Supporting adoptive families
ANNUAL REVIEW 2014-2015
Our vision is a world where all children and young people unable to live with their birth parents can find security and happiness with permanent families who have the right support to build brighter futures.
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ADOPTION UK Board of Trustees April 2014 – March 2015 Chair: Peter Seymour Vice Chair: Linda Palmer Anita Bharucha Tony Breslin Barry Catchpole Bob Duthie Mary Greenwood Eleanor Bradford* Nicola Cherry** Jane Game***
*appointed 26 June 2014 **appointed 25 September 2014 ***appointed 11 December 2014 NB: Penny Jones was a trustee from June 2010 to March 2015. Mark Rozkowski was a trustee from February 2012 to December 2014. Liz Searle was a trustee from December 2010 to June 2014.
What is Adoption UK? We are the leading charity providing a voice, awareness and understanding for those parenting or supporting children who cannot live with their birth parents. Over 11,000 members provide a strong, supportive community and the largest voice of adopters in the UK.
Why families need us Becoming a parent is one of the most challenging and rewarding things we will do in our lives but it comes with no instruction manual. Adopting a child who may have had a traumatic start in life can be even more challenging. What we do is help to provide the right tools, resources and support for adoptive families so that they can be prepared, informed and ready to give a child a second chance of a loving, forever family. We want to ensure that no adoption breaks down because of a lack of support or information for adoptive families. We have experienced adopters staffing our helpline and trainers who know what issues adopters face. Our more than 40 years of experience working with and for adopters helps us to campaign for appropriate funding and support in the areas that matter most to adoptive families.
What we do Adopted children can be some of the most vulnerable in society. All adopted children have suffered the loss of their birth parents, often as a result of neglect or abuse and many of them have spent some time in the care system. Our purpose at Adoption UK is to give voice to adoptive families and ensure that the right support is there for them when they do reach out to offer a brighter future for adopted children.
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WELCOME T Peter Seymour Chair, Adoption UK
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he purpose of this review is to look back over the last year and Hugh’s introduction sets out a highly complex and evolving political and policy environment in which we are working in pursuit of our purpose. All of us at Adoption UK are excited by many of the positive developments that we have influenced and supported, particularly in England and Wales and we look forward to the opportunities to achieve the same elsewhere in the UK. At the same time we have to evolve and adapt to a very different set of circumstances and the demise of BAAF this year demonstrates that any charity operating in the adoption field has to be highly flexible to survive and thrive. We initiated changes at the end of 2014/15 to ensure the success of the charity and we will need to continually review and evolve to deal with the enormous uncertainties that now exist in England. Looking to the future over the next two to three years every local authority adoption agency will disappear to be replaced by regional agencies. This is part of the Westminster Government’s planned reform programme and is expressly aimed at improving matching and support. The Adoption Support Fund, that we did so much to initiate and develop, completed its pilot last year and went live a week before the general election. We trust the Government will fund future funding for this important development beyond March 2016. The Trustee Board has been alarmed to see the massive decline in the number of children being considered for adoption over the last two years. We do not believe that this is in the best interests of many children and we look to the government to take whatever action is required to get us back to a place where adoption is seen as a truly positive option for the right children. The team at Adoption UK has worked tirelessly on your behalf over the past 12 months, dealing with the uncertainties, delivering outstanding services and broadening our reach. I and fellow trustees have been particularly pleased with the government funding the team secured to pilot two new services: one at responding to child on parent violence and the other to set up Adopter Voice as the way that adoptees can practically engage and influence services at a local and regional level. During the year the Trustee Board evolved and my thanks and best wishes go to Penny Jones, Mark Rowszkowski and Liz Searle who stepped down after many years of combined and dedicated service. My thanks to all other service Board members and our army of volunteers’ who support the staff team with real passion and vigour.
