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Event Type: Practice Webinar

Trauma Informed Self Care for Professionals

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

Our work as professionals with children from the care system and their foster, SGO or adoptive families inevitably means we are working at times with high levels of trauma. Just by being human our bodies and nervous systems are going to be impacted by this. The pandemic has added to our stress levels, and working online does not resource us or give us the sense of connection which helps many of us manage stress.

This morning’s workshop recognizes the need for us, as helping professionals, to both heighten our awareness of the impact of stress on our bodies and find ways of looking after ourselves and resourcing our nervous systems. Understanding the impact of trauma only goes some way towards helping us make sense of our bodily responses. What is needed when supporting ourselves to manage is for our bodies to be listened to. It is the body, as Van der Kolk says, that ultimately ‘keeps the score’.

The body needs attention and this workshop will focus on helping the ‘carer’ (professional) learn to care for themselves, find ways to resource themselves and manage their stress responses. The workshop offers a combination of research information and psycho-education as well as practical strategies to look after ourselves.


Learning Outcomes

  • To think about vicarious trauma and the risk of this for all helping professionals
  • To help participants understand their own stress responses and heighten awareness of triggers
  • To support participants in looking at how to resource themselves and take care of their bodies and nervous systems

About the trainer

Jay Vaughan

Jay Vaughan, M.A., is a Somatic Experience Practitioner. Jay is also a state registered Dramatherapist, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapist and certified Theraplay therapist and supervisor as well as a Theraplay trainer. Jay is the Clinical Director at Family Futures CIC and is also the agency’s Responsible Person. Jay has an MBE for her work with children and young people.

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.


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.

Life Story Work – Provision and Practice

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

ARC Adoption North East is a voluntary adoption agency based in Sunderland.

ARC Adoption NE are passionate about understanding the child’s journey through adoption and ensuring children and young people have access to good quality information about their history up to the present day. In addition, we hope professionals can be equipped with tools and resources to deliver information in a compassionate and sensitive manner, in line with individual need.

The aims of the session:

1. To share good practice around life story work and how to engage children and young people to explore their identity. Support participants working with families to help children and young people understand their own timeline of their adoption journey, including their birth history and meaningful relationships along the way. To include reflections on the agenda for change and the report published by the PLWG around maintaining significant relationships.

2. Exploration around life story and staying connected being one continuum for children and young people and how can we achieve this?


Learning outcomes

  • To understand the reason why life story work is crucial in supporting children’s identity, self-esteem and family heritage.
  • To consider practical tools in line with the evidence-based research, including tools used within the Ricard Rose model of Therapeutic Life Story work.
  • To understand the importance of key relationships, in line with the culture for change initiative and findings from the Public Law Working Group.
  • The importance of the connection between good quality Life story work and Staying Connected (Maintaining significant relationships)
  • Hearing from a guest speaker, sharing lived experience and exploring the feelings around this.
  • Opportunity within breakout rooms to explore and share good practice.
  • To introduce ARCBOX, a safe digital life story and communication management Application.

About the trainers

Donna Mease

Donna has been a qualified Social Worker since June 2010. She obtained a BSc in Social Work at the University of Northumbria, following secondment by North Tyneside Council Children’s Services. She is registered with Social Work England. Ms. Mease joined ARC Adoption North East as Adoption Support Co-Ordinator on August 10th, 2015. Prior to this, she worked as a Social Worker in North Tyneside’s Looked After Children’s team for five years. She obtained the Post Qualifying consolidation module at the University of Northumbria in March 2013, while working for the authority.  She also holds a BA Joint Honors Degree in Childhood Studies and Professional Practice, which she obtained in June 2004 from the University of Northumbria, and a BTEC National Diploma in Caring Services (Nursery Nursing) from Newcastle College, obtained in June 1999.

Since joining ARC Adoption NE, she has undertaken a Diploma in Therapeutic Life Story Work (Richard Rose model), Level 1 Theraplay informed practice, Level 1 DDP, and Level 1 & 2 BUSS model training.

