Britain | Match postponed

The shortfall in British adoptions

The cost-of-living crisis has hurt children and prospective parents

A child sitting on the floor waiting to be adopted.
Illustration: Hokyoung Kim

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.

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This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Match postponed”

From the October 26th 2024 edition

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