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DETERMINED SUPPORTIVE UNDERSTANDING HOPEFUL OPEN 6
INTRODUCTION T
he year ending March 2015 was one that saw remarkable changes and developments in adoption in parts of the UK and we hope that we have been a constant source of information, influence and support through it all? Leading a UK-wide charity brings with it enormous challenges as we see the different development of policy and legislation. Inevitably the differences in policy responses will grow as the UK becomes more devolved. It is often too easy to see the differences in national perspectives and to minimise those things that are the same. However, evidence shows that the needs of adopted children, and their families, are universal across the UK. Children enter care for very similar reasons, the impact of their early experiences of maltreatment is the same, and they need the same understanding of their needs to ensure that the right Hugh Thornbery interventions are there for them when they need it. Chief Executive, What is beginning to change is the way that different nations are starting to understand Adoption UK the need and respond to it through tangible policy developments. In Wales we saw the development of the National Adoption Service and the regional agencies, bringing a more relevant scale and strategic approach to family finding and support for adopted children. It is still early days but the signs are positive, there is good national leadership and a real commitment to providing better support. Adopted pupils in Welsh schools now benefit from the extension of the deprivation grant – not great terminology, but real progress in recognising and responding to unmet need. In Scotland we have seen very limited policy development; however the Adoption Register acquired legal status. With the Lottery Funding we have made a real difference though, developing our support group infrastructure and growing out of the central belt. In Northern Ireland we have secured a very strong position with all new adopters automatically signed up to our membership and a high degree of influence over policy development. Unfortunately the absolute political paralysis in the power sharing government arrangements means that no progress is being made on much needed legislation. In England we saw the full impact of the repercussions of the Re B-S appeal court decision made in September 2013. The Adoption Leadership Board statistics demonstrated the continuing decline in the number of agency decisions and placement orders being made. This has had a dramatic impact on the number of children coming through for adoption, ironically at a time when so many new adopters have been recruited and approved. This has had major consequences for: children, many of whom are ending up in less than ideal placements, for new adopters who are waiting longer for a child to be placed and, for the charity adoption sector. The number of children placed in England in 2014/15 will again be over 5,000; next year in 2015/16 we expect to see a dramatic fall, possibly below 3,000. Never has there been a time when the voice of adopters is needed more! I do hope you find this annual review a powerful testimony of the benefits we bring to adopted children by supporting you through your adoption journey? I also hope it encourages you to support us, through your time, your membership, your donations and the direct benefit that you provide to others by sharing your knowledge and experiences on our members’ discussion forums.
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*image posed by models
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MESSAGE FROM A MEMBER Melanie, a member of Adoption UK from Yorkshire, tells us what being it means to be a member “I had previously fostered both of my children for three years. Rufus was 14 months and Tallulah was almost three years old when they first came to me. I decided to adopt them because it would have been unthinkable for them to move onto another placement.” Melanie, who has fostered about 30 children on a short-term and respite basis over an eight-year period, has recently been accepted to sit on fostering and adoption panels. The single mum, who also teaches art to adults with learning difficulties and mental health issues, said: “I’m delighted because I want to be involved in improving the lives of vulnerable children but I can’t foster or adopt anymore because my little one has attachment issues so I don’t want to upset the apple cart.” When asked what she gains as a member of Adoption UK Melanie replied: “As a brand new adoptive parent and member of Adoption UK, I find the charity’s services to be invaluable. The Adoption Today magazine is brilliant as it has articles on subjects such as attachment, which are relevant to me, as well as interviews with adoptive parents talking about experiences which are similar to mine. She closed by saying: “The online forum is very helpful and it is comforting to see people feel the same as me about a lot of things and it’s also good to feel part of a community.”
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FAMILY FINDING In 2014/2015 • We featured 1,007 profiles of children • Over 40 agencies featured children in our Children Who Wait magazine/online
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Children Who Wait The average time between entry to care and adoption order is continuing to decrease – and now stands at 2 years and 3 months. And the average age at adoption is now 3 years and 3 months – down from 3 years and 10 months in 2011, although many children wait longer.
How we help Our family-finding service, Children Who Wait, is now the only printed magazine in the UK that helps prospective adopters to find their children and offer them a loving, stable and permanent home. It is very popular with Adoption UK members who are in the early stages of their adoption journey. Adoption agencies can sometimes struggle to find suitable adoptive families for older children and sibling groups. Also with fewer children being put forward for adoption, there have been falling numbers of children featured in the magazine. Our Children Who Wait team play a vital role in matching prospective adopters with these harder to place children and creating new ‘forever families’. The teamwork in partnership with local authorities to help them feature children, providing accurate and timely information, and dealing with enquiries from potential adopters and agencies from across the UK, in order to find the best possible match for these children.