Lynn Applegarth

Lynn qualified as an NNEB nursery nurse in 1992. She is also trained in Level 1 Theraplay informed practice, Level 1 in DDP, and holds a professional Diploma in Therapeutic Life Story Work (Richard Rose). She has worked with children and families for over 40 years, offering individual support and group training around alternative parenting strategies.

She has been at the forefront of developing high-quality life story books for children who have been adopted. She coordinates ARCBOX, a digital life story and Communication Management Application created and developed by ARC Adoption, which houses and promotes maintaining significant relationships in a safe digital space.


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.

Individualised Recruitment and Therapeutic Placement Strategy for Children waiting the longest

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

Can single people adopt? Can single men adopt? What about other aspects of single adopter diversity? What values underpin how single adopters are approached and supported across the adoption journey? This practice session will highlight single adopters as a vital resource in securing permanency for children. It will provide an opportunity for you to join other practitioners in reflecting on the salient issues specific to assessing and supporting single adopters. You will share and reflect on individual and agency attitudes to factors such as male or female single adopters, wider diversity, adopter motivation and support networks.

The webinar will consider good practice in the use of family network meetings and single adopters’ support groups as specific approaches in supporting single adopters. It will be an interactive learning opportunity with facilitator led content and break-out room discussions for attendees.

We are very pleased to have Jenny, an experienced single adopter join us to share her felt experience. Attendees will go away with specific ideas for improving their practice and maximising the benefit that single adopters bring to children in need of permanence.


Learning outcomes

  • Understand the numbers by considering the prevalence and diversity of single adopters in the UK.
  • Explore recruitment opportunities and barriers for single adopters, considering agency and practitioner attitudes and myth busters.
  • Increase practitioner confidence in the assessment and preparation of single adopters consider the challenges and diversity issues specific to single adopters
  • Increase practitioner confidence in providing Post-approval support to single adopters, including managing transitions, and the use of family network meetings in consolidating support for adopters.
  • Learn from the Felt experience of single adopters, reflect on the emergence of adopter- led support groups for single adopters (presented by a single adopter).

About the trainers

Mahongo Shibemba 

Mahongo has been a social worker for over 30 years, working in voluntary and statutory services. She is currently Adoption Support Team Manager at Adopters for Adoption and has worked in Adoption Services for 10 years. For many years, Mahongo worked in local authority Children’s Services, in various roles including as locality service manager with oversight of permanence planning and children with disabilities.

Penny Rowntree

Penny has been a social worker for over 30 years, working with children and families and often in the area of adoption either as the child’s or adopter’s social worker. Since qualifying she has worked for Durham LA, The Catholic Children’s Society and as an Independent Social Worker. She qualified as a play therapist in 1999 and has worked in and managed a therapeutic social work team, held a role developing mental health services for Care Experienced children and young people as part of the CAMHS Strategy and set up play therapy and schools counselling services across several London Boroughs. She has worked with AFA since it’s inception 2015


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.

Using Mentalization to Support with Adoption Assessments

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

Mentalization allows parents to make sense of both their own and child’s internal states and can play a crucial role in understanding and supporting a child. Children can learn to mentalize through interaction with a caregiver who is able to take an interest in them, understanding their internal states and reactions.

Using mentalizing tools in adoption assessments supports practitioners to assess prospective adopter’s capacity to support and understand a child who has experienced early adversity.

This webinar provides a short introduction to understanding mentalization concepts and then the application of these to assessment practice. Using mentalization questions can help identify how prospective adopters make sense of their own childhoods. Blocks to mentalizing can be fear, anger and shame, taking a mentalization focus can support practitioners to explore this. Mentalizing tools can enable prospective adopters to think about their own expectations of parenthood, whilst allowing them to contemplate the impact their own experience of childhood has had on them.

The speakers use case studies to bring alive mentalization ideas and principles, discuss how to use mentalizing questions to inform adoption assessments and supervision and to support prospective adopters to be able to mentalize.


