Adoption has undergone a transformation in the last decade or so, and has brought with it new and pressing issues such as the adoption of older children from care; contact with birth families after adoption; trans-racial placement; single-person adoption; and the need for a post-adoption support service. The Department of Health has commissioned a range of studies on adoption and subsequently set up a working party - largely comprising practitioners - to review the results of these studies and draw out the implications for practice and policy. This book provides a summary of the studies involved and details the most important and reliable "messages" obtained from the research. The studies include the adoption of older children from care; contact with birth families after adoption; trans-racial placement; single-person adoption; children talking about moving to adoption; research on children adopted from Romania; and polices and practices.