Family-finding online The Children Who Wait online service has grown in the past year. Members are able to conduct their own searches and view extended profiles of featured children. Adoption agencies are able to submit extra photographs and video clips, improving the chances of finding a strong match for the many children waiting to find their ‘forever home’. One family-finding social worker recently told us: “The ‘Children Who Wait’ magazine team have been easy to work with. They are flexible in terms of their deadlines, which is very helpful due to the nature of social work, meaning that you are able to get children’s profiles out there without any delay. They somehow always have a way of fitting in a last minute referral. The contact details for the family finders are displayed in the magazine making it easier and quicker to contact them. In future, we are looking at whether Children Who Wait will include parent profiles and children looking for long-term fostering.” Lucy Macharia, Principal Social Worker, London
Feedback “ I am able to write and thank you for introducing me to my son, I saw his picture on your site this time last year and had the pleasure and delight of bringing him home in February. Thank you to you all.” Adoptive parent “ This is my first time using Children Who wait magazine and website and I am very pleased with the results. It has generated a number of enquiries for a child who we have found hard to place.” Kimberley Mendsa, Social Worker, Royal Borough of Greenwich
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MEMBERS
In 2014/2015 • We had around 5,200 members • We had 186 local authority and voluntary adoption agency members • Our website received more than 750,000 unique page views • We supported an online community of more than 2,100 active users • There were 81 new referrals to the Parent Consultant service in 2014/15 and 36 Buddy Support services • Our helpline answered more than 4,800 calls
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adoption OCTOBER 2015
What Adoption Means to Me
today 10 tips for building success in the teenage years
A poem by Ruby Saunders (Aged 9)
talking with teens what I would like adopters to know – a teen writes
The past is in the past, And your new life has begun Forget all your worries And start to have fun. Your home is warm and cosy And there are toys for everyone Including girls and boys Who enjoy playing in the sun.
INSIDE
parenting the older child
what if your child can’t hear praise? the prenatal life of an adopted child a holiday of a life time life in the aquarium
book review
ADUK_Tx Pages Oct-V1.indd 1
You learn how to speak And you start to go to school, You get to know every girl and boy. You wear nice clothes that keep you warm Instead of clothes that are dirty and torn. Now you have a new life With people to love. Every time you’re upset, try to laugh. Your heart is full of love and laughter, So don’t waste the love after.
What our members say We had a very good response to our membership survey in 2014. One of the questions asked of members was ‘which of your membership benefits have you used to date and which did you find most helpful?’ Adoption Today ranked top of 16 options listed. We try to bring the real experiences of adopters into the magazine as well as experts in research, training and education to try and cover a range of subjects which are useful and relevant.
members' room
16/09/2015 17:17
Feedback " I have recently received the welcome pack and magazine and wanted to let you know that my partner and I are thrilled with the magazine and have both said what a fantastic resource it is. We are finding it incredibly helpful.” New member, East Sussex “ Just wanted to say thank you for including our experiences in Adoption Today. After what we went through last year it was empowering to give our own response and for it be published.” Adoption UK member “ Thanks so much to you and the publishing team. We thought the article about Jack's Christmas in this month’s issue looked really amazing in the way it had been set out with the additional information and book reference. Even the main picture was really appropriate.” Adoption UK member
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In 2014/2015 • We ran 58 support groups and 275 support group sessions • We held 16 family days in England • More than 70 adoptive parents act as volunteers for our network of local support groups
COMMUNITY 14
Our support The support we offer via support groups, parent consultants, buddying and our helpline has continued to be well used by adoptive parents across the UK. During 2014/2015 we held 275 support group sessions and answered almost 4,900 helpline calls – a very similar amount to the previous year. Our support groups organise a wide range of activities including coffee mornings, evening meetings, social events and family days. They provide a warm welcome to new members and prospective adopters, immediately creating a sense of community and peer support.
Investing in our volunteers We are fortunate to have an excellent team of volunteers who are vital to the provision of high quality peer support services because of their first-hand experiences of adoptive parenting. We are enormously grateful for the energy and commitment of all our volunteers. This year we continued to invest in a dedicated support worker for volunteers to provide supervision and development as it has been of great benefit to volunteers supporting adopters across England. We have also continued to deliver online training for our group coordinators to support them with the skills and expertise to undertake their vital roles.