Learning 0utcomes

• Have a basic understanding of mentalization
• Understand the value of this framework within the adoption setting
• Feel confident applying the knowledge acquired about mentalization in interactions and discussions with adopters.
• Feel confident in the use of the mentalization based tools in assessments of adopters.
• To be able to apply the learning from this session to the overall understanding and analysis of adoption suitability and
necesssary support.


About the trainers

Dr Polly Cowan

Polly works as a part-time Practice Manager in a VAA and has a research interest in adoption, her PhD research was on adoption breakdown. Using mentalization in adoption assessment is a practice focus for her. Recent publications have been around eating behaviors in care experienced children and young people. She is as associate tutor at the University of Stirling. She sits as a tribunal member for the Additional Support Needs Tribunal in Scotland.

Dr Alice Loving

Alice has worked within the field of Child Protection for fourteen years, working directly supporting families in the community and within a mother and baby residential setting. She completed her PhD within the Social Care department at Royal Holloway University, which focused on exploring influencing factors on the outcomes for parents working with social services.  She delivers training on ‘Applying Attachment, Trauma and Mentalization based principles in social work practice’, to social care practitioners within the UK and Ireland. She is passionate about improving the teaching and training of social workers to better prepare them for relationship-based practice that facilitates more positive outcomes for families.She has published work in the Child and Family Social Work and Children England journals. Her most recent publications include a chapter titled ‘Working with cases of neglect and emotional abuse,’ featured in ‘Child Protection and the Care Continuum’. She has recently produced a practice guide titled ‘Attachment Trauma and Parenting’, commissioned by Community Care.

 


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.

How to be a Good Intermediary: Advice and Guidance for Intermediary Support

Who this is for

Intermediaries, adoption practitioners and managers (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies, Local Authorities, and independent social workers)


Details

“Intermediary.” One word to describe such a massive event! The bringing together of parents and their adult children and their siblings, mostly separated from very young, in a way that  supports all their high emotions, wants and fears and can hope to build for a future relationship. No wonder it’s a glorious minefield of uncertainty, legality, best practice, individual experience and big complex emotions. Its not all Long Lost Family…

Through personal testimony from adopted people and birth relatives, clear and precise examination of practice and the law, case studies and discussion we’ll look at the differing perspectives involved, the  legal framework and changes to it, the challenges and risks of intermediary with historic and contemporary adoption and making contact, mediation and building relationships.


Learning outcomes

  • Understand the differing perspectives and needs of adoptees, birth family and adoptive family in intermediary
  • Understand the legal framework governing intermediary and changes over the years including Pre and Post Commencement and Descendants of Adopted people.
  • Best practice in support, making contact, mediating , reunion and building relationships
  • Risks and safeguarding in historic and modern adoption
  • Intermediary in a digital world of social media and DNA

About the trainers

Mike Hancock 

Mike is the National Strategic Lead and Head of Adult Services (Leeds) at PAC-UK, supervising social workers and counsellors who work with birth relatives and adopted adults. Mike worked with contemporary birth parents for a number of years in Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and Halifax seeing them at community bases and at home. He has run groups for these service users as well as presenting training for professionals around adoption issues. Mike has a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and is an accredited member of the BACP.

Emma Crowther – Duncan

Emma is the North Adult Services Regional Manager at PAC-UK. Emma has worked predominantly within Local Authorities including Derbyshire and Manchester as a Social worker and Senior Practitioner within Child Protection teams. Most recently Emma has worked with an adoption and permanence team progressing children’s adoption plans and preparing children for adoption which included life story work with children and birth parents. Emma has also worked as a Social Worker within a residential assessment centre undertaking court directed PAMs Assessments for parents with learning difficulties.


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.

The Principles of Best Practice in Preparing more Adopters for Brothers and Sisters

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 practice session is an opportunity for workers in the field of adoption to develop their expertise in assessing prospective adopters who wish to be considered for siblings and supporting adoptive parents of siblings. This webinar will give you space to consider how other agencies attract potential adopters for siblings and how they inspire confidence in those who may be initially overawed by the possibility of parenting more than one child, all at once! You will also be given the opportunity to consider how to assess prospective adopters who are considering sibling adoption and how to support adoptive parents of siblings groups within an adoption support capacity. You will be able to hear from the latest research and practice as well as networking with practitioners from other agencies, share best practice and glean new ideas.

