Three Regional Adoption Agencies/Alliances (RAAs) have been working together to transform the way they work with adopted young people, helping them feel heard, understood, and empowered, and improving outcomes for adoptive families.

With support from Adoption England (funded by the Department for Education) Adoption Connects, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and Adopt East have been trialling new approaches to their work with young people who are adopted in order to improve their adoption support offer, enhance family relationships and reduce the chances of family breakdown. 

When speaking directly to young people, the RAAs heard that young people did not want hours of therapy or intense psychological support. The support they needed to thrive in their home lives and beyond was more focussed on peer support, surrounding themselves with others from similar backgrounds, spending time doing things they enjoy in a relaxed environment while being able to talk freely and being understood by others with shared experiences. 

The staff had also recognised that many adoptive families face challenges when children reach their adolescent years, and that the traditional offering of therapeutic support was not always achieving the desired outcomes. As a result, Adopt East, a Regional Adoption Alliance of eight Local Authorities and two Voluntary Adoption Agencies in the East of England, worked with Adoption Connects, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough on a pan-regional pilot to bridge the gap in services for adolescents and their families.

Through this pilot, they integrated creative therapies, parenting programmes and co-designed new and existing initiatives with young people in order to provide adoption support that was more suited to their specific needs. 

Following the success of that work, and through funding from the Adoption and Special Guardianship Fund (ASGSF) pilot work and Adoption England, the Eastern Region have now developed a range of events, networks and programmes for young people, as well as creating new opportunities for adoptive parents and families to better understand how to support their child through their adolescent years.

These are available across the region and still in the early stages of their development. In Hertfordshire, a mentoring scheme is being set up to help adopted young people take the next steps in their lives and think about their future plans, prioritising transracial adoptees who may need more support with identity issues. 

In addition, during October half term, 27 young people attended activity days in Bedford where the young people enjoyed days out in the local area to learn new skills and take part in different activities. The feedback from the days has been hugely positive, with children making friends with their peers, exchanging numbers to remain in contact after the event and adoptive parents feeling confident enough to leave their children at the sessions for the first time in their adoptive journey.

Pam Whittaker, Executive Head of Adopt East, said: “We went out and spoke to many adopted young people and they kept telling us the same thing – therapy wasn’t what they wanted. They didn’t want to be sat in an office, talking in detail about their life and their challenges, it was making them feel more isolated from others their age. What they wanted was peer support from other adopted young people; the chance to socialise, have fun, make friends, learn new things and get support from people who understand them because they share lived experience.”

She continued: “We’ve only been running our youth events and activities for a short time, but we’ve already seen a huge difference in the young people attending and their families. Their confidence is growing, they’re building new relationships and they’re flourishing in an environment where they feel they can have conversations normally, without feeling different from their peers or having to explain their family situation. Everyone understands each other, it’s a more natural healing process for them. We’re not trying to fix them or fix any issues for them, we’re just allowing them to be themselves, and in return they are naturally supporting one another while still having input from a member of our team, but in this more relaxed environment. The parents are also experiencing positive outcomes, seeing their child thrive and being able to enjoy a break, while their child attends the events. It’s all been incredibly positive so far and thanks to continued funding through the ASGSF pilot programme we’ve got even more plans to continue working with young people to explore other opportunities and expand our offering.”

The agencies are now continuing their work with young people to build and expand their programme, and to offer more spaces for adopted children and young people to come together. They are also providing training sessions and opportunities for adoptive parents to learn new ways of supporting their children through challenging times, to ensure they are equipped with the skills they need, avoid family breakdown and reduce the need for costly, ongoing therapeutic care that may not give the child or young person what they need.

One adoptive mother whose child attended an Adopt East event said: “honestly the support my family has had from the team has been a lifeline, and I will always be forever thankful and feel blessed. The work that goes on for all the children in the area really is invaluable, these clubs and activities do really make a difference to the child and their family. I believe that these activities allow breathing space for the families and provides peer support and understanding that being adopted doesn't have to feel so isolating, in such a way the child just feels like they are having fun with no agenda unlike costly therapy, which in many cases puts up barriers and can  increases these negative feelings.” 

Sarah Johal MBE, National Adoption Strategic Lead at Adoption England said: “This work in the Eastern Region is a great example of how RAAs are listening to young people and their families to co-produce support opportunities that work for them. It also demonstrates how the ASGSF funding can be used by RAAs in a new way, but still giving adoptive families the ongoing support they require, with a focus on early support, and helping families to form long and happy relationships. We’re really excited to see what comes next from this pilot.”