Widening our scope 13 contracts UK-wide provided regular support via groups, family support services and membership to local authorities and voluntary adoption agencies. Across the UK our 58 support groups have been successfully extending their knowledge and understanding to wider groups of people. A prime example of this was our successful bring a teacher evenings in Northern Ireland. The knowledge and experiences that adoptive parents and prospective adopters have gleaned as part of their adoption journey are a vital resource for others. By sharing this knowledge more widely with friends, family members and practitioners we can effect real change at a local level.
Online communities Our online forums provide prospective adopters and adoptive parents with a place to talk about their lives, share experiences and ask questions 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It truly represents peer to peer support. Our forum users have a huge range of experiences and you can find people talking about issues from going through the adoption process, to how to find a child, right through to those experiencing difficulties with their school’s understanding of adoption-related issues or just living with a child who has experienced trauma, neglect or abuse. The forums are also a place where adopters talk about latest therapies and strategies and share positive, happy family experiences. We are incredibly thankful for the energy and commitment that our forum users offer by supporting one another. Our Twitter and Facebook communities allow us to reach a diverse audience and help us spread the message about the needs of adoptive children, the challenges and rewards of adoptive parenting and raise awareness of key campaigning issues. They also enable us to share sources of support and information with those who need them.
Feedback What it’s like to be a group coordinator “ Sara said that she likes reaching out to people who hadn’t had access to any peer to peer support before the Surrey support group started. Sara has enjoyed running the monthly family days out. Also, and in my case the East Sussex County Adoption Team who we are in partnership with.”
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SUPPORT
In 2014/2015 • Our helplines answered more than 4,800 calls and almost 1,900 email enquiries from prospective adopters and adoptive parents • The top five issues for helpline callers were: the adoption process, education, post-adoption support, membership and behaviour issues • We supported 81 families through our Parent Consultant service and 36 families through our Buddy service 16
Peer to peer support
Our Buddy support service provides short to medium term early intervention and support to adopters who have had a child recently placed and for those further along the adoption journey that need reassurance. Although we have seen a bit of a decline in the number of referrals to our Buddy support service, the referrals to the Parent Consultant service increased by more than 20 compared to the previous year. Our evaluations continue to show that the service is highly valued by service users who frequently highlight the benefits of talking to someone who get’s it.’ The Parent Consultant service is a short and medium term service to support, educate, signpost adopters who are struggling to secure support and/or understand their child’s behaviour.
Helpline calls ‘issues analysis’ 10% 13%
32%
15%
32% Education 30% Adoption process 15% Membership 13% Behaviour issues 10% Post adoption support Feedback
30%
Ofsted
We were delighted to retain our outstanding rating as an adoption service and we anticipate a re-inspection some time in 2016.
“ Sara said that she likes reaching out to people who hadn’t had access to any peer to peer support before the Surrey support group started. Sara has enjoyed running the monthly family days out. Also Sara commented on the fact that prospective adopters seem to really appreciate meeting with other prospective and adopters already with children placed.” Adoptive Parent, Surrey Support Group
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KNOWLEDGE In 2014/2015 • We ran 5 conferences, 14 Learning Connect events, 4 Parenting Our Children workshops and 39 other training workshops and events • Almost 600 adopters and practitioners attended our conferences • Around 30 trainers, all adoptive parents, deliver our training courses and programmes • 97 per cent of attendees say they have ‘gained valuable knowledge’ from attending our events
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Sharing knowledge Adoption UK has a long history of designing and delivering workshops that are of benefit to prospective adopters, adoptive parents and professionals. Adoption UK Training is one of the most effective ways in which the knowledge and experience of adoptive parents is shared with other adoptive families and professionals, enabling them to develop an understanding of the effects of trauma and learn appropriate strategies to support and care for children that are affected by this early trauma. In Belfast in February 2015, Knowing You, Knowing Me, a life story work conference with Joy Rees and Louis Sydney helped adopters, foster carers and practitioners appreciate that life story work is an essential therapeutic tool for adopters and looked after children and gives them a positive sense of who they are and provides hope for the future. Joy Rees is the Adoption Team Leader in a London Borough with over 30 years experience in social work, 20 years of which as a specialist adoption social worker. She is author of Life Story Books for Adopted Children – a family friendly approach. Louis Sydney is a child and adult psychotherapist, an independent trainer, clinical supervisor and consultant. Louis’ particular interests are in building the bonds of attachment within families, early life trauma, and neurobiology and from these three areas, providing a model or approach to care for children who have experienced difficult starts to their lives.