 

“I thought the presenter was excellent and offered really good insight and knowledge.” – Attendee, 2024

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

“Nice balance of learning, listening and joining in.” – Attendee, 2024


Learning outcomes

  • To explore recruitment strategies
  • To consider the tailoring of training for prospective and approved adopters
  • To think about assessment tools we may be able to use
  • To explore specific resources we may need to provide in adoption support

Sharing Yorkshire Adoption Agency (YAA) best practice regarding:

  •  Tips for encouraging more prospective adopters to consider brothers and sisters e.g. the why not attitude we have in the team
  •  Training support we use in YAA to support the above
  •  Practical advice on supporting brother & sister placements such as our introduction and placement support offer
  •  Examples of successful brother and sister placements

About the trainer

Leonie Hegedus

Leonie is an Assistant Director, qualified as a Social Worker in 2011 at Sheffield Hallam University, obtaining a BA (Hons) in Social Work Studies. Leonie is registered with Social Work England. She has eight years’ experience within the field of Child Protection, Care Proceedings, Children in Care and Adoption as a Child’s Social Worker. After initially being employed as an Adoption Social Worker at Yorkshire Adoption Agency, she has been with the team since October 2018 and was then a Team Manager between December 2019 to August 2022 before commencing her current role. Leonie is the lead on all social work operations at the agency, including being the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Leigh Smith

Leigh Smith is the Training Manager at Adoption Focus where she has worked since 2017. Before this, she worked in a Local Authority supporting children in care and an independent fostering agency supporting foster carers.

 


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.

Adoption Assessments of Second-time Adopters: Considering Best Practice

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 1st 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.

Individualised Recruitment and Therapeutic Placement Strategy for Children waiting the longest

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 interactive session will delve into personalized recruitment techniques and therapeutic placement strategies tailored to the unique needs of each child. Through expert-led discussions and real-life case studies, attendees will gain valuable insights into identifying suitable families and creating nurturing environments conducive to healing and growth.

Adopting Together is the first project of its kind in Wales to offer a bespoke package of therapeutic support for both the children and the adopters. Led by St David’s Children Society and supported by the National Adoption Service, Adopting Together works with a therapeutic partner, The Family Place and all the Voluntary Adoption Agencies in Wales to find, train and support families to adopt Welsh children who have been waiting the longest. Typically, these children are either over four years old, brothers and sisters who need to stay together, have additional needs or uncertainty around their development or are from a Black, Asian and minority ethnic background.

Since launching Adopting Together has found families for 31 children from across Wales who would otherwise have risked being separated from their siblings or remaining in long-term foster care.

Supervised by Professor Katherine Shelton (Cardiff University School of Psychology), in 2022 Olivia Gallen (BSC Psychology with Professional Placement) completed an interim report on the Adopting Together Service. The aim of this report is to bring together information from the team for the child, transition, and consultation waves of the study to preliminarily assess the usefulness of the scheme.

This practice webinar will aim to share strategic, operational and academic learning.


Learning outcomes

  • Understanding the challenges faced by children waiting the longest for adoption
  • Developing individualized recruitment plans to match children with compatible families
  • Incorporating therapeutic support into the placement process to address trauma and attachment issues

About the trainers

Jason Baker

Jason joined St David’s in 2019 where he took lead role for the Adopting Together Service and AFA Cymru. Before Jason joined St David’s he worked for Barnardo’s and worked in a number of Local Authority settings.

Professor Katherine Shelton

Katherine is a developmental psychologist with 20 years experience of research and teaching in the field of family functioning and child development. Her research is focused on identifying and understanding the psychological and social needs of vulnerable children and young people. Over the past 5 years, she has led an inter-disciplinary, longitudinal study investigating the experiences and early support needs of adoptive families and their children.

