What Adoption Support means

Adoption Support Agencies offer a range of support to those affected by adoption and other forms of permanent care, e.g. special guardianship, kinship care; some offer all of the services listed below and others may offer support to one or some of these groups of people. The services include:

  1. Adoption support to adoptive parents and  families
  2. Support to adults adopted as children
  3. Support to birth families
  4. Support to prospective adopters
  5. Intermediary Services
  6. Contact facilitation
  7. Assessment of potential adopters
  8. Assessment of adoption placements
  9. Helpline
  10. Training events for service users
  11. Training events for professionals
  12. Support groups for adoptive parents
  13. Support groups for prospective adopters
  14. Support groups for adopted adults
  15. Support groups for birth parents
  16. Intercountry adoption support
  17. Advice

How we help

Children and adoptive families – through counselling and therapeutic help we aim to increase the stability of the adoptive family and improve the bonds between adopters and their adopted children.  Ultimately we seek to minimise the likelihood of adoption breakdown, which can be disastrous both for the child and the adopters who feel they have ‘failed’.

Adults adopted as children – adoption is a journey; at each life stage the adoptee may be confronted unexpectedly by thoughts, feelings or behaviours arising from this early trauma.  We aim to help these adoptees move on from the distress associated with their adoption as children and improve their peer relationships and other life skills.

Birth families – all members of the birth family suffer a loss when a child is adopted.  For many the feelings of loss and grief can be overwhelming.  We aim to improve birth families’ understanding of what has happened to them, and to alleviate some of their negative feelings.  Many birth parents are amongst the most vulnerable groups in society.

Professionals – through consultation and training we equip social workers, counsellors, educationalists and other professionals working in adoption and permanency with the specialist knowledge they need in order to impact positively on their clients.