Event Tag: adopted and birth children
Working with Children (Birth and/or Adopted) already in the Family when assessing Prospective Adopters
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
This training session with Adoption Matters will focus on the importance of considering a child or young person’s needs within their family before an adoptive child is placed. It emphasizes that adoption is a decision that involves the whole family, not just the prospective adopters.
“I liked that there was a good balance of research, practice and personal experience – all which I can actually use to improve my practice” – Attendee, 2021
Research has shown that disruptions in adoptions can occur due to the relationship between the adopted child and the existing children in the family. Therefore, it is essential to involve all children in the adoption process and empower them to express their thoughts and feelings. The training will discuss how to ensure that the child or young person has a realistic expectation of the adoption and how to provide appropriate support and advice to the family.
“Always find CVAA training beneficial and insightful which is what today was.” – Attendee, 2022
The session will also explore the importance of capturing the voice of the child and using good practice and tools to engage children. The training will draw on research and learnings from serious case reviews and disruptions to highlight the significance of doing effective work with children already in the family during adoption assessments
Learning 0utcomes
- Understanding of the context for the work with children.
- An understanding of the need to do high quality work with children already in the family
- A good understanding of the need to capture the voice of the child in adoption assessments.
- Confidence to work with children and contribute to the PAR assessment.
About the trainers
Irene Redshaw, Jan Stokes, Gemma Williams and Claire Dale
Irene is a team manager for Adoption Matters’, working in the Durham office, and has 16 years’ experience in the field of Adoption.
Jan is a social work assistant also working from the Durham office, she is experienced at undertaking direct work with children in the prospective adopter’s household.
Gemma is a social work assistant working from the Blackburn office, she is experienced in undertaking direct work with children in the prospective adopter’s household.
Claire is a Social Work Therapist working in the Centre for Adoption Support she has 26 years’ experience as a social worker and 19 years as a Play Therapist.
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 info@cvaa.org.uk. 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.
Blended Families: Adoption from the Birth Child’s Perspective
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
Families who parent birth and adopted children can face particular challenges in seeking to balance the needs of the children. The views and feelings of birth child within these blended families is rarely heard and yet if an adoptive placement is to be successful it is key that professionals consider all members of the family and assist adoptive parents in considering some of the adjustments that need to be made.
“I particularly enjoyed hearing from the trainer’s daughter about how having an adopted sister affected their lives, and how these experiences shaped the family dynamics. I also enjoyed the breakout room discussions, which provided me with a vast array of ideas that I can implement in future with my adopted families, particularly during prospective adopter assessments, as well as post-adoption support.” – Attendee, 2022
You will also have an opportunity to identify the situations you find most challenging and work in smaller groups to consider various solutions. You will be able to network with practitioners from other agencies, share best practice and glean new ideas.
“Jan was great! Very engaging and good balance of research and practice. I also really valued the number of attendees who also shared their personal experience and this must have been enabled by the tone set by Jan and the good pace of the session.”
– Attendee, 2022
Learning outcomes
- Sibling relationships and how they differ in blended families
- Considering the birth child’s perspective
- Key messages from research to inform practice
- The tools that a practitioner can use in assessment
About the trainer
Jan Way MBE
Jan has been a social worker since 1975, working in a range of settings including hospitals, local authorities, and adoption agencies. For the last 30 years she has worked in the adoption field, specialising in intercountry adoption, and working as a senior executive for a national adoption agency and charity. In 2019 she was awarded an MBE for her work in intercountry adoption. She now acts as a practice advisor and research lead for the agency. Jan is also an adopted person and an adoptive mother, having adopted a daughter from South America. In addition to her daughter, who is now 33, she has two grown up birth daughters.
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 info@cvaa.org.uk. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.
CVAA accepts 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.