Holding the Rope: Professional Support for Trauma-Impacted Families – Short and Smart Session – 1hr

Who this is for

Adoption practitioners (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies and Local Authorities),  Independent Professionals and those professionals providing services and support to foster carers, kinship carers, and Special Guardians.

Details

Many adopted – and otherwise care-experienced – children have care needs that are considerably greater than their peers.

The Belay Foundation is a specialist charity supporting adoptive, kinship and special guardianship families, and one of the ways in which we do that is by helping families understand whether it may be appropriate to apply for disability benefits on behalf of their children and young people.

In this session, we will talk through how and why Trauma-Responsive Respite is a vital intervention for so many families living with care-experienced children. Our aim is that as professionals, you can feel better equipped with the information and knowledge you need to support families in identifying, accessing, and implementing specialist support that truly “holds the rope.”

We will explore the Belay model—rooted in PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, and Empathy)—and discuss why traditional childcare often falls short for children with developmental trauma. By the end of this hour, you will have a clearer understanding of how to integrate attachment-focused respite into care plans to reduce secondary trauma for caregivers and, ultimately, increase placement stability.

Learning 0utcomes

• Understand the “Belay” Model: Gain a clear understanding of what trauma-responsive, home-based respite looks like and how it differs from traditional childcare models.

• Broaden Clinical Perspective: Develop a deeper insight into why attachment-focused support, rooted in PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, and Empathy), is a clinical necessity for families living with adopted, kinship, and SGO children.

• Strengthen Placement Stability: Access practical knowledge on how to integrate specialist respite into care plans to reduce secondary trauma for caregivers and prevent placement breakdown.

• Equip and Signpost: Feel better equipped to identify families who would benefit from this specific intervention and confidently signpost parents toward the resources and support workers they need.

About the trainers

Sarah Fry

Sarah is the CEO Founder of The Belay Foundation. As well as her personal experience parenting two adopted children with differing needs, Sarah has a background in HR and adoption support, and is an experienced DDP-PACE trainer. Sarah has authored many of Belay’s benefits’ advice guides, and leads training and awareness sessions to support families seeking help with accessing disability benefits.

Helen Willis

Helen works alongside Sarah at The Belay Foundation, bringing her own lived experience as a solo adopter as well as a background in advocacy, employment advice and training. Helen supports families and leads regular DLA awareness sessions for Belay, and also provides peer support for solo adopters.

Instructions

A member of staff will contact attendees one week before the event as a reminder— THERE WILL BE NO EVENT PACK FOR THIS SESSION, BUT RESOURCES WILL BE SHARED.

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.