The shortfall in British adoptions
The cost-of-living crisis has hurt children and prospective parents
If “Oliver Twist” were written today, it would be different in many ways. One of them might be the ending. In Charles Dickens’s novel, Oliver is adopted by Mr Brownlow, a benefactor, without any trouble. Today Mr Brownlow would go through a fine-grained background check. His mansion would be inspected for safety and he’d be strongly advised to volunteer with children. If he liked a pipe after dinner, he could end up being rejected for smoking.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Match postponed”
Britain October 26th 2024
- Britain’s prison service is caught in a doom loop
- How to hold armed police to account in Britain
- Why “The Rest Is Politics”, a British podcast, is a hit
- Britain is a world leader in pet health care
- Scotland’s failure to build homes is mainly due to its government
- The shortfall in British adoptions
- King’s Cross, a miracle in London
From the October 26th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Are British voters as clueless as Labour’s intelligentsia thinks?
How the idea of false consciousness conquered the governing party
The best British companies to work for to get ahead
A new ranking of firms by pay, promotions and hiring practices
How the best British employers find and promote their staff
No degree? Some employers care much less than others
A tiny island fights the scourge of plastic on the beach
A Northern Irish experiment in recycling
A sticking-plaster policy for Britain’s strained courts
Magistrates get more power. Will they get punch-drunk on it?