An adopted child’s identity will always encompass multiple elements and a child’s long term psychological and mental health depends on finding answers to fundamental questions about who they are. All children looked after will have a contact plan, including those to be adopted. This can be either direct/face-to-face or indirect (e.g., ‘letterbox’[1]). For many years… Read More
Early Permanence
Early Permanence is a child-centred practice that offers stability at a very early stage, preventing multiple moves and the associated trauma of separation from and loss of attachment figures, until a court has reached a decision about the final care plan for a child. The need for good quality care planning for children and twin… Read More
Race in Adoption, the Absent Presence.
In the 1960’s children from Black and Global Majority backgrounds were considered unadoptable and transracial adoption (TRA) was encouraged to prevent children from staying in long-term foster or residential care. Though as the testimonies of some transracially adopted adults were heard, the ability of TRA to provide children with positive racial/ethnic identities and a sense… Read More
Two mothers, one child: an adoptive mother and birth mother with direct contact
Abbie lived in the South of England and had been invited to help on the playscheme, because she had knowledge and experience of a type of communication strategy that the school were trying to introduce. I had been family finding for T for about a year and had found one potential match which fell through.… Read More
Check your thinking: supporting anti-racist practice in children’s social care.
Presented by: Abyd Quinn-Aziz, Melissa Mendez and Sophie Hallett, Cardiff University. This session is aimed at practitioners, professionals and carers, and promotes resources that have been developed to support anti-racist-practice in children’s social care. In the webinar we explain the thinking behind the resources and how you can engage with these as an individual and… Read More
Why do prospective adoptive parents choose to adopt older children?
The assessment process Prospective adoptive parents in the UK context are required to go through an assessment process. As part of the assessment process, prospective parents are required to undertake adoption preparation training where they learn about the potential needs of children who will be placed with them. During this preparation and assessment process, prospective… Read More
Prof. Harriet Ward CBE
PROFESSOR HARRIET WARD CBE is an Honorary Research Fellow at the Rees Centre, Oxford University and Emeritus Professor of Child and Family Research at Loughborough University. She has over 30 years’ experience both as a research director and field researcher, as an adviser to policymakers and service providers, and as a social work practitioner. Harriet… Read More
Prof. Beth Neil
PROFESSOR BETH NEIL is a Professor of Social Work, Director of Research and Chair of the Research Ethics Committee for the School of Social Work at University of East Anglia. Before joining the Department as a Ph.D. student in 1996 (progressing to lecturer in 1999 and senior lecturer in 2007) she worked for several years… Read More
Prof. Hedy Cleaver and Wendy Rose OBE
Professor Hedy Cleaver is an emeritus professor at Royal Holloway College, University of London. Her experience as a social worker and child psychologist informs her research on vulnerable children and families and the impact of professional interventions. The guiding principle underpinning her work is a desire to improve the quality of life for children living… Read More
Prof. Jim Clifford OBE
Read Jim’s profile and find out more about the Community Interest Company that he founded, Sonnet Impact & Advisory, where he is Chief Executive. The research report “A home for me? A comparative review of the value of different forms of permanence for children – Adoption, SGOs and Fostering” that Jim will be discussing in… Read More