Dr Amy Paine

Amy is an early career researcher who works at the intersection of developmental, social, and cognitive psychology, and uses observation, neurocognitive assessments, and longitudinal methods to study child development. She is particularly interested children’s interactions with family members and friends in relation to their social and cognitive skills and mental health.


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.

Not Forgotten: Making Successful Adoption Placements for Older Children

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 practice webinar sheds light on the often overlooked demographic of older children in the adoption process. Addressing the challenges and misconceptions surrounding their placement, this insightful piece navigates the journey towards successful adoptions for these children. Through compassionate narratives and expert guidance, it advocates for a more inclusive approach to adoption, emphasizing the profound impact of finding forever homes.

This practice webinar is aimed at considering how we can make more adoption placements for older children. The webinar will give practitioners the opportunity to consider the needs of older children awaiting adoption and to share experiences and practice that has worked well for them.

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, 2021

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

“The presenter was very engaging and invited comments and questions as we went along. People shared their own ideas and were happy to share helpful resources.” – Attendee, 2023


Learning outcomes

  • To consider the needs and experiences of older children awaiting adoption
  • To think about what we need from prospective adopters for older children
  • To discuss best practice

About the trainer

Lisa Biggs
Lisa is a Training Officer and Post Adoption Support Worker at Adoption Focus. She joined Adoption Focus in 2022 and prior to that has 15 years’ experience of supporting vulnerable children and their families within educational settings. She is also an adoptive mother.


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.

Providing Adoption Support for Adopters Parenting Adolescents – Learning from Experience

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

Adolescence can be a particularly challenging time for both adopted young people and their parents. It is a time when parents need not only a great deal of support emotionally, but also strategies to help them think about how to best support their young person.

I loved the sharing of concrete strategies that I can take away and use with families I am working with. I also appreciated the knowledge and expertise of the facilitators” – Attendee, 2023

In this practice webinar, you will be able to learn from senior adoption practioners at Coram what they consider best practice in supporting young people entering adulthood. The adoption team at Coram has created a program based on the Ministry of Parenting’s parenting skills course, with additional content tailored specifically for families of adopted adolescents.

“The speakers were completely knowledgeable about their subject and were able to communicate this well. The round table discussions were a good opportunity to meet others and share practice ideas” Attendee, 2023

Together with fellow adoption support colleagues, you will be able to explore their practice that has been informed by the families Coram had worked with over the years. You will spend some time on their reflections and how their learning can improve your practice going forward.


Learning 0utcomes

  • a space to think about the extra challenges of adolescence for adopted young people
  • strategies and ideas to hold in mind when working with adoptive parents with young people in adolescence
  • practical takeaways to sufficiently support the families you work with
  • reflecting on your own practice
  • networking with adoption colleagues in the same/similar role

About the trainers

Annie Moser 

Annie is a senior social worker, working in the Adoption Support Team at Coram. Annie worked in the Recruitment and Assessment Team at Coram for many years before that, including at a time when cases were held throughout the whole adoption process. Annie qualified as a social worker in 1983, and worked in advice, support and counselling for young homeless people, an HIV health outreach team and as a hospital HIV/drugs social worker. Annie moved to Coram in the 1990s and have worked there since. Annie now works as the lead on parenting groups, and also focuses on education work, alongside case work with families.

Debbie Connolly

Debbie qualified as a social worker in the mid-1980s. Her first job was as a hospital social worker linking with the oncology, ante natal and maternity wards and a community child development team. Throughout the 1990s and since, Debbie has worked in the area of adoption- recruiting and assessing families, family finding for children and the matching and linking process. Debbie has worked specifically in adoption support work for the last 10 years. Alongside my work at Coram, Debbie also worked part-time for twelve years for The Post Adoption Centre as an Outreach Counsellor, working with birth parents, adopted people and adopters. Debbie now focuses at Coram on group work- the parenting groups, and a support group we have recently set up. Debbie has a specific interest in ‘Life- Story Talk’.


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.