What Social Workers need to know when assessing and supporting adoptive parents with children affected by FASD

Who this is for

Adoption practitioners and managers (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies, Local Authorities, and independent social workers), children’s social care services, children and family social workers, foster carers, kinship carers, designated teachers, and other professionals working with children and families.

Details

‘Of all the substances of abuse (marijuana, cocaine, and heroin), alcohol produces significantly more serious neuro-behavioural effects to an unborn child’.  Research estimates 1/50 children are affected by FASD with as many as 75% of Looked After Children at risk through documented exposure (The Peterborough Study).

For many adopters looking to build a family, the uncertainties that come with the diagnosis, or even the possibility of one, feel too overwhelming for them to take on and outweigh their confidence to parent. Horror stories, bad press, stigma, academic overload and fuzzy guidance all play their part in making a complex condition feel undoable.

The role of the social worker is absolutely critical in building adopters’ level of confidence. Informal feedback (which you will see) suggests ways that adopters feel the current approach could be more effective and fruitful by understanding a few of the key issues in a practical way.

That’s the focus of this session. We will be taking an honest look at the main concerns for adopters and a practical approach to how we address them a social workers so that our FASD families thrive. I’ll be candidly sharing my own experiences as an adopter and letting you hear first-hand from my daughter what has worked.

Learning 0utcomes

• To understand some of the main concerns and struggles that adopters face;
• To know how to effectively support adopters in a meaningful and way as they navigate the education system and face the many barriers to a diagnosis.
• To have a practical knowledge of the changes to the NICE guidelines and what they mean for FASD families.

About the trainer

Joy Hopgood-Gravett

A teacher by trade, a foster carer turned adopter by life’s twists and turns. Speaker, trainer, and fierce advocate for children with FASD since it casually waltzed into my life 16 years ago weighing 4lb11.

I’ve spent a lot of time in recent years supporting the adults who support children affected by FASD… I like to think I help them untangle it and see some of the potential and beauty it holds. Teachers, adopters, carers, social workers, even the occasional doctor… I’m unapologetically positive while acknowledging the challenges.”

As a family that includes two children who were adopted with a history of prenatal exposure to alcohol, I’ve lived enough of family life to know children with FASD are every bit as capable of thriving in a family as their peers… they just bring a little more colour to everything!

Instructions

A member of staff will be in touch with attendees one week prior to the event to share a pre-event delegate pack.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at [email protected]. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.