Committee publication · Correspondence · 24 March 2026
Letter from The Salvation Army on Historical Forced Adoption, dated 12.06.26
From: Education Committee
Inquiry: Historical Forced Adoption
Summary
The Salvation Army responds to the Education Committee's inquiry into historical forced adoptions, acknowledging that consent for adoptions was not always meaningfully given and that some women experienced conditions falling short of acceptable standards. The organisation clarifies record-keeping practices, addresses questions about labour requirements, standards of care, and unmarked graves, and expresses commitment to listening to survivors' testimonies.
Key findings
- The Salvation Army managed approximately 850 adoptions between 1880 and 1953; after 1953, external agencies handled adoptions while the organisation continued running mother and baby homes.
- Records show approximately one-third of babies born in Salvation Army homes were adopted, one-third remained with mothers, and one-third went to foster care or children's homes.
- The organisation acknowledges that consent for adoptions 'cannot have always been meaningfully given' and that some adoptions were 'arranged against the wishes of the mother'.
- Women unable to pay for care were required to undertake domestic work described as 'house work' or laundry, often until late pregnancy, which survivors reported as physically strenuous and punitive.
- Records show burials of deceased infants were sometimes paid by local authorities and resulted in unmarked graves when families could not afford funeral costs; the organisation recognises the pain this causes survivors seeking to locate grave sites.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Colonel Peter Forrest, Helen Hayes MP, Mark Sewards MP, Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main, The Salvation Army, Education Select Committee
Notable line
“… we recognise that consent for adoptions cannot have always been meaningfully given and that some adoptions would have been arranged against the wishes of the mother.”
Key Quotes
“… we acknowledge and accept the evidence of those with lived experience who have provided testimony at the Education Select Committee and to other sources …”
“We recognise that some people's experiences in our mother and baby homes fell far short of what should have been expected and involved practices that we — and society — would not accept, advocate for, or repeat today.”
“… we recognise that consent for adoptions cannot have always been meaningfully given and that some adoptions would have been arranged against the wishes of the mother.”
“We have read and reflected on how women have described this work as physically strenuous and how it felt like being a punishment for being pregnant.”
“Being unmarried and pregnant was perilous for most women and we are sorry for the times when those most vulnerable of people turned to us for help and we fell short.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