adoption support

The needs of adopted children, or those that are cared for by special guardians, can pose unique challenges and bring great opportunities for both the children and their families. Whilst we understand that the difficulties experienced may be significant, complex and ongoing – with the right therapeutic support, a child might come to better know their story, their inner worth, the capacity they carry for true intimacy and connection, and their unique and beautiful way of belonging and being, not only within their family, but in this world.

Post adoption is an area of my work that I regard as a specialism, grown organically from over 12 years of clinical experience facilitating in depth therapeutic processes with children and young people with a wide range of complex learning, behavioural and mental health difficulties. My clinical experience to date has included work within mainstream schools, post 16 education, specialist SEN provision, CAMHS, and NHS secure services.

Since 2016 I have been working in post adoption, supporting children, young people and their families to progress towards better outcomes and happier, more hopeful lives. I hold a sincere and steadfast commitment to the families that I work alongside, and to the relationships forged which hold the potential to inspire, to challenge and to heal. Along the way I have developed a deep respect for children and young people’s natural relationship to growth and transformation, whilst nurturing a deep reverence and love for this particular area of work.

WHy Dramatherapy?

Dramatherapy is widely recognised to be an effective intervention when working therapeutically with adopted children and young people. As a therapeutic modality, it harnesses the innate desire of the child to explore their inner and outer worlds through creativity, the imagination, play, symbol and ritual. It has the benefit of utilising both body and mind through the appropriate developmental movement and play that arises naturally out of the embodied experience of the therapeutic relationship.

Dramatherapy offers a unique way for adopted children and young people to explore those problems, feelings and life experiences that are sometimes hard for them to think or talk about. It can provide an avenue to healing the core wounds of loss, separation, and abandonment, whilst bringing both containment and safety to critical explorations of the key themes of belonging, family, and home. It can be the vehicle through which identity can be explored, formed and nurtured, and where the sense of self can be deepened and known. It can support children and young people to hold compassion for their past, understanding of their present, and greater hope for their future.

I take great care in providing each child or young person with a non-judgemental, safe and confidential space where they can feel seen, heard and valued. Each session is tailored to the meet their emergent needs, placing trust in their capacity to utilise the therapeutic space and relationship in ways that orient naturally towards healing and growth.

As a dramatherapist I am trained in both psychological and arts-specific assessment and evaluation techniques. I am committed to generating and delivering sound evidence-based practice that serves the overall efficacy of the work, providing positive and lasting outcomes for the children, young people and families that I work with.

WHY THERAPEUTIC PARENTING?

It is important that the responsibility for change is not located solely within the life of the child or young person. For effective and lasting change to occur, there must be a willingness from parents and caregivers to explore the ways that they themselves are naturally resourced to create the necessary experiences of safety, care and love within the parent-child relationship. It is vital also that parents and caregivers are given the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the impact of adverse childhood experiences and the significance of their role in supporting the healing of complex trauma.

Therapeutic parenting as a parenting approach is both trauma informed and attachment aware. It is a uniquely nurturing approach which holds empathy at its heart, encouraging the parent or caregiver to develop consistent, insightful, and empathic responses to a child and their needs. Authentic connection between parent and child is fostered through creating (and adapting) reasonable boundaries and routines, and through holding an attitude of curiosity and acceptance, whilst embodying a consistent loving presence. This approach provides the child with the sense of safety and security that they need to develop their capacity for co-regulation and self-regulation, so that they might deepen their understanding of their behaviours and their emotional world. Most importantly, this approach invites opportunities to form a secure and loving bond between parent and child that holds the potential to heal the deep wounds of childhood trauma and endure the inevitable storms that life will bring.

Therapeutic parenting is supported by the PACE model – (P)layfulness to offer and maintain connection with the child / (A)cceptance of the inner world of the child, including the thoughts, feelings, perceptions and impulses that live underneath their outward behaviours / (C)uriosity about the meaning that lives underneath the behaviours through wondering without judgement / (E)mpathy that shows compassion for the inner life of the child and communicates strength, commitment and love. If harnessed in good faith and with the right intention, this model for parenting can become a way of being that not only promotes an engaging, positive and meaningful parent-child bond, but also reflects the goodness and capacity for deep love that is inherent to all.

Who is eligible for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund?

The Adoption and Special Guardianship Fund is available for children living in England up to and including the age of 21 (or 25 if they have a Statement of Special Educational Needs or Education Health & Care Plan) who:

• are adopted and were previously in local authority care in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

• are adopted from overseas.

• are under a Child Arrangement Order (CAO) to enable the assessment of a potential special guardian, while the CAO is in force.

• are subject to a Special Guardianship Order and were previously in care.

What do I need to do?

To access the Adoption and Special Guardianship Fund, you will need to have an assessment of your family’s adoption support needs by the local authority. This is a current legal obligation of all local authorities.

The local authority that places the child with you is responsible for assessing your adoption support needs for three years after the adoption order. After three years it becomes the responsibility of the local authority where you live (if different).

Where the assessment identifies that therapeutic services would be beneficial to your family, the local authority will apply to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Fund on your behalf, who will then release funding to the local authority.

The local authority social worker will discuss with you your options to ensure that you are accessing the types of service that best suit the needs of your family, and which therapeutic provider you would prefer.