Our conferences 2014/15 saw the start of a series of conferences using Peter Jakob PhD, the founder of an approach to child to parent violence known as Non-Violent Resistance. With a background in social work, Dr Peter Jakob has worked as Clinical Psychologist and Family Therapist in both CAMHS and Adult Mental Health for over 30 years. The first person to use Non Violent Resistance (NVR) in the UK, Peter has been spending many years introducing the approach to a growing number of professionals. He has adapted the approach for heavily traumatised, multi-stressed families, and his work with looked-after children has inspired him to develop a child focus in NVR. We also were pleased to host world-renowned Bruce Perry in May 2014 at our Annual Conference in Birmingham. Dr Perry is the Senior Fellow of the Child Trauma Academy, a non-profit organisation based in Houston, Texas. His work in clinical research and practice has been instrumental in describing how childhood experiences, including neglect and traumatic stress change the biology of the brain and therefore the health of the child.
Feedback “ The wealth of information and confidence in NVR was evident throughout the day.” “ All beneficial, especially using support to talk to a child and building my support network.” Delegates, NVR conference “ All parts were very informative and I feel better able to support my child in school.” Delegates, Life in the Classroom education conference
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CAMPAIGNING & POLICY
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Influencing change This year we have again maintained a strong policy and public affairs presence across the UK. Our Chief Executive and the Development Managers in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales continue to be closely involved in all the key government adoption initiatives, including being part of stakeholder groups, advising on draft legislation and pushing for changes in law, policy and practice. We have proactively submitted consultations, written evidence and represented the views of adopters in response to government calls for information and views and have influenced, through our campaigning work, changes in policy.
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland we have worked doggedly to influence the publication of the consultation on the proposed Bill. Despite meetings at high political levels no progress has been made and the political paralysis and the question marks over a return to direct rule mean that we have little confidence in any progress being made in the short to medium term. We have excellent relationships with officials who we are able to support but ultimately adopted children and their families are losing out.
Wales
In Wales we have strongly influenced the Welsh Assembly Government's approach to adoption support. We are very encouraged by the plans developed by the National Adoption Service for improved adoption support and we were able to celebrate the recognition of adopted children's educational needs through the extension of the "deprivation grant" for all children adopted form care. The appointment of Ann Bell, our Regional Manager in Wales to the Vice Chair of the National Adoption Service’s Advisory Group was clear evidence of the value she brings to policy development.
Scotland
In Scotland adoption continues to lie low in the policy thinking and we have yet to make a breakthrough on this. We hope to make more progress this year in the run up to the Parliamentary elections in May 2016.
England
In England we continued to bring the experiences of our members to influencing policy implementation through our membership of the Adoption Leadership Board, with the turmoil that the impact of appeal court decisions have had on the planned reform programme. Our Chairing of the Government's Expert Advisory Group on Adoption Support informed the piloting of the Adoption Support Fund (ASF) and this in turn led to the ASF being rolled out across England. The decision was taken in the autumn with the roll out from 1 May 2105. We have increased the numbers of adopters on the Expert Group and they have played a very influential role. Following the ASF roll out the Expert Group's remit was broadened at our suggestion and now covers the full range of support from social care, health and education.
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RESEARCH
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Research A UK Study on the Adoption of Disabled Children
Although disabled children are consistently reported to be over-represented in the looked after population in UK, they rarely feature in the discourse of adoption. Only a few small-scale studies have explored adoption for disabled looked after children and none of this research has had a UK-wide focus. Disabled children are amongst the hardest to place for adoption and adoptive parents report a persistent lack of information and support. We are supporting the research team from the University of Bristol and Queen’s University, Belfast to develop and deliver a research study that aims to address this neglected area of research and practice, crossing the disciplinary boundaries of disability and adoption. Findings from the study will inform policymakers and practitioners about the process of adoption for disabled children and post-adoption support that enables effective adoptive parenting for disabled children.
Child and adolescent mental health
We are in the early stages of supporting research into adoptive families’ experience of child and adolescent mental health services being undertaken by the South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
Wales
Adoption UK continues to work closely with Cardiff University to support the Adoption Cohort Study. This will follow an entire cohort of children adopted in Wales between July 2014 and June 2015 and look in detail at their history. The aims of the study are to find out: • What support do families need in the first year after their child or children come to live with them? To what extent are these support needs met? • What are the factors that help families flourish in the first year? • What is the impact of the decision-making that happened before children were placed for adoption (e.g. the length of time before a plan for adoption was agreed) on families? Professor Julie Selwyn completed her study on disruption in adoptive placements in Wales. Several of those families included in the study had relied heavily on support from Adoption UK. The findings were helpful in persuading Welsh Government to provide some immediate funding for Adoption UK to develop support for families experiencing child to parent violence.
