A survey, published last week by Action for Children, formerly NCH,asked 1,000 adults their views on adoption.
Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed said that they were againstsingle people adopting, and 38 per cent said gay couples should not beallowed to adopt; among those who objected to single or gay coupleadoptions, 87 per cent said it was because they thought that childrenneed both a male and female role model, and three-quarters said singleor gay couple adoptions would lead to the breakdown of the traditionalfamily.
Only one in ten people questioned said that they were likely to consideradopting a child.
The survey, entitled Who should be allowed to adopt?, also revealeddifferences between men and women about views on who should andshouldn't be allowed to adopt. Half of the men questioned thought thatsingle men should not be allowed to adopt, compared with only 35 percent of women, while 38 per cent of men thought that single women shouldnot be allowed to adopt, compared with 23 per cent of women.
Theresa, a single parent who adopted an eight-year-old girl two yearsago through Action for Children, said, 'People think that single parentsshould not adopt, because they will not be able to afford to raise achild on their own or because they think children need both parents. Ithink the most important thing is that you can offer the security andstability that a child needs. A child will get exposed to both gendersin a typical family environment anyway, whether that is a grandparent oran uncle or a friend. Another thing that people should realise is thatif a child has been through some sort of trauma, it may not beappropriate for them to be placed with people of both genders.'
Susan Cotton, adoption manager at Action for Children, said, 'Thesefindings are shocking and disappointing. Families in the 21st centurycome in all shapes and sizes. We have successfully placed children withboth gay couples and single people. We know it works.'