CVAA Launches My People a vision for a new network and hub to support adopted children’s relationships with those that matter to themCVAA Launches My People a vision for a new network and hub to support adopted children’s relationships with those that matter to them
The evidence for children maintaining positive and meaningful, lasting relationships with the birth families they have been separated from, as well as other significant people in their early lives, has grown and strengthened. This is true across the spectrum, for children in care as much as those who have been adopted,.. The latest studies also show that high-quality contact is closely linked with children’s ability to make sense of their own personal stories and whole their emerging identities, and to develop a sense of understanding about who they are and what they have experienced. Yet, across the entire care system, practice is lagging far behind what the latest evidence is saying, despite the will from many families and practitioners to modernise and improve how children remain connected with their families of origin.
That’s why CVAA is delighted to today being launching ‘My People’, our vision for a new network and hub, that would generate cross-sector collaboration, to consolidate, expand and sustain work being done in adoption services to strengthen the experiences of children after they are adopted. Specifically, My People is dedicated to preserving children’s lifelong connections with their birth families and other key people in their lives.
The My People proposal has four core goals:
1. Hosting an online resource for making practical information on supporting children’s lifelong relationships easily available for children, their carers’, and families – realising the rights and aspirations of care experienced people and creating efficiencies for local authorities and adoption agencies who would no longer have to duplicate these resources.
The hub would be backed up by an experienced practitioner acting as co-ordinator to manage, assess and signpost enquiries.
2. Developing knowledge and expertise among professionals, through the network being a maintained as an up-to-date central source of guidance, research and best practice relating to preserving and promoting children’s connections at each stage of their development.
3. Evolving cultures and entrenched ways of thinking about contact and connections by working closely with practitioners across the sector to pool resources, reassess ideas and explore barriers which may be obstructing progress. Additionally, by drawing upon the newly created support network of ‘connection champions’ the network would spark new
thinking and expertise among leaders in workforces to take back and embed into their local organisations and services.
4. Co-ordinating delivery at local level with VAAs and RAAs and gathering data to understand the structure of support services today, to inform an insight-driven strategy for funding support services tomorrow. Mapping where support for families is most needed, and in what form, to ensure that all children and families are treated with equity wherever they live and have equal access to flexible support.
You can download a copy of the full report here.