⚠️ Welcome — Work in Progress! ⚠️
You’ve found us — hello and thank you for stopping by! This site is still very much under construction, so please take a look around and explore what we have so far. We hope you find it helpful and meaningful.
But please keep it just between us for now — we’re not quite ready to come out of the fog just yet. Your understanding and patience mean a lot as we continue to build and grow this space for adoptees, families, and allies.
Thank you for being here with us.
— The Scottish Adult Adoptee Movement (SAAM)
SAAM
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At SAAM, we believe in the power of lived experience. Every briefing, submission, and publication we create is grounded in truth — and led by adoptees.
This is where we get them telt. From consultation responses to policy proposals, media statements to educational tools — each document reflects the strength and clarity of our collective voice.
All of SAAM’s work is rooted in the original Circumstances and Recommendations paper — a project created by adoptees, for adoptees, in collaboration with birth parents, adoptive parents and professionals across the UK. This foundational body of work shaped our three core rights: Truth, Identity, and Justice.
Below you’ll find a growing archive of our work — all created to inform, advocate, and push for change across the UK.
Browse, share, and use these publications in your own advocacy.
This is how we speak truth to power. Together.
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COMING SOON
SAAM Submission Pack: Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
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Status: Submitted | Date: 2025
In response to ongoing failures by the National Records of Scotland and other state bodies regarding the unlawful use of short-form birth certificates, SAAM submitted a formal Stage 2 complaint and evidence pack to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO).
The pack includes:
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A detailed complaint summary
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Evidence of statutory failings
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Testimony from adoptees
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Legal context and precedent
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A call for systemic investigation
This marks a major step in holding institutions accountable for breaches of adoptee rights, data misuse, and a failure to uphold public transparency and duty of care.
👉 Full publication and updates coming soon.
Status: Submitted | Focus: Inclusion of Adoptees in Care-Experienced Policy
SAAM responded to the Scottish Government’s consultation on a Universal Definition of Care-Experienced. Our submission made clear: adoptees are care-experienced. We called for legal recognition of adoption as a form of state care, consistent access to support, and inclusion in protections under corporate parenting and equality legislation.
We believe that truth must be acknowledged for healing to begin.
👉 Download the submission or view the dedicated page to
explore the full content of our response.
Adoptee voices, lived truths, and bold recommendations.
As part of Scotland’s process of addressing historic adoption practices, SAAM submitted a detailed contribution to the Government’s Scoping Study. Our submission draws directly from the lived experience of adult adoptees and calls for recognition, redress, and reform.
It outlines systemic failings, long-term psychological impacts, and the urgent need for legal, cultural, and support-based change — including adoptee-led policy involvement.
We believe that truth must be acknowledged for healing to begin.
👉 Download the submission or view the dedicated page to
explore the full content of our response.
The voice of lived experience — in writing.
The SAAM Recommendations document is where the campaign began. Developed by adoptees, for adoptees — and in collaboration with birth and adoptive families — this paper lays out the core concerns and proposed changes needed to protect and uphold adoptee rights in the UK.
It is the foundation of everything we do.
Inside, you'll find clear calls for reform across identity, autonomy, access to records, and legal protections — grounded in real-life experience and human rights principles.
👉 Download the PDF or visit the full page to explore
the recommendations in detail and see how they
continue to guide SAAM's national work.
With Gratitude
SAAM would like to extend our deepest thanks to Paul Brian Tovey — an adoptee and long-time advocate who has worked tirelessly to capture and reflect the lived experiences of adult adoptees in lay survey's.
Paul’s dedication to truth-telling, peer led activism, and mental health advocacy has helped ensure that adoptee voices are not only heard, but honored.
His work continues to inspire and strengthen the movement for adoptee rights across the UK.
In the first UK adoptee-led study of its kind, Paul Brian Tovey worked with fellow adoptee Suzann together they captured the voices of adult adoptees through a lived experience lens — offering insight into the lifelong impacts of adoption, identity loss, and structural exclusion.
Building on this work, Paul later embarked on a global study, reaching beyond UK borders to connect with adoptees internationally. His cross-border research explored common themes of displacement, silence, and resilience shared across diverse adoption systems.
Support SAAM's Work
We’re raising funds to support the next stage of our work — from tech and tools to campaign materials and our first national adoptee-led event in November.
Your donation will help us stay visible, connected, and powerful as we fight for adoptee identity, truth, and justice.
🖤 Please support our GoFundMe here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/power-to-adoptees-support-saams-work-for-identity-and-just
Thank you for standing with adult adoptees.
Adoptee Rights UK
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🗣️ Support the Rights of Adoptees – Take Action Now
The Scottish Adult Adoptee Movement (SAAM) is fighting for truth, justice, and lifelong dignity for all adopted people — but we can't do it alone. If you believe every person deserves the right to know who they are, access their full legal history, and be free from lifelong legal fictions, we need your voice.
Here’s how you can support the campaign:
🔁 Share our message
🌐 Spread the word
📝 Write to your elected representatives
📣 Raise awareness
🧾 Support our demand
This is not just about the past. It’s about the legal status,
and human rights of living adults today.
📬 Contact us: scottishaam@gmail.com
📢 Use the hashtags: #AdopteeRightsUK #AdoptionReform #RightToKnow