Ms Siobhan Mugan:

With regard to compelling reasons, many birth mothers, when first approached, might not have any recollection of the adoption at all due to the trauma suffered at the time. This would come as a shock. Some of the women are now in their 80s and this would have happened 30 or 40 years ago. Many of them would have been married for a long time and have grown-up families and grandchildren. They would never have told anybody anything about this.

The 12-week period is an issue because we must build trust with these people to work with them. We must give them time to come to terms with what happened in the past and an opportunity for them to speak to their husbands, partners, children and, potentially, grandchildren and wider family members. We must remember that when these people handed over their children for adoption, whether they wanted to or not, there were societal pressures. They were made to feel very bad about their cases and, although society has changed, they have continued to live with this all their lives. Nobody has told them that it is okay or whatever. They are reliving that time and trauma. Much of the work we do with these women is about spending time with them, counselling them and supporting them in working through the issue and the possibility of some sort of a contact, even if it is a phone call, letter or permission for some information to be shared. The 12-week period is very tight for that. The committee can imagine any of us having to tell a secret we have held for 40 years, so we need a bit more time for assimilation. These women are in their 80s, so it is not easy.

Compelling reasons brought to us by some people might include them not telling their husband, for example, their partner or the wider family. They may feel that these people may leave or that the mental health distress of reliving the trauma of 30 or 40 years ago could mean they need mental health services. In that sense, should we add to the stress by saying that the information will be issued in any case? We have to meet a few women in car parks or in very isolated areas so they are not identified. It is about working through the process with them, as these women can be very distressed.

There was a question about metrics. We have expanded metrics to give a bit more information. In the past, there was much anecdotal information about who was searching, whether we found people and if there were many refusals. There is more on which to expand. With adoptions today, we inform people of the process in information sessions when they come forward to say they are interested in adoption. We outline eligibility and the likelihood of getting a child at the end of this process. That is done initially when people come forward and it is talked through in the entire assessment process.