“Your Lord has not forsaken you”: Interrogating Socio-Political and Theological Reasons for the lack of Adopters and Foster Carers from Muslim backgrounds in Britain

All children need permanent, caring and secure homes in which they can grow and thrive. There are more than 4500 Muslim-heritage children in the UK who cannot live with their biological families. For some of these children, ethnically and religiously matched homes can lead to more secure futures; however, there is a shortage of Muslim-heritage carers. This article examines the reasons for the lack of Muslim-heritage adopters or foster carers in the UK by combining understandings from Islamic religious texts, contemporary British social work practice, and sociological analysis of children's experiences. The empirical findings presented here are based on semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 41) with various professionals and carers involved in the care of Muslim-heritage children. Our evidence uncovers specific socio-cultural, political and theological barriers that hinder carers of Muslim backgrounds from coming forward to adopt or foster. By better understanding these barriers, this article provides an evidence base to inform social work policy and practice to enhance recruitment of carers from Muslim backgrounds. The data presented in the paper also contributes to raising awareness within Social Work practice and Muslim communities around the needs of vulnerable children, to improve their life outcomes.