Scotland
Adoption UK work alongside the Centre of Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland and our development manager sits on the research group focusing on achieving permanence for disabled children. We bring the voice of the adopter into the discussion, and support the research leading to achieving successful permanence for more children with disabilities. We are keen to support any research into adoption and permanence in Scotland, and will continue to work with CELCIS and other professional organisations to do so.
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THANK YOU
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YOUR SUPPORT Thank you for your support Fundraising continues to be a very important and evolving income stream for Adoption UK and we are very grateful to every individual and organisation that has supported us during the year.
Trusts and Foundations A diverse range of Trusts and Foundations continue to be supportive, providing both restricted and unrestricted grants for our services. We are grateful to the Dulverton Trust, CHK Charities Ltd, Albert Hunt Charitable Trust and the PF Charitable Trust in particular for their most generous support of a range of services including the Helpline and website.
Community and Corporate Members, adoptive families, those looking to adopt, the general public and businesses of all shapes and sizes have again generously supported Adoption UK. This year saw our largest team take part in the Oxford Half Marathon and 11 colleagues from PMC Retail organised a coast to coast bike ride from Whitehaven to Tynemouth covering some 150 miles raising almost £4,000. We also launched ‘Let’s Eat Together’, a campaign designed to encourage family, friends and colleagues to put a fundraising spin on something everyone enjoys doing together; eating and drinking. To complement the campaign we also produced our first ever cook book crammed full of interesting recipes created by members, colleagues and celebrities.
Legacies Always a bitter sweet way for any charity to receive donations. Adoption UK received its first legacy during the year which will make a difference to thousands of adoptive families and children for generations to come.
Ways to support Adoption UK • Become a regular giver and pledge from just £3 per month. • Ask your employer about Payroll Giving • Get active – take part in a challenge event • Organise a fundraising event and encourage your community, school or workplace to get involved • Help us fundraise via easyfundraing.org.uk Clothes for Charity, Charity Flowers and Give as you Live. • Include a gift in your Will
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ENGLAND Policy
In 2014/15 • 12 Contracts with local authorities for support services • 45 support group sessions • Successful DfE grant applications for Adopter Voice and Child on Parent Violence
The policy agenda continued apace as the Coalition Government focused on driving through the adoption reform programme before the general election. There was clear evidence of the success in improving timeliness of decision making for adopters and children, a welcome reduction in the number of children with an order waiting to be adopted and a closing of the adopter gap to a point where the number of children reported as waiting for a placement mathematically matched the number of adoptive placement available. In reality there is still a worrying gap as the profiles of the children waiting do not match adopter preferences and recruitment activities will need to become more targeted in the future. As a member of the Adoption Leadership Board our Chief Executive has played a key part in representing adoptive families’ needs and views in all of this. The plans were well advanced for the national roll out of the adoption support funds in the latter part of the year. It went national on 1 May. Adoption UK initiated the development through our forceful presentation of the unmet need back in 2012/13 and whilst the arrangements are not fully tested yet we were encouraged by the take up in the 10 pilots over the course of 2014/15. Many families accessed the support they needed for their children in a quick and timely way.
The Expert Advisory Group on Adoption Support, chaired by our Chief Executive widened its remit late in the year to include all aspects of adoption support.
Partnerships We continued to enjoy formal contractual relationships with 12 local authorities in the year and worked with many others through our peer to peer support services, agency membership and training events. We have worked collaboratively with the voluntary adoption agency sector as part of the government funding capacity building programme in England. We have brought the experience of the adopter into the strategic development of the sector. This sector plays a key role in finding families for some of the hardest to place children and stands out as a sector for the quality of its services.
Membership The majority of our members are in England and we have kept them updated on all the adoption policy reform developments. We have 45 thriving support groups, well serviced by our Group Coordinators and we were able to bring new Coordinators into the organisation, all of who experience high quality supervision. We have been developing our approach to the training of group coordinators so that it is more focused and timely.
