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 and other professionals working with children and families.

Details

In this practice webinar, we will be exploring how we support our prospective adopters when they wish to adopt for the second time. As an adoption agency, this starts from the point of referral, into assessment, right through to supporting the placement itself.

During the webinar, we will uncover the nuances of adopting again and navigating the intricacies of a second adoption. Together we will learn effective strategies for nurturing a harmonious relationship among adopted siblings and we will learn to understand how to prepare an existing child for the arrival of an adopted sibling.

“Good quality of presentation, helpful slides, useful opportunities for discussion, enjoyed having the adopter’s input.” -Attendee, 2023

Donna and Ayesha will discuss navigating the challenges of transitions with another child in the family and will explore methods for completing life story work when your children’s backgrounds differ.

We will also explore the topic of keeping in touch arrangements with children’s birth relatives when they vary between adopted children.

“The trainers were open and honest about areas of learning and development of practice for them as an agency and they were approachable and relatable.” -Attendee, 2023

This webinar is essential for adoption professionals involved in the assessment processes. From understanding the dynamics of adopting again to practical tips on sibling relationships and transitioning, this session provides valuable knowledge to enrich your services.

Learning 0utcomes

• The rewards and challenges of adopting again
• Parenting adoption siblings
• Preparing their 1^st child for welcoming an adopted sibling
• Managing transitions with another child
• Completing life story work when their children’s backgrounds are different
• How to manage differing contact arrangements
• Learning from Serious case reviews of second-time adopters – themes and what to consider

About the trainers

Donna Mease

Donna is a highly skilled and experienced social worker specialising in supporting children and families through the transition into adoption. Donna is responsible for co-ordinating ARC’s Therapeutic Adoption Support Service and is trained in Theraplay; DDP and Therapeutic work with Looked After Children, including Therapuetic Life Story Work.  She leads a highly skilled and committed team to ensure ARC Adoption offers the best possible support tailored to the individual needs of children and their adoptive families.

Ayesha Foster

Ayesha has worked with children for over 25 years and started her career as a nursery nurse. She is a highly skilled social worker who is committed to improving outcomes for children and families involved in adoption. She transferred to the position of Social Work Assistant in a busy Children’s Team in Newcastle in 2001 where she was seconded to undertake a Master’s Degree in Social Work at Durham University. In July 2006 she then spent two years working within child protection, children in need and looked after children teams. Ayesha then moved to North Tyneside’s Adoption Team and completed focused work with adopters on concurrency and foster to adopt placements. During her time with the local authority, Ayesha continued her professional development and gained the PQ Specialist Child Care award in 2012. Ayesha joined ARC Adoption at its inception in 2014 and is proud of her contribution to the agency’s success.

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.

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 and other professionals working with children and families.

Details

This practice session will introduce the new Adoption Assessment Report (AAR) and the supporting Toolkit, a distinct method of assessing adopters that is designed to strengthen assessment and matching, leading to better outcomes for children with complex needs and those children waiting the longest.

The session will look at the development and design of the AAR, which is co-produced with adopters and informed by Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) and Secure Base principles.

Included will be a sharing of the look and feel of the new format and excerpts from the Toolkit.

We will explore the advantages of using the format and how that works in practice. There will be an opportunity to look at some of the tools in detail and compare through discussion, tools that support assessment and analysis with applicants.

Learning outcomes

• Information about a new method of assessment
• How it can be used in your agency
• Why might it be better for you as a practitioner
• How the AAR can be applied to the current issues in Adoption such as Early Permanency, contact and the assessing of diverse families

About the trainers

Jacqui Bazley 

Jacqui Bazley is one of the founders of the AAR and Toolkit. She has been a SW practitioner and manager in Adoption work since 1988 and is also an adoptive parent of 2 adult children and 2 grandchildren. Jacqui is currently the lead manager in Barnardo’s who are the license holders for the AAR, working in collaboration with Adoption Focus and ACE RAA to support agencies who wish to transition using this new method of assessing adopters.

