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Event Tag: assessing prospective adopters

Training & WorkshopsSupporting Adoptive Families Parenting Children with Autism (including Children diagnosed with Autism Post-adoption)

Supporting Adoptive Families Parenting Children with Autism (including Children diagnosed with Autism Post-adoption)

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 expert-led training session led by Dr Helen Rodwell will help practitioners to develop an understanding of autism and neurodiversity in adopted children. We will learn about different ideas on how professionals can ‘get to know’ and then support autistic children, young people, and their families.

We will discuss the different aspects of autism and the challenges it can pose for children and parents, providing strategies for managing challenging situations.

The training day will explore the following areas:

  • Overview of autism, neurodiversity, and neurodevelopmental disorder
  • Beliefs about autism, trauma & attachment
  • What does research and the autistic community tell us?
  • Tools & resources to support adoptive parents navigating placement transitions, contact, and explaining the past

Learning 0utcomes

  • Overview of autism, neurodiversity, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
  • Overview of autism, trauma & attachment
  • Tools & resources which professionals can use to get to know the autistic child/young person and identify what might help

About the trainer

Dr Helen Rodwell

Helen is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Certified Theraplay Practitioner, Supervisor and Trainer, and EMDR Europe Accredited Adult, Child and Adolescent Practitioner.

Helen has extensive experience of working therapeutically with birth families, ‘looked after’, ‘edge of care’ and adopted children and adolescents. Her specialist area is working with children who have experienced trauma, abuse, bereavement, separation, attachment difficulties, developmental trauma and / or show complex behavioural / emotional difficulties, and neurodevelopmental differences. Helen consults and offers supervision and training to other professionals including those working within post-adoption, ‘looked after’ and family legal systems. Her therapeutic models include Theraplay, DDP, EMDR, cognitive behaviour therapy, parenting strategies, clinical hypnosis and family systemic therapy.

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.

Training & WorkshopsAssessing Prospective Adopters with Complex Mental and Health Issues: Tackling BMI, Unhealthy Lifestyles, Long-term Medical Conditions and Mental Disorders

Assessing Prospective Adopters with Complex Mental and Health Issues: Tackling BMI, Unhealthy Lifestyles, Long-term Medical Conditions and Mental Disorders

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

In this training session will look in detail at assessing prospective adopters with complex mental and health issues as a critical aspect of the adoption process. The assessment process must consider a wide range of issues, including Body Mass Index (BMI), unhealthy lifestyles, long-term medical conditions, and mental disorders to ensure prospective adopters are able to successfully parent a child and provide a safe and stable home.

Together with Ellie Johnson, a health consultant at CoramBAAF, we will get to the nitty gritty of the assessment process to consider the prospective adopter’s ability to manage their condition, and their ability to provide a secure and supportive environment for a child.

As part of this training, we will consider how to best ensure that prospective adopters receive appropriate treatment and support, so they can meet their adopted child’s needs.

Learning 0utcomes

  • Understanding the importance of considering complex mental and health issues in the adoption process
  • Awareness of the potential impact of high BMI, unhealthy lifestyles, long-term medical conditions, and mental disorders on an individual’s ability to parent
  • Understanding the importance of considering an individual’s ability to manage their condition and provide a stable environment for a child
  • Awareness of the importance of ensuring prospective adopters receive appropriate treatment and support
  • Understanding the relationship between mental and physical health and its impact on the adoption process

About the trainer

Ellie Johnson

Ellie graduated from Manchester University with a nursing degree and worked as a nurse, midwife, health visitor and specialist public health practitioner in the NHS for 25 years. She was a designated nurse for looked after children for 14 years and chaired a regional LAC nursing network. During this time she was also involved in a joint project with the National Children’s Bureau focusing on inequalities in health experienced by looked after children.

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.

Training & WorkshopsWorking with Children (Birth and/or Adopted) already in the Family when assessing Prospective Adopters

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.