Family-friendly working has come a long way-from flexible hours and remote policies to enhanced parental leave. But adoptive families’ needs often go unseen, despite facing some of the most complex challenges in family life.

At Adoption UK, we work every day with adoptive parents and adopted adults who are navigating not only the highs and lows of family life but also the lasting impact of early trauma, identity loss, and complex care needs. And increasingly, we’re hearing the same thing:

“We need our workplaces to better
understand and support us.”

What adoptive families face at work

Earlier this year, through our Adoption Barometer, the UK’s largest annual survey of adopters and adoptees, we asked about workplace experience:

• 65% had taken time off work in the past year due to physical or mental health needs
• 55% said adoption or care experience is not addressed in their employer’s EDI training
• 24% didn’t feel their employer understood their needs as an adoptive parent
• 31% felt embarrassed or upset by how colleagues talked about adoption

But behind these statistics are real stories:

• The parent who used all their annual leave to attend trauma-informed education meetings.
• The adult adoptee who hides their care background for fear of bias.
• The team leader navigating sleepless nights, specialist care appointments, and their own mental health while still meeting deadlines

Why being family-friendly must include the adoption community

Family-friendly working policies are often designed around more typical family journeys. But for adoptive families, the landscape is different:

• Parenting can begin at any age
• Children may arrive with high levels of need, requiring therapeutic care and flexible support
• The effects of early trauma are lifelong, and can have a direct impact on work-life balance

What these families need from their employers isn’t just flexibility, it’s understanding, trauma-awareness, and practical, informed support.

What adoptive families are asking for

When we asked the adoption community what would make their work lives more manageable, their responses were strikingly clear:

• 70% want adoption-aware training for employers and managers
• 63% want Employee Assistance Programmes to include specialist support for care experienced families
• 49% want workplace peer groups for carers of care-experienced children

These are practical, achievable actions that can make a lasting difference.

How employers can learn more

Supporting adoptive families in the workplace isn’t about reinventing your people strategy – it’s about broadening your understanding of what family support really means.

Our Adoption UK Employers Hub is a free, online resource offering:

• Key facts and insights about adoption and the workplace
• Downloadable factsheets for HR and people managers
• Guidance on creating adoption-aware policy and practice
• Information on our support services, including training

By taking small, informed steps, employers can create a culture where adoptive families and care-experienced individuals feel seen, supported, and valued. Together, we can build workplaces that support all families

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Explore the Adoption UK Employers Hub here: Employers support hub – supporting employers to create inclusive workplaces

Find out how family-friendly your workplace is – take the Self-Assessment.