A Life’s Story NAW 2022
Unwrapping Christmas Meals
"For many of us, our enjoyment and experience of food is something we take for granted, particularly at this time of year. Here are four things that might mean food at Christmas has to look a little different for some families."
This is a really useful article when considering why it is okay for Christmas dinner to look at little different for some children that have been adopted.
https://homeforgood.org.uk/unwrapping-christmas-meals?fbclid=IwAR0MSg1qxyoY21JvrbAkE0ZwfnvOB0GEbCnmjTQxONqUU3-9SMVo8USYN3A
Our thanks to Home for Good for this one.
Christmas Mental Health
These are some top tips, not exclusively for families with adoptive children, but helpful to all when thinking about how to negiotate the fesitve seasion.
https://dandeliontraininganddevelopment.com/2021/12/8-ways-to-protect-mental-wellbeing-at-christmas
CHRISTMAS OPENING
We will be closed for the Christmas and New Year Bank Holidays, but there will be staff available between Christmas and New Year. It will be business as usual from January 2nd.
If you need to contact us for a support enquiry, please either phone 03303 550 333 or email duty@adoptionwest.co.uk and someone will respond as soon as they are able.
If you are thinkign about how to become an adopter, head over to our webspage, which is always available!
At a time when national statistics reveal that black and mixed heritage children wait for the longest for an adoptive family, we want to raise awareness that the key attributes for adopting a child is providing a loving, safe, stable home.
As with all children placed for adoption, it is essential that adopters can help the child/ren they adopt understand and explore their ethnicity and cultural heritage.
Older child
Complex needs
and the much disliked phrase 'Harder to place'
These are terms that have been used in the adoption world for a long time. we are thankfully moving away from.
But, what do they mean? The truth is, they are social worker jargon and essentially they are descriptions of children. That's right , simply just children.
Little human beings that have been through a huge amount in their lives and need adults that can step-up and advocate for them, nurture them, support them (through the rough and the smooth), and ultimately let them be children and experience all the wonderful things children should experience.
Adoption is not a quick fix, it requires dedication, perseverance, patience, energy and empathy by the bucket load. We are here to support you on this journey, all the way, please get in touch.
We encourage all prospective adopters to consider Early Permanence as a route to their family.
“The outcome for us was positive as the child we had in an early permanence placement has stayed with us, meaning we had them 4 or 5 months earlier than we otherwise would have – this enabled us to work on attachment at a critical stage, which we would have missed out on if they’d gone through traditional adoption. The process was incredibly challenging but worth it a hundredfold.”
Over the previous 12 months, we have seen an increase in the number of requests for Early Permanence Carers, coming from the Local Authorities we work with. This means we need people to come forward that would seriously consider this as an option.
Please look at our website to learn more about Early Permanence. link in our LinkTree
Adoption is not a line in the sand between one life and another. Historically, adoption was often seen as secretive and hidden, with little information and support provided to help adopted people understand their history and maintain connections with their birth family. However, it is now considered vital that adopted people have a good understanding of their history and reason why they were adopted to help form a positive sense of identity.
"“We take each day as it comes and acknowledge that even the smallest things take time. But together we celebrate every achievement regardless of what it may be." quote from Debbie an adopter with our neighbouring agengcy ASW.
Adopting a child with disabilities has unique challenges, but the rewards for the child, and you as their parent, are huge.
On average children with a disability wait 11 months longer to be adopted, we need to change that, and in order to do that we need people to come forward to adopt that are willing to explore and consdier what adopting a child with diabsilites could look like for thier family.
**Early Permanence**
If you are consdiering adoption, now is the time to start your resaerch on what this term means.
Early Permanence is usually, but not exclusively, used for babies and young children coming into care, they have a high risk of being unable to return safely to the care of their birth families. They are likely to need adoption but still have a chance of being reunited with their birth families. If the court decides a child’s future is best protected by adoption, the child already has a secure attachment to their carers who are now able to adopt the child.
This is a brief overview, you can find out more by visiting our website - link on LinkTree
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