A strategy to value identity and connectionA strategy to value identity and connection
This week we are concluding our introduction to the forthcoming CVAA Strategy 2024-27, which launches this week, and delving deeper into our final strategic priorities – identity and connection. We know from adoptees and from research that the loss that has been historically involved in adoption means that gaps emerge in the lives of adopted people and manifest themselves in a range of ways. Just searching for ‘loss and adoption’ on the internet reveals the scale of what this looks like.
In response to this, work is already happening across the adoption sector in the UK to change practice, update legislation and improve outcomes, which all feeds into the overall concept of modernising adoption. This includes the important work of the Public Law Working Group on Adoption who published their interim report last year which you can read our response to here.
However, if we understand what the impact of loss in adoption is, it is imperative that we work towards minimising the negative effects.
In 2022 PAC-UK focussed on the ‘Voices of adopted people – identity and relationships’ for their conference which can be viewed here. CVAA is also committed to listening to adoptees and learning from them as we continue the journey of shaping the future of adoption. Part of our ambition is making adoption fit for the next generation but to do this effectively we have to also understand the expectations that the next generation will have of an intervention such as adoption. This debate generates many different viewpoints, including whether adoption should exist at all, and we believe that this is a question that should always remain one to be posed, because complacency can mean that adoption services are not as good as they can be or should be.
CVAA wants all children being adopted across the UK, whether from care or abroad, to be placed with adoptive families who are well prepared, supported and steeped in understanding the impact of adoption on the life of their child and their whole family. The concepts of identity and connection therefore are crucial in this understanding and must be overlayed with the deepest empathy possible. No one who is not adopted can understand how it really feels but we do know that the impact is lifelong, which is why the role that VAAs play in supporting children and families is so important.
It is also why alongside launching our strategy we will also be publishing a new paper My People which lays out our vision for a new network and hub that can help better support adopted children to maintain relationships with the people who are important to them. We hope this will be an important first step towards ensuring all adopted children can develop a full sense of self and make sense of their early life experiences as they grow, ultimately shaping an adulthood where they can truly thrive.
Warm regards,
Satwinder