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N. IRELAND Policy
This has been a frustrating year with regards the consultation on adoption. All progress and movement towards the consultation and ultimate new adoption legislation has stalled. Unfortunately adoption reform is currently a casualty of ongoing political and economic difficulties at Stormont and it is extremely disappointing, particularly as demands for our support/services increase. Our legislation is not progressing in line with the remainder of the UK and adoptive families in Northern Ireland do not have the same support as their counterparts in the other regions. We continue to lobby all political parties and liaise with senior Department of Health officials and participate in the government’s advisory committee on adoption. During the year we sat on the working group to review the Health Trusts policy and procedures on adoption which will be launched in the autumn of 2015.
Partnership During the year, funding received from the Health and Social Care Boad and the Department of Health have allowed us to continue to provide a high standard of support services for adoptive families throughout Northern Ireland. We have worked closely with the Health Trusts and the Regional Adoption and Fostering Service to ensure prospective adopters and adoptive families are informed about and can avail of our support services and training. We worked jointly with BAAF on National Adoption Week events and adoption exchange days. Adoption UK and Fostering Network collaborated on ‘Let’s Learn Together’ education workshops and the Letterbox programme – a programme that provides books and games as literacy aids for children.
Membership Membership last year grew to 389 family members. Our members benefited from a range of support services including three family days, Parenting our Children training, Getting Ready for Placement training for approved prospective adopters, 52 group sessions and an annual conference ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You – life story work.’ The Advocacy and Support Service provided a range of one off and on-going intensive support for 27 families. The helpline continues to provide vital support for prospective adopters and experienced adopters alike, and the lending library continues to be a popular resource.
In 2014/15 • 389 memberships • 5 agency members • 52 support group sessions • 3 family days attended by 600 people • 249 helpline calls and email enquiries
Feedback “ This is excellent training and should be compulsory for all social workers as well as adopters.” Adoptive Parent, Parentng Our Children training “ Thank you for the opportunity to attend this event. We really appreciate all that you do for adoptive families.” Adoptive Parent
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SCOTLAND Policy We continue to lobby on our members’ behalf to ensure that adoption support is recognised as a necessity for our families. In Scotland we are continuing to lobby for an equality in service provision, both across the country and to match developments in other areas of the United Kingdom.
Partnership In 2014/15 • 270 family memberships • 22 agency memberships • 8 support groups • 6 family days attended by more than 200 people • 204 helpline calls and email enquiries
Feedback “...for the most part he was able to feel safe at Wiston and I believe benefitted hugely from the weekend, and this will help to bolster him as he struggles to cope at school. He came home a much more confident boy than the boy who left on Friday...” Adoptive parent, Wiston Lodge Family Day
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Much of the valuable work we carry out would not be possible without the support of our partners. We were successful in securing a third year of funding from the Scottish Government from their Third Sector Early Intervention Fund, allowing us to help support adoptive families and the professionals working with them, through the provision of our national helpline, support groups, family events and training/factsheets. Through partnership arrangements with Glasgow City Council and East Lothian Council we have been able to provide additional support in the form of workshops and family events tailored for the demands of the adopters in these areas.
Membership We were delighted that during the year we were joined by a number of new volunteer support coordinators allowing us to continue existing and develop new support groups for the benefit of adopters in Scotland. Our Family events are particularly valued by our members and we are building on the success of these events and introducing more into our annual events calendar. “ As a lone parent of a child with significant attachment issues life can become a challenge as my child doesn’t always ‘fit’ with other families, which of course can become isolating. This weekend provided me the opportunity to meet with other parents and to relax and not worry about my son ‘fitting’ with others. The environment was safe and I could supervise from a distance and intervene when necessary. I have returned after enjoying a relaxing and revitalising break, despite us being busy on the weekend.” Adoptive parent, Wiston Lodge Family Day
WALES Policy
November 2014 saw the launch of the National Adoption Service (NAS) in Wales. Our Development Manager Wales is now vice chair of the Advisory Group of the NAS and serves on the Governance Board and Adoption Support Sub group as well ensuring that adopters voices are heard loud and clear throughout the decision-making processes. Lobbying by Adoption UK members and others through the year resulted in changes to the Pupil Deprivation Grant funding in Wales allowing it to be used to support previously looked after children who are now adopted as well as those currently in the care of local authorities. Adoption UK are working closely with the Department for Education and Skills in Welsh Government to help schools use the new funding effectively.
