Post adoption support
The value of post adoption support has been recognised more in
recent years as being crucial to the success of adoptive
placements. A child's need for explanation and knowledge about
their background may grow as they get older. Their behaviour may
increasingly reflect the impact of poor or abusive parenting in
their early years.
We aim to provide comprehensive adoption support
and advice to everyone affected by adoption and resident
in Rochdale. The service we offer is based on statutory
requirements, sound principles and a model of good practice.
Services currently available
Services are available to
- Children who may be adopted, their parents and guardians
- People wishing to adopt
- Adopted people, their parents, birth parents and former
guardians.
- Children of adoptive parents (whether or not adopted).
- Children who are natural siblings of an adopted child.
- Related people in relation to adoptive children.
We have a responsibility to birth parents of children
placed for adoption and will arrange for independent support and
counselling from the time a decision is made that their child
should be placed for adoption.
We operate a post adoption 'letterbox' service to
facilitate the exchange of photographs and letters between adopters
and birth family members. This is reviewed annually.
Where the adoption plan recommends that direct contact with
birth family members is in the child's best interest we provide a
support service to the child, birth family and adoptive family in
order to facilitate, monitor and review contact to ensure that
contact meets the child's needs.
We also provide monthly support groups for adopters
which offer support and enable adopters to share experiences.
The meetings sometimes include speakers requested by group members
and take place at Foxholes House.
A summer event and winter event is also organised for adoptive
families, details are available from the adoption support
worker.
We visit children placed and their adopters
before the adoption order is made to ensure their support
plans are accurate and that they are aware that we
remain responsible for their support needs up to three years after
the adoption order is made.