UPDATE 28.11.23 : The conference was given technical support by Adoption UK Scotland, which has been confirmed by the adoption charity. The “in-person” day in Edinburgh on November 23 was funded by Adoption UK Scotland, which has also been confirmed by the adoption charity.
With thanks to Paul Tovey for alerting us to this development.
Welcome to another week.
The Scottish Adult Adoptee Movement, a group of adult adoptees based in Scotland (SAAM)working to change the narrative on adoption in Scotland, has launched a two-day online conference called “Listen, It’s Lifelong,” which will highlight “the profound complexities that Adoption places on Adoptees.”
The conference will take place from 20th of November to 21st of November.
The group is also holding an “Adult Adoptee Only” in-person day, on the 23rd of November in Edinburgh.
The Eventbrite page offers the following information about the conference:
“This year during Adoption Week Scotland 2023, we will hear the story of Adoption’s own evolution from pre-1926 legislation to current practices. In presenting a combination of research and narrative perspectives on history alongside current action at home and abroad, the Scottish Adult Adoptee Movement is creating space for a new conversation. This is needed to address the lifelong, profound complexities that Adoption places on Adoptees. As Scotland continues its work to “Keep The Promise”, we will explore together where Adoption has been, is now, and can be in the future. However Adoption evolves, it will be all the better by including the lived experience, the insight, and the clarity of viewpoint that non-dependant Adult Adoptees can bring.”
The page also offers a breakdown of the speakers for the seminars:
DAY 1
Monday 20th November 2023
09.00 Dr Josie Pearce – The History of Separation’ – How the Road to Hell was Paved with Good Intentions
10.30 Dr Emily Hipchen – Origins, Relinquishment, Adoption, Frankenstein
12.00 Dr Michael Lambert – On the record or off the case? Archival sources of forced adoption by the British welfare state
14.30 Davie Donaldson– The Cruelty – A Child Unclaimed. BBC Radio Scotland series
16.00 Dr Gary Clapton – Birth Fathers Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: The Personal, The Professional and The Research
Day 2
Tuesday 21st November 2023
09.00 Adoptee Rights Australia – What’s changed 10 years on from the National Australian Apology.
10.30 Jennifer Mcrae – The Clean Break of Adoption, Is the Future as Clean?
12.00 Garry Sturrock, Senior Associate at Brodies LLP – The myth of the adoption fairytale.
13.00 Maggie Mellon – Parents Advocacy.
14.00 Georgie Hosking – Wave Truse, 70/30 Campaign
15:00 Who Cares? Scotland -Lifelong Rights and Support Campaign
14.00 Wave Trust, Georgie Hosking – 70/30 Campaign ACES
16.00 Scottish Adult Adoptee Movement – Adoptee Rights our key asks
You can register to attend the online seminars here.
Researching Reform 
Any ambiguity is at least partly cleared up, that this was an independently financed adoptee event by Scottish adoptees …SAAM is not fully independent at all in that sense. Adoption UK and it appears Adoption UK Scotland are operations trying to assimilate adult adoptees as they can – bit by bit – and that carries with it the sense in which any adoptee reform energy will be too shaped by those operations which is inside a conflict of interest for some of us as adoptees .. There are adoptees that will conform to the adoption ethos that it’s somehow okay but there are plenty who do not experience that at all. What seems to drive some adoptees towards these UK Adoption orgs is ambition for careers or some kind of hope that there might be more leverage for counselling or some other kind of moderate need.. Some believe too in the good of adoption because some had successful adoptions … Plenty do not and plenty have too much pain driving them created by adoption itself ..I see little hope in the various UK adoptee groups it because it’s “Adoption as usual” and most of the so called 2021/2 “Historic” Forced Adoption ethos, which bonded many UK adoptees like SAAM and indeed in the Adult Adoptee Movement have missed the importance of CURRENT Forced Adoptions out and served themselves up on the altar of a drive to influence … Influence what though ? Reform ? Reform of what? More counselling? That’s more on the wider market now with Ofsted’s Nov 2023 removal of their perverse post adoption regulations of Adult Adoptee Counselling Regs… So what’s next? Media appearances ? What for? Reform of Adoption ? What reform? At least one adoptee reformist named “Dawn mac” has good ideas about obtaining medical information for adoptees who need it because of genes for various cancers . Good luck with that. Where are the rest going ? That’s anyone’s guess apart from selling books and doing media appearances about personal pain. The way to truly stop FUTURE adoptees being hurt by dislocated identity as many are, is to reform by collective pressure the Right to Revoke … Thus making revocation an ordinary human right to regain identity at 18+ .. This is the very thing the establishment resists with it’s claims or “irrevocability” and “lifelong adoption” . Read case law you’ll see it often enough mentioned.. But, what about if adoption is damaging and personalities are hurt enough to say : “No I refuse to be “adopted” and I want to be my owned birth self I was born with and it’s name/identity” ? … Well Revocation Rights answers that.Adoptee activists if they are that, do not appear to have any strategy for Revocation .. Thus they are trapped inside “Adoption as usual”. Perhaps that is why current Forced Adoptions do not matter to them .. They are not looking to stop that in the future and to stop more kids from having dislocated identity senses ..Adoption as usual quite frankly would not stand up to Revocation Rights denting it’s claims for “life” .. 18+ Revocation Rights would quench adoption .. The last words can go to SAAM and their lead who it appears has a very close relationship with AdoptionUK Scotland. From their site : “We were delighted to welcome the Scottish Adult Adoptee Movement (SAAM) to Adoption Week Scotland 2023. SAAM is a group of adult adoptees working to change the narrative around adoption and give a voice to adoptees in Scotland. Fiona Menzies-Henderson, from SAAM, explains why it’s so important to listen to adult adoptees and how working with AUK Scotland is an opportunity to share their lived experiences of adoption.”Will independent adoptee activism in the UK survive now? It appears it will remain as it was before the manipulations of the various Inquiries on “historic” (but not current) Forced Adoptions in 2021..My guess is people will be disappointed in time and wonder what it was that was being altered in the “narrative of adoption ” .. I see little altering .. Paul Brian Tovey – Adoptee from “Adoptee Watch” Nov 28th 2023.
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