It is widely acknowledged that children who are adopted make up some of the most vulnerable children in our society. 90% of children placed for adoption have suffered significant harm whilst living with their birth families and as a result of early trauma the majority placed for adoption have complex needs. The Adopting Together Service emerged from a clearly defined, sector identified, purpose: securing permanence for children who have waited a significant length of time for a family. The numbers of these children waiting has significantly increased in recent years, as has the risk of their remaining in the ‘looked-after’ population.

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With an awareness of the additional complexities surrounding children who often wait 12 months or more for a family, this unique and innovative service has been established to offer an individualised placement strategy for children, embedding psychological and therapeutic knowledge throughout. Its key principles are underpinned by early intervention, reducing the possibility of crisis escalation and minimising the risk of adoption disruption. Informed by research from the Wales Cohort Adoption Study, it brings together theoretical knowledge and best practice models from across the UK in to one model. The model is comprised of four distinct components that have early therapeutic intervention at its core.

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This workshop is an opportunity for professionals to engage with how the Adopting Together Service has been created and implemented, and discuss its early learning experiences. Having (to date) placed 13 children through the service it will be a chance to hear from those who have actively participated in its first year of delivery. There will be opportunity for you to engage with providers of the service, stakeholders and service users, as well as consider future development of the service, what you consider important for ongoing sustainability and areas for further consideration. We would especially welcome attendance from child care social workers and managers, supervising social workers, Independent Reviewing Officers and Legal Advisors.

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Adopting Together is a collaborative service led by St David’s Children Society, provided alongside the Voluntary Adoption Agencies in Wales (Barnardo’s and Adoption UK) and delivered in partnership with a therapeutic provider. It is supported by Welsh Government and the National Adoption Service (NAS) in partnership with the statutory sector and is being independently evaluated by Cardiff University School of Psychology.

The National Approach to Statutory Advocacy for children and young people in Wales was introduced in 2017. The National Approach model places a duty on Children’s Services staff to ensure all children and young people who became looked after, post 1 July 2017, and became part of child protection procedures, are receiving a service via a care and support plan.

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Advocacy is promoting views, wishes and feelings, to ensure they are taken into account and acted upon during the decision making processes that affect a child’s life. This webinar provides a briefing on the National Approach, including the ‘Active Offer’ element, which ensures all children and young people who fall within the legislation are offered face-to-face meetings with their advocacy provider.

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This webinar, delivered by Tros Gynnal Plant, will begin with an overview of advocacy and the different types of advocacy, and the role of an Independent Professional Advocate. It will then detail the policy element of the National Approach, the overarching principles, the linking elements and how it may link to your area of work.

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The webinar is targeted at social care professionals and foster carers working with Children and Young People.

A link to the webinar will be sent the week of the event.

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Conference: All you need is love? Reflecting on relationships in the care system

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All children need love to help them thrive. Love instils a sense of self-esteem and belonging that is especially important when facing difficult or traumatic experiences throughout life.

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However, ‘love’ is a challenging concept to understand and apply in the context of caring for children and young people removed or estranged from their birth families. There are many concerns about feeling and expressing love towards children and young people we care for in a professional context, not least safeguarding issues and fears about unstable personal boundaries. Nonetheless, love is both felt and expressed by both children and professionals, and close personal relationships based around trust and nurture are strongly valued by children and young people in care.

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At this conference we present a range of professional and academic speakers, as well as care-experienced young people themselves, to discuss the difficult topic of love in the care system. We will consider our understanding of what love might mean in care contexts, different ways to express it and nurture it, and how it impacts the lives of care-experienced people, both in childhood and throughout their adult lives.

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Programme of Events 2019/20

Please take a look at our current programme of ExChange events for the autumn 2019/20.

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This timetable is subject to change.