Adoption Support
Who do we offer services to?
We support all those affected by adoption. Adoption support is available if you live in Hackney and -
- you are adopted
- you have adopted a child from the UK or overseas
- you are a birth relative of an adopted child
We also offer a service to -
- adopted adults and birth relatives where the adoption was arranged by us but who live outside of Hackney
- adoptive parents and their children for the first three years of placement if the child originated in Hackney, regardless of where you now live.
If you are an adopted child, we offer -
- an opportunity to talk about worries or difficulties that bother you. These may be to do with your adoption or may be part of growing up
- someone outside of your family to talk to, who can listen and understand.
If you have adopted a child -
No matter how good a parent, you may sometimes benefit from additonal support and guidance. We can -
- support and advise you as your child grows up
- advise you on contact with your child's birth relatives
- help you to meet other adoptive parents
- help you to talk to your child about contact with their birth family
- undertake an assessment of your support needs.
If you are an adult who was adopted, we can -
- help you get information from your adoptive records
- give you advice about tracing birth family members
- help you to meet other adopted people
- act as a link between you and your birth family
- give you advice and support before or after a reunion
If you are a birth relative, we can -
- give you confidential help and advice to cope with your loss
- give you advice about contact with your child
- give you advice if your child has traced you
- give you advice and support before or after a reunion
- help you to get information on a brother or sister who was adopted
- invite you to groups.
Sources of advice and information
The Post Adoption Centre
Hackney subscribe to the Post Adoption Centre so residents have access to their services which include:
- A confidential telephone advice line
- Counselling and support groups for birthparents
- Support and help to adopted children around their life story and identity
- Support and advice to adopted children and their families
- A mediation and contact service to help set up contact arrangements with birth parents
- Seminars, talks by experts in adoption and training groups
For more information visit www.postadoptioncentre.org.uk
Useful websites
- Adoption UK: Adoption information line.
- After Adoption: Helping everyone affected by adoption
- British Association for Adoption and Fostering (B.A.A.F)www.baaf.org.uk
- Department for Education
- City and Hackney Primary Care Trust: for your nearest health centre where child and family services will be located.
- Norcap:Supporting adults affected by adoption
- General register office: For official information on births, marriages and deaths.
Publications
We recommend the following publications for further information on adoption and what it can mean to both the prospective adopters and the child.
Available from the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (B.A.A.F) (see above) -
- Adopting a Child - A Guide for People Interested in Adoption - £6.50
- Explaining Adoption to your Adopted Child - £6.50
- A Child's Journey through Placement by Vera Fahlberg - £19.50
- Helping Children Cope with Separation & Loss by Claudia Jewett - £15.95
- Adopters on Adoption - Reflections on Parenthood and Children by David Howe - £9.95
- Real Parents, Real Children - Parenting the Adopted Child by Holly Van Gulden & Lisa M Bartel-Rabb - £9.99
Available from general bookstores -
- The Adoption Experience - Families who give Children a Second Chance by Ann Morris
- First Steps in Parenting the Child who Hurts - Tiddlers & Toddlers by Caroline Archer
- Next Steps in Parenting - Tykes and Teens by Caroline Archer
Page updated: 28 Oct 2011
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