A pilot project run in the West Midlands is offering life changing support to adoptive families, thanks to their innovative Adoptive Families Network. 

The pilot, funded by Adoption England’s Innovation Fund and led by Adoption Central England (ACE) the regional adoption agency covering Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Solihull and Coventry, was originally a six-month research project to investigate the gaps in adoption support, working with agencies across the West Midlands.

The research highlighted a consistent theme in feedback from all adoptive families; that they lack peer connection. Families described how, as their adoption journey evolved, their informal support networks faded away over time and, aside from therapy, families were left with very few connections with people who could understand their unique situation and provide informal support to get them through any challenges in their adoptive journeys.

The team at ACE decided to come up with a way to fill this gap by creating peer networks to provide more consistent support to both parents and adopted children. The result was their Adoptive Families Network model, which has been designed to provide stability, connection and hope for families approaching crisis. They then bid for funding from Adoption England to expand the pilot on behalf of the pan-regional collaboration between ACE, Adoption@Heart, AdoptBirmingham, Together4Children and Adoption Focus. 

The Adoptive Families Network model offers small groups of adoptive families the chance to come together, and experience consistent, relational support combined with professional expertise, with Theraplay© and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP©) principles at the heart. Each element of the hub is professionally led, but as the group forms closer connections and begin to support one another, the professionals can take more of a back seat and let the peer group support one another.

The first cohort of 15 families in total have taken part in a six-month pilot, which has offered them 1:1 relational support, therapeutic parenting sessions, children’s groups, support when things escalate, support in navigating multi-agency systems and regular reviews and continuity of care. In addition, groups that have been brought together have benefitted from a group Whatsapp chat and monthly get togethers. 

Lindsey Cranham, Advanced Practitioner at ACE, explained: “We have just completed a six-month pilot with two groups of families, one made up of single adoptive parents and their children, and another group of adoptive parents with children over 10. What we’ve found is that the first few months of working with these families has been focussed on bringing them back from crisis point by supporting them with their relationships with schools, providing help with navigating systems and processes and offering therapeutic parenting sessions.

She continued: “Once we have deescalated the situation, we’re then able to move on to the monthly get togethers for parents, be it in person or online, connecting families in an informal way and allowing them to support one another while we facilitate and guide the sessions if needed. What has happened within those parents get togethers has been nothing short of magical. The groups have bonded and connected so powerfully; they’ve been open, and vulnerable and honest with one another, sharing their own challenges and supporting one another in a way that we professionals simply can’t. They have formed their own peer support networks and the outside of the get togethers the groups chat on Whatsapp to keep in touch regularly. The beauty of these relationships is that they all share the same life experiences, no one must explain their situation, and they all feel safe to share their stories and take on board feedback from their peers.”

The families that have been part of the pilot were selected as they share similar circumstances, and the group of single parents have formed a particularly special relationship, soaking up the advice and support from other parents in similar situations, and feeling understood by the group. The group have become advocates for each other, encouraging the other parents to stand up for themselves and their children in situations where they previously may have felt isolated.

Participants from the group have shared their feedback on the pilot, with some saying it was central to reducing isolation and fostering belonging, and that meeting other adoptive parents with shared lived experience created a sense of validation and emotional safety. Other comments relate to how parents felt their children really benefitted, with one saying, “she gets more from this than any other support because everyone understands” and another parent saying, “this has made a positive impact on my family”. Validation and belonging have been central themes within the feedback, with both parents and children reporting feeling less alone in their experiences and parents have commented that practical changes in the way they parent are beginning to emerge, using more trauma-informed language, shifting communication styles, greater calmness in stressful moments and improved relationships with schools. 

Adopted children and young people have shared their feedback, with 10 of 11 respondents saying they felt more supported or understood because of the hub. Children said they feel more connected, seen, and part of something and some are beginning to form peer relationships and their trust in the adults supporting them is growing.

Jemma Fordham, Head of Service at ACE, said: “the feedback from these two Hubs as they progress through the pilots has been incredibly moving. The families have grown together over the past six months, and despite the fact that they are all from very different backgrounds, they have become firm supporters of one another, and they listen to each other’s advice as it comes from such a genuine and honest place. Social workers work incredibly hard to form strong working relationships with families, but the trust between these peer networks goes above and beyond what social workers can achieve because families see themselves in each other and can take on board the personal, genuine and honest feedback and support.

She continued: “We’re excited to be in a position now to be able to launch four new Adoptive Families Network groups to run over a 12-month period so we’re currently looking at families across the West Midlands that would benefit from this level of support. What we’re seeing is that bringing these families back from a near crisis point and putting in place this ongoing support is reducing isolation, increasing parental confidence, improving family relationships and providing greater stability at home. All of this means we’re preventing future high-cost interventions by providing support that strengthens family’s resilience and helps them move through challenges with confidence. We’re also hoping to work with agencies outside of the adoption sector this time too, such as health and education colleagues, who might like to get involved in the hubs and help support families with their expertise.”

Sarah Johal, National Adoption Strategic Lead at Adoption England said: “The feedback from both the parents and the children taking part in this pilot speaks for itself and we’re really looking forward to hearing more about the impact of the next four groups taking part.”