Appendix 10: Summary of the engagement session with One Adoption South Yorkshire
Adoption session
In the sessions on 11 July we were joined by staff and adoptive parents from One Adoption South Yorkshire, a regional adoption agency.
Adopters felt that more needed to be done to prepare potential adopters for the adoption process. They felt that some were put off by the length of the process and the bureaucracy. Several reported having struggled initially to make sense of the process. One said that attending an open evening was helpful because honest advice was given and it provided a single source to signpost to other resources. Several had taken part in peer mentoring schemes; they felt that these schemes were valuable but were a ‘DIY’ attempt to provide support which was not forthcoming from official channels. They added that it is important to seek diversity in adopters and that some social workers would benefit from more training in cultural issues when working with prospective adoptive parents from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Adopters explained that there is significant variation between local authorities in support provided, including in the provision of ‘settling in grants’. They also noted challenges in adopting a child from a different area—resulting in the child going to the bottom of the waiting list for school places and NHS treatment.
The inadequacy of post-adoption support was lamented. In particular, some regretted that the Adoption Support Fund cannot be used to help with remedial education or physical sensory therapy. Other issues raised include adopters’ post-adoption depression and the limited support given by social workers out of regular working hours. Adopters would have liked more guidance on how to deal with schools—feeling that schools don’t always understand children’s needs. One argued that the pupil premium should be attached to children and be transferable to independent schools.
A key theme was early intervention. Adopters agreed that problems—and especially underlying trauma of adopted children—are too often left untreated until they result in serious harm.
Adopters saw the benefits of contact with birth parents and siblings but said that letters often went unanswered. One adoptive parent had asked for their child to have contact with their birth parents but had the request refused. They felt that at least a minimal level of contact was necessary to give children a sense of identity. There was enthusiasm for moving contact from letters to an online portal. However, there was concern about the “shambles” contact was becoming, with teenagers able secretly to reconnect with birth parents via social media.