This website supports practitioners working on making post-adoption contact plans and/or supporting birth relatives, children and adopters to establish and maintain contact.
For each topic you will find a mixture of research briefings, practice guides, presentations, exercises, links to relevant research and practical tools for working with families both during proceedings and once the child is placed. Resources can be used in the training and supervision of social workers and contact supervisors as well as in training adopters.
Learning resources include:
Resources to support practitioners who are planning contact for a child to be placed with an adoptive family. Tools cover issues such as age appropriate planning, social media and balancing risk and benefits.
This section introduces the ‘case discussion model’ for planning contact. It suggests approaches to using it in practice when planning contact for a child during care proceedings.
Prompts and practice resources for practitioners involved in establishing and supporting contact plans made for a child.
Tools to help professionals seek and record the voice of the child involved in the adoption process and ensuring planning is sensitive to their needs and wishes.
Learning resources for practitioners who are establishing or supporting letterbox contact.
A series of resources practitioners may find useful to share with adoptive parents during training to promote understanding of contact, its benefits to the child and family and addressing risks and myths.
Resources that practitioners may find useful when working with and supporting birth relatives during planning and contact with their child.
Practical guides for practitioners involved in planning contact between siblings and for those involved in initiating and supporting contact.
RESEARCH RESOURCES AND FURTHER READING
Information on Prof Beth Neil’s research on post-adoption contact, including accessible research summaries of studies published.
This section provides a selection of case studies, audio and film clips that can be used in conjunction with the exercises on the website or as standalone resources for training.
The resources
The materials on this website bring together knowledge from research and practice. They draw on research by Professor Beth Neil at University of East Anglia.
Research in Practice has worked with Beth and practitioners across England to share expertise and produce accessible and practical resources for professionals involved in this work.
Polly Baynes, Independent Social Worker, introduces the materials on this website
