The Haven Mother and Baby Home
The Baptist Union Adoption Society and The Baptist Union of Great Britain
The Haven Mother and Baby Home operated in Yateley, Surrey, between 1945 and 1973. Since 2018 staff at the Baptist Union of Great Britain have been in touch with some who have been directly impacted by their time at or association with The Haven Mother and Baby Home run under the auspices of the Baptist Union. We have been careful to listen well to each one who wished to share their experience and we have been deeply moved by the stories we have heard.
We acknowledge the regime under which the home was run from the 1940s through to the 1970s, which was very different to the level of care we would expect today and we understand many did not experience a loving home environment whilst staying at the Haven.
We are saddened and deeply regret the difficult time many women and children staying at The Haven experienced. We are sorry for this, and that more compassion was not evident in the care received by women at these vulnerable points in their lives.
We have heard stories of babies adopted shortly after birth, in circumstances which would not be sanctioned by current adoption practices. Whilst the Haven worked in conjunction with local Social Services departments, the care for mothers and babies lay mainly with The Haven and the committee overseeing its operation. The Haven was also largely responsible for the organisation and adoption process of the babies who were adopted by other families.
As the demand for mother and babies homes diminished, The Haven was permanently shut in 1973. All the records pertaining to mothers and babies were transferred directly to Camden Social Services, which means that the Baptist Union of Great Britain hold no records of anyone who stayed at The Haven. Camden’s adoption services can now be accessed by contacting Adopt London North via ALNhistoricrecords@Islington.gov.uk
Once again we want to apologise to those mothers for whom a stay at The Haven added to their distress at such a vulnerable time in their lives.
Monday 27 October 2025.