The Church of England has apologised for its role in historical adoption practices, particularly in its mother and baby homes.
In a statement, the Archbishop of Canterbury Most Rev Dame Sarah Mullally said the church is "profoundly sorry for the pain, trauma and stigma experienced - and still carried" by mothers and adoptees.
The CofE said it's likely tens of thousands of mothers and babies were in church-linked homes between 1949 and 1976 with many separated by forced adoption and made to endure cruel practices. It’s understood the Church was involved in around 200 mother and baby homes during this period, with some run directly by dioceses, but many were run independently, so oversight varied. The Church’s Moral Welfare Council (later the Board for Social Responsibility) provided guidance that mothers and babies should be kept together where possible, however, the Church said it was aware this wasn’t always followed in practice.
In its apology, the Church said while there were examples of kindness and care in some homes, “many people have described experiences of harm and lasting trauma associated with their time in these settings”.
The apology has been published alongside new research into the homes, with accounts describing people being categorised or treated differently because of physical disability or the colour of their skin, including being considered less likely to be adopted or placed into long-term institutional care.
Giving the apology on behalf of the Church of England, Archbishop Sarah said: “We are profoundly sorry for the pain, trauma and stigma experienced - and still carried - by many people because of historical adoption practices in homes affiliated to the Church of England.
“We have heard first-hand the accounts of mothers who were separated from their babies in circumstances where they had very few meaningful choices.
“We know that many women and girls were at times made to carry out menial and manual work as a form of ‘correction’.”
She added that the Church recognised that in some cases prejudice, including on the grounds of race and disability, had shaped and defined experiences and outcomes.
Addressing those affected, Archbishop Sarah said they had wrongly been made to feel ashamed, and that the Church was “deeply ashamed that this happened to people in the care of Christian communities”. Acknowledging that the impact for many had been “lifelong”, the archbishop vowed that the practices “must never happen again. We will not condone or repeat them. Our commitment now is to listen, to lament and to learn – to acknowledge this history and respond with openness, reflection and learning, and to ensure that this leads to change”.
Last week, Premier Christian News reported that documents containing allegations of historical abuse at a former Church of England maternity home were being passed to Cumbria Constabulary.
The Diocese of Carlisle welcomed the report into the former St Monica’s maternity home in Kendal which closed in 1970. It said it continues to offer its “heartfelt apologies” to those people affected by accounts of malpractice at the home.
In 2016 the Catholic Church apologised to those who were forced to give children up for adoption in Catholic-run homes.
Earlier this week, the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the government would "very soon" make an apology to those affected in England.