Sarah McKenna

Sarah McKenna is a Social Work practitioner with Barnardo’s Family Placements team in the Southeast. She has worked with children and families for over 20 years and joined Barnardo’s in 2019. Sarah is currently the lead practitioner for the AAR and provides support and advice to agencies and practitioners who are transitioning to using the AAR. This includes quarterly Practice Workshops to share good practice in assessments.

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.

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 and other professionals working with children and families.

Details

In this practice webinar, we will be exploring how we support our prospective adopters when they wish to adopt for the second time. As an adoption agency, this starts from the point of referral, into assessment, right through to supporting the placement itself.

During the webinar, we will uncover the nuances of adopting again and navigating the intricacies of a second adoption. Together we will learn effective strategies for nurturing a harmonious relationship among adopted siblings and we will learn to understand how to prepare an existing child for the arrival of an adopted sibling.

Donna and Ayesha will discuss navigating the challenges of transitions with another child in the family and will explore methods for completing life story work when your children’s backgrounds differ.

We will also explore the topic of keeping in touch arrangements with children’s birth relatives when they vary between adopted children.

This webinar is essential for adoption professionals involved in the assessment processes. From understanding the dynamics of adopting again to practical tips on sibling relationships and transitioning, this session provides valuable knowledge to enrich your services.

Learning 0utcomes

• The rewards and challenges of adopting again
• Parenting adoption siblings
• Preparing their 1^st child for welcoming an adopted sibling
• Managing transitions with another child
• Completing life story work when their children’s backgrounds are different
• How to manage differing contact arrangements
• Learning from Serious case reviews of second-time adopters – themes and what to consider

About the trainers

Donna Mease

Donna is a highly skilled and experienced social worker specialising in supporting children and families through the transition into adoption. Donna is responsible for co-ordinating ARC’s Therapeutic Adoption Support Service and is trained in Theraplay; DDP and Therapeutic work with Looked After Children, including Therapuetic Life Story Work.  She leads a highly skilled and committed team to ensure ARC Adoption offers the best possible support tailored to the individual needs of children and their adoptive families.

Ayesha Foster

Ayesha has worked with children for over 25 years and started her career as a nursery nurse. She is a highly skilled social worker who is committed to improving outcomes for children and families involved in adoption. She transferred to the position of Social Work Assistant in a busy Children’s Team in Newcastle in 2001 where she was seconded to undertake a Master’s Degree in Social Work at Durham University. In July 2006 she then spent two years working within child protection, children in need and looked after children teams. Ayesha then moved to North Tyneside’s Adoption Team and completed focused work with adopters on concurrency and foster to adopt placements. During her time with the local authority, Ayesha continued her professional development and gained the PQ Specialist Child Care award in 2012. Ayesha joined ARC Adoption at its inception in 2014 and is proud of her contribution to the agency’s success.

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.

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 is an interactive expert-led training session delivered by an experienced trainer and anti-racism practitioner, Esher Williams, founder of Anti-Racism Hub. You will be guided on a journey of understanding how racism is interwoven in or society and how to recognise it. With that foundation, the group will explore how race and ethnicity impact children and young people from their personal identity to racial and generational trauma.

“The course was fantastic from start to finish. I feel this course should be made mandatory within the organisations we work.” – Attendee, 2023

Going on to explore culturally responsive competencies during an assessment. The group will consider the impact of race, ethnicity and culture on adoption practitioners, foster carers, prospective adopters and adoptees. Building an understanding of the ingredients for successful transracial placement, care and parenting. Setting adopters up for long-term success.

“Excellent trainer. Esher was very knowledgeable on the subject matter and made it really interesting. She facilitated the course at just the right pace.” – Attendee, 2023

In this session, attendees will be encouraged to share and grow in a non-judgemental environment where curiosity and humility underpin the learning. Group exercises, discussions, quality resources and real-life examples bring the subject to life. Self-reflection is at the core of this session along with developing practices to strengthen assessment exploration around ethnicity.

