Adopting a child with additional needs
The most recent statistics show that there were over 2000 children waiting to be adopted in 2022/23. Of those, many have additional needs. The sad truth is that having additional needs often means they wait, on average, 11 months longer in care than their peers. To address this concerning statistic, voluntary adoption agencies VAAs) across […]
Indirect contact: The settling in letter
I can’t begin to imagine what it is like being told by a court that I can’t parent my child. And then having to say goodbye to them, knowing I won’t see them again for many years. One thing adopters can do to help birth parents deal with this unimaginable time, is to make sure […]
Eight adoption books for parents-to-be
When we started our adoption journey, I wanted to find out what the process was really like from people who’d been through it. I struggled to find many books or articles written by adopters about their experiences. Thankfully, there are a lot more books on the market now, written by adopters, sharing their experience of […]
Adoption support: Games to Help You Connect
I wrote this article reviewing “Games to help you connect” resource cards at the beginning of 2021. Lockdowns and restrictions were still happening which were having a huge impact on our wellbeing. We’re now coming to the end of 2022, a year that has still had the cloud of Covid-19 hanging over it, but for […]
Therapy Choices for your child: Voyage of Hope Therapy Services
“Hello! I’m Louise and I’m a Play Therapist.” Recently when I introduced myself like this, a child in a training room visibly shuddered. That is a very rare response and absolutely not what we want. But it’s also true that children will have different responses to the word therapy, especially those with any experience of […]
Adoption resources: Almond Blossom Nature Connections
This article is the second from Sarah Almond, sharing some of the highs and lows of her family’s adoption journey, and what inspired her to create Almond Blossom Nature Connections. You can read Sarah’s first article here which shares how her and her husband met their boys. What’s been the hardest part of your adoption […]
Adoption resources: Change your language
Getting the right support for our children is key if we want them to thrive and reach for the stars. But accessing the right support for adopted children is often a difficult and lengthy process. To help us all find the support we need, I’m going to publish some articles which highlight resources available for […]