Partnership The partnership between Adoption UK Wales and St. David’s Children’s Society continues with all families who were assessed and approved by St. David’s receiving Adoption UK membership until the child(ren) reach 18 years of age. Feedback from the families makes it clear that families value the guarantee of support that brings and like the feeling that they have a peer support network at hand when and if they need it. “ Adoption UK membership it is really my only access to information on adoptionrelated issues and services. There is very little else out there for adoptive parents and this is really valuable.” About the free Adoption UK membership offered by St David’s Children’s Society to all their adoptive families
Membership Our membership in Wales grew steadily over the year rising by just over 4%. As we go to print we have just had confirmation that thanks to new funding from the National Adoption Service all new adopters in Wales will receive Adoption UK membership starting in April 2015. “ Myself and my son really enjoy these family events: I get a chance to talk to other adoptive parents and he gets a chance to have fun with other children in the same position as him which he values. As my son's behaviour can be quite challenging I can relax more with other adopters as I know they won’t judge me or him!” Adoptive Parent, Bryn Garw Family Day, Bridgend
In 2014/15 • 349 memberships • 4 of the 5 regional adoption teams were agency members • 10 support groups • 2 family days attended by almost 100 people • 502 helpline calls and email enquiries
Feedback “ Support groups are great to talk face to face. The support group has been a lifeline when times have been tough.” Attendee, Cardiff support group “ Great to meet lots of other people in the same boat as me and to hear their experiences and perspectives. I feel we will be a really active and sociable group which will be a useful ongoing resource.” Attendee, single adopters support group
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FACTS & FIGURES Income
In 2014/2015 • 75 per cent of our expenditure went directly to supporting the needs of adoptive families
Expenditure Our expenditure increased by 13 per cent during the year mainly due to the increased support we provided but also much needed investments in technology, staff and research that will allow us to develop and grow the charity in future years.
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We are reliant on generating income to achieve our goals and serve the needs of adoptive families. Our total income for the year 2014/2015 fell by 19.3 per cent decreasing from £2,284,814 in 2013/2014 to £1,811,645 in 2014/2015. Our income is made up of membership subscriptions, services (including familyfinding), adoption support, fundraising, trading and training.
£2,229,330
£2,284,814 £1,844,645
£1,765,636
2012
2013
2014
2015
Income over four years
Investing in the future
Demand for our support is on the increase and so too is the need to innovate and develop our services. With this comes the necessity for us to grow our fundraising income substantially in the years to come. Our main income streams of membership, adoption support and other services (including family-finding) generated £1,515,666 income and cost £2,196,826 to provide in 2014/2015. As anticipated last year our income stream relating to family finding was impacted as less children came through the system with adoption orders.
• We plan to develop our membership proposition, improving the membership experience and ensuring it remains excellent value for money • We are developing a strategic approach to adoption support services to influence national developments and our own services • We are increasing our capacity to work in partnership with local authorities and other agencies • We will develop research proposals with key academic institutions • We will work to ensure that the Adopter Voice initiative is developed across the UK
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE 31
Head Office Linden House 55 The Green South Bar Street Banbury OX16 9AB Phone 01295 752240 Email info@adoptionuk.org.uk Wales Office Penhevad Studios Penhevad Street Cardiff CF11 7LU Phone 029 2023 0319 Email wales@adoptionuk.org.uk
Our vision is a world where all children and young people unable to live with their birth parents can find security and happiness with permanent families who have the right support to build brighter futures. We provide our members with the highest level of service, support and education. We campaign for change for you at the highest policy levels. We are proud to once again be rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.
Scotland Office 172 Leith Walk Edinburgh EH6 5EA Phone 0131 555 5350 Email scotland@adoptionuk.org.uk Northern Ireland Office 545 Antrim Road Belfast BT15 3BU Phone 028 9077 5211 Email northernireland@adoptionuk.org.uk
Helpline 0844 848 7900 Monday to Friday 10am-4pm
www.adoptionuk.org
For details on any of our policies on confidentiality, data protection, child and vulnerable adult protection, equal opportunities and complaints procedures, please contact any of our offices. Registered Charity No. 1160647 (England and Wales) Registered Charity No. SC037892 (Scotland) Registered Adoption Support Agency (Service No. 66957)
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Adoption UK is a company limited by guarantee Company No. 9454981