Learning outcomes

• Better recognise racism in everyday life
• Understanding collective trauma and generational trauma
• Appreciate the importance of racial identity for all children
• Develop an understanding of the impact of racial trauma on children
•  Understand the impact of ethnicity on adoption assessments
• Explore transracial care and parenting

About the trainer

Esher Williams

Esher is an anti-racism practitioner, educator and the founder of Anti-Racism Hub. Delivering thought-provoking and engaging training Esher is adept at facilitating challenging but essential conversations that build understanding of the complex subject of racism and transracial assessment, placement and parenting. As a late-discovering step-parent adoptee, a transracial adopter and former foster carer Esher has a personal interest and dedication in helping parents, social workers and teachers understand their responsibility in building cultural competency in their role. Ensuring the adults around our children are best prepared to help them build meaningful cultural capital to carry with them and build upon through their lives.

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.

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

Theraplay was developed in the 1960’s in America and is a form of focused therapy designed to enhance attachments between parents and children. Theraplay activities are playful, fun and developmentally enhancing and are designed to be practiced with a therapist as well as at home.

Secure attachment behaviour is only possible when a child is not living in a state of constant traumatisation. Theraplay theorists have identified four essential elements for secure attachment: Appropriate level of structure, Nurture, Engagement, Developmental challenge.

This expert-led training session will explain the key elements and principles of Theraplay. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about Theraplay, the process of qualifying as a Theraplay Practitioner and about the Marshak Interaction Method assessment (MIM) in particular as a valuable assessment tool.

This will provide an overview and is a taster session to introduce you to Theraplay or give you more information before you start your Theraplay journey.

It is designed for professionals who would like to know more about Theraplay, for example, if you make referrals or you’re considering adding Theraplay to your practice. This will provide an overview and is a taster session to introduce you to Theraplay or give you more information before you start your Theraplay journey.

Please note that this webinar does not provide a Theraplay qualification.

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate basic knowledge of the Theraplay model, a model of play therapy with its roots in Attachment Theory ​with modifications for Trauma
• Describe how the Theraplay dimensions of Structure, Engagement, Nurture and Challenge are used to meet children’s needs and address behavior problems ​
• Explain basic knowledge of how the MIM is utilized to assess the parent-child relationship and to plan treatment ​or other interventions
• Explain how parents participate in Theraplay sessions​ and the dyadic model

About the trainer

Jay Vaughan

Jay Vaughan, M.A., is a certified Theraplay therapist and supervisor as well as a Theraplay trainer. Jay is also a state registered Dramatherapist, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapist and Somatic Experience Practitioner. Jay is the Clinical Director and is also the agency’s Responsible Person at Family Futures CIC.

Jay has been working with traumatised children since qualifying as a Dramatherapist in 1989, and passionately believes in the use of arts, play and body-based approaches in helping traumatised children and their families heal.

Jay was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours Lists in 2022 for services to children and young people. Over the past 24 years since she co-founded Family Futures, over a thousand families have been helped through the pioneering assessment and therapy service which helps children heal from early life trauma and abuse.

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.

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

Despite the Equality Act 2010 making ‘race’ and ‘religion or belief’ protected characteristics, the Children and Families Act 2014 no longer required English adoption agencies to give ‘due consideration’ to a child’s race, religion or cultural birth heritage.

However, while the legislation may have changed, practitioners are continuing to strive for the most appropriate ways to support the care journeys of children and young people from minoritised backgrounds. This includes them asking how social care systems can further improve to accommodate diversity and identity so minoritised children can be best supported in expressing and understanding their identities.

