‘We lacked crucial information about the child’s ethnicity and cultural background…’: Challenging post-racial phantasmagoria and promoting race intentionality in transracial adoption

The experiences of transracially adopted individuals remain diverse, with some narratives revealing ongoing challenges related to racial trauma and identity outcomes. This suggests that cultural considerations within the child welfare system may not always be fully realised. In this study, we apply the concept of ‘post-racial phantasmagoria' as a critical lens to explore the extent to which current social work practices are equipped to address and prevent racial trauma in transracial adoption. Existing challenges around identity are caused by visible and invisible systemic barriers, and colour-blindness resulting in unmet identity needs and identity erasure. Through qualitative co-creation focus groups with a total of 55 participants based in England – including social workers, adoptees and adoptive parents – a significant need was identified for early planning and preparation in transracial adoption, along with the importance of good collaboration with birth families to better understand children’s identity needs before care proceedings get underway to ensure they are considered throughout the adoption process. Our findings indicate that intentional engagement in transracial adoption practice with all involved parties may help to address some of the risks associated with post-racial phantasmagoria; however, further research and ongoing dialogue are needed to fully understand and respond to these complex challenges.