult adopted individuals. The study consists of self-selected contributors and does not claim to be representative of all unmarried fathers.

• Applications: The reasons why these men were excluded from the decision concerning the child’s adoption are posited. Original parents now have the right to apply for information concerning their adopted adult children and it is likely that social workers will be contacted by the original fathers as well as other individuals in the biological family.

Key Words: adoption • biological fathers • contact • exclusion • loss • original fathers

Journal of Social Work, Vol. 5, No. 1, 83-99 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/1468017305051461
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