“Knowledgeable and engaging presenters. Gained real insight in to how to think about working with people of muslim heritage – lots of thoughts provoking ideas about placements, assessments, working with children.” Attendee, 2021

Drawing upon interviews with care-experienced minoritised children and young people on asking and getting help from social workers, foster carers, adopters and other support structures, this training will:

• Explain how an intersectional framing of young people’s identities in care, particularly around the intersections of ethnicity and faith, can improve provision.
• Use case studies based on lived experiences to help understand how children and young people engage with faith whilst in care.
• Explore ways to support young people and children in negotiating transitions and transformations within their faith identities whilst in care.

Learning outcomes

• Greater insights into how looked-after children and young people from minoritised backgrounds perceive, experience and express their ethnicity, religion and identity.
• Identify formal and informal support that aids minoritised children and young people of religious heritage in having positive relationships between themselves, their carers, social workers, and their communities (religious and non-religious).
• Reflect on how to amplify minoritised children and young people’s views so decision-makers and care-providers, including review panels, have a more complex rendering of identity that is shaped directly by children and young people’s voice.

About the trainers

Dr Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor

Sariya is Feminist Sociologist of Religion. She is Assistant Professor and Research Group Lead for Faith and Peaceful Relations at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University, UK. She chairs the Muslims in Britain Research Network (MBRN). Her publications include Muslim Women in Britain: Demystifying the Muslimah (Routledge 2012), Religion or Belief, Discrimination and Equality: Britain in Global Contexts (Bloomsbury 2013) and Islam on Campus: Contested Identities and the Cultures of Higher Education (OUP 2020). She led the first research exploration of the experiences of children of Muslim-heritage in the care system in Britain. She is proud adoptive mother to two children.

Dr Alison Halford

Alison is a Research Fellow at the Centre of Data Science. She is a sociologist of religion, with particular interest in minority religions in the UK. Her work on British women and Mormonism was recently published in the Handbook of Gender and Mormonism (2020).  Before entering academia, Alison worked with families at risk of offending.

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.

Who this is for

Adoption practitioners and managers (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies and Local Authorities) and Independent Professionals.

Details

The two-day training (08 & 09 February 2023) will cover:

• Current Adoption Landscape
• Assessment components and adopter characteristics
• Practice implications for the two-stage adopter’s assessment
• Analysis and intuitive reasoning in assessment: from gut feelings to conscious competence
• Building relationships
• Adult attachment
• Assessing children
• Analysis and learning
• Considering discrepancy
• Hypothesis, critical thinking and reflective practice
• Assessment tools

Assessing social workers need to meet the statutory requirements as well as those of adoption panels. Applicants was to know that their “story” is represented fairly and accurately, and at the same time there is a duty to safeguard vulnerable children. This course will equip adoption practitioners with the knowledge and skills to conduce and manage the adoption assessment process so that the best outcomes are achieved for all.

This training is delivered by specialist trainers at CoramBAAF. Please note that seats are limited.

Learning outcomes

• To explore best practice in the completion of the Prospective Adopter’s Report (PAR)
• To practice and develop an integration of critical assessment tools and techniques within adoption assessments and current best practice
• To explore ways to consider prospective adopters in terms of their capacity to look after children in a safe and responsible way that meets the child’s needs
• Apply learning in the context of the legal framework
• To develop critical thinking and reflective practice in the completion of adoption assessments
• To consider ways of identifying prospective adopter’s competencies and strengths and areas they have or will need to develop

About the trainer

Joan Hunt

Joan has provided Training and consultancy for a range of Independent Agencies and Local Authorities and within this capacity facilitated training on a number of Child Care/ Fostering /Adoption focused subjects to Professionals, family members, Foster Carers and adoptive parents. These have covered a diverse range of subjects; Separation and Loss, Attachments, Secure Base; Therapeutic Re-parenting, Behaviour Management, Life Story,  Managing  food issues, Assessing Sibling Groups, Parenting Teens, Parenting Siblings, Direct Work with Children, Panel Training, Cultural Diversity, Internet Safety , Supervising Social Workers, Fostering Reviews, Disruption Training, Child Development, Caring for Children who have been Sexually Abused, Supporting children in Education, and Parent and Child Arrangements. Joan also undertaken consultancy work including Chairing Disruptions, Life Story Literature Review, and Parent 2 Parent Peer mentoring.

