Adoption UK is 50! A big milestone, and an opportunity to pause, reflect and plan for the future For 50 years we have supported, advocated, championed and been there for adoptive families around the UK. Today our cause is as clear and compelling as ever; to secure the right support at the right time for the children at the heart of every adoptive and kinship care family. These are tough times for every family, but particularly for those parenting children who've experienced trauma. Today, the average age for a child to be placed for adoption is 3, by which time most will have had grim early years. In the 1970s the legacy of early childhood trauma was poorly recognised and even more poorly understood. Since then we've learned so much about the need to support parents and professionals, mostly by listening to adopters and adopted people. The children at the heart of our organisation deserve everything we can do to give them an equal chance after the most unequal starts.