Joan continuously receives high levels of feedback on both her content and delivery of training. She draws heavily from her professional and personal experiences as a former BAAF Trainer Consultant, Social Worker, Adoption Social Worker, Panel Chair, Disruption Chair, Parent and foster carer and applies this to her training with a strong focus on the Childs Lived Experience. Joan also has experience of developing and working with young person’s participation group and is committed to ensuring that the voice of the child is heard and reflected within the care planning process.

Instructions

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

Log in at 09:30 am.

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.

Who this is for

Adoption practitioners and managers (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies and Local Authorities) and Independent Professionals.

Details

“Leigh’s friendly and approachable manner made this training easy to engage with and accessible. Lots of resources shared, lots of good practice shared.” – Attendee, August 2021

You will have an opportunity to learn what Adoption Focus are doing in terms of a specific aspect of this work, whilst at the same time having the opportunity to identify the situations you find most challenging and work in smaller groups to consider various solutions.

You will be able to hear from the latest research, practice and lived experience.

“Well paced seminar with good use of break out rooms to offer group discussion. Provided a lot of food for thought and ideas from other agencies sharing good practice.” – Attendee, August 2021

You will be able to network with practitioners from other agencies, share best practice and glean new ideas.

Learning outcomes

• To learn from latest research and hear from the lived experience
• To consider the needs and experiences of older children awaiting adoption
• To think about what we need from prospective adopters for older children
• To explore best practice regarding assessments: What do we need to know about prospective adopters of older children? What evidence would we need and how would we get it?
• To discuss best practice

About the trainer

Leigh Smith is the Deputy Manager of Training at Adoption Focus. She has worked with Adoption Focus since 2017. Before this Leigh worked for a Local Authority in their supervised contact team and worked for an independent fostering agency identifying placements for 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.

Who this is for

Adoption practitioners, Managers (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies and Local Authorities) and Independent Professionals.

Details

What is known about children who are placed with parents who do not reflect their racial or ethnic heritage?  How do they fare long term?

What can social workers help parents do to manage their child’s needs in a way that promotes their heritage and their esteem and how can they ensure that the social work assessment is robust?

The ethnic identity development plays a crucial role in adolescence and emerging adulthood and may be more complex for adoptees who do not share their ethnic identity with their adoptive families. Together with Professor Rosa Rosnati we will explore the findings of her latest research study on Ethnic Identity, Bicultural Identity Integration, and Psychological Well-Being Among Transracial Adoptees. 

We will share some of the main findings stemming from the international empirical studies on these topics and we will outline some guidelines form parents and for social workers and psychologists working in the field of adoption.

We will then bring it all together in the practice part of this evidence seminar which will be facilitated by Jan Way MBE, social worker and adoptive parent. IAC- The Centre for Adoption has a long history of assessing applicants where there is a transethnic/transracial component. This part of the seminar will draw upon their experience, alongside research and input from an adoptee and an adoptive parent who have direct experience of transracial adoption.

About the trainers

Professor Rosa Rosnati, Ph.D., is a Full Professor of Social Psychology in the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences; a member of the executive board of the Family Studies and Research University Center; the Director of the biennial Master Course on Adoption and Foster Care in partnership with Istituto degli Innocenti in Florence; a member of the National Observatory on Childhood and Adolescence, 2020-22 (appointed by Minister of Family); and the ICAR7 Chair. Her prevalent research interests mainly explore family relationships; in particular, she has paid great attention to adoptive families with internationally adopted children with a specific focus on ethnic identity, Bicultural Identity Integration, discrimination by peers and intergroup and intragroup contact in adoptive families. On these topics she has authored and co-authored papers in peer reviewed indexed scientific journals and books.

Jan Way MBE 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 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.