CVAA Practice Workshop 3 October 2018 #CVAAPractice Adoption support: determining the most effective interventions with reference to individual, family and group work CVAA Practice Workshop 3 October 2018 #CVAAPractice Welcome everyone and get them to introduce themselves

Welcome & Introductions Moving on from CVAA’s Practice Excellence Programme, CVAA have designed a series of workshops and events as part of our continued commitment to strengthening evidence based practice, and sharing and promoting best practice across the sector. CVAA Practice Workshops are intended to be intimate, interactive, network building opportunities, led by your priorities. CVAA’s practice workshops are based upon CVAA’s priorities for outcome improvement: Priority 1: Placement of priority children – To improve equality of outcomes for those groups of children who are less well served by the adoption system than others Priority 2: Permanency planning – To improve early decision-making about permanency, whatever the right permanent home for a child, and develop new and effective models of permanency planning where appropriate Priority 3: Adoption support – To improve the effectiveness and availability of excellent, life-long adoption support, to all parties to adoption, including birth families. We encourage you to continuously reflect on CVAA’s Theory of Change Tool, at our events and within your agencies.

Upcoming CVAA Workshops Letterbox Contact 24 October, Reading | 27 March, Nottingham Established as a priority at CVAA's practice workshop on pre and post commencement adoptions in June, this provides a space to explore approaches to letterbox contact and related challenges. Assessing Adopters: the differences and commonalities and the most complex scenarios 22 November, Birmingham | 6 December, Edinburgh Explore issues including assessment of single adopters, those with non-resident partners, adopters for whom adoption is the first point of call, the use of group work, and whatever other challenges you bring to the session. Supporting Adopted Adults and Birth Parents with access to records: the practice and the business case 27 February, Milton Keynes Explore with peers how we can most appropriately support young adults who have been adopted post 2005 in accessing their adoption records, and how we can work with birth families. Upcoming CVAA Workshops

Upcoming CVAA Evidence Seminars Working with Birth Parents, CVAA in collaboration with the University of Lancaster 18 October, Manchester Presenting the latest research from the University of Lancaster on working with birth mothers in repeat proceedings, followed by a 'response from practice' by St Francis' Children's Society demonstrating their independent counselling services to birth families of adopted children.  Achieving and Maintaining Placements, CVAA in collaboration with Dr Matt Woolgar 24 January, London CVAA are delighted to host Dr Matt Woolgar for the second time. Matt will be discussing the best evidence based approaches for maintaining placements where children present challenging behavior.  

Adoption Support We have seen an evolving picture of Adoption Support since the 1980’s, bringing recognition of the lifelong impact of adoption, even for those placed as infants, and the increasing numbers of older children being placed. VAAs lead the way with regular support and engagement events for adoptive families, young people’s groups, services for birth relatives, and an increasing emphasis on therapeutic resources.

VAAs are specialist in placing children who wait longer: sibling groups, older, BME and disabled children. These children are likely to have high support needs, therefore Adoption Support has been central to the development of VAA services in particular. Older children: Of all children placed from Q1-Q4 2016-17: VAA Average age at placement: 3 years 7.5 months (1,320 days) VAA & LA Average age at placement 2 years 6 months (917 days) Sibling Groups: What the data tell us Adoption Support to minimise disruptions: Of recorded disruptions from Q1-Q4 2016-17 Total VAA disruptions = 37 Total VAA & LA disruptions = 99

What the research tells us Selwyn J, Meakings S and Wijedasa D (2015) Beyond the adoption order: challenges, interventions and adoption disruption This study sought to establish the rate of adoption disruption, associated factors and how it might be prevented. The administrative challenges of ascertaining the disruption rate were acknowledged, but the study concluded that over a 12 year period (2000-2012) the rate of adoption disruption was 3.2%, and that disruption post order lies between 2% and 9%. One third of parents reported no or few difficulties; a similar number felt family life was generally good with some challenges; 25% reported major challenges. Many lost contact with their agencies and were dissatisfied by a lack of services, arguments over funding, eligibility criteria's, lack of life story work and poor CAMHS responses. Where respondents had accessed help, they were positive about packages of social work support combined with therapeutic interventions.  

What the research tells us Moving to adoption, a Practice Programme for adoption and fostering social workers Beek, Neil and Schofield UEA 2017 The authors introduce a 3 stage framework for thinking about a child’s move to adoption, with Stage 3 being from the 4 month post placement review onwards. They emphasise the crucial nature for the child in having a secure base throughout the different stages and state that ‘For many children the process of building trust in the adoptive family will be an ongoing process over many months and even years. Adoptive parents may need professional help to support and enjoy their child, to build secure base relationships, and to meet the full range of their child’s needs. Professional support should be negotiated, keeping the child’s interests in mind whilst also being respectful of the adoptive parent’s autonomy’ (p12)

What the research tells us The joys and challenges of adoptive family life: a survey of adoptive parents in the Yorkshire and Humberside region. Neil, Young and Hartley (UEA) May 2018 (see Ch 11) This survey established the crucial need for ‘a balanced approach that acknowledges the child’s background but without a blinkered focus upon a set adoption pathway in life’. Most frequently used services by respondents were social events, education advice, parenting support, play therapies and lifestory work. The most desired and not received services included; lifestory work, therapeutic parenting training, children’s activities, conduct problem therapies, cognitive and behaviour therapies, therapeutic camps or respite and family therapy. ‘Across all types of provisions adopters valued being able to build a trusting relationship with a supportive professional who was competent in understanding and meeting the needs of adopted children’.

Development of LA Support Services There has been significant development of local authority services over recent years. If requested, a local authority is required to assess adoption support needs. Though there is no requirement for the local authority to meet those needs (Adoption and Children Act, 2002). The establishment of the Adoption Support Fund (May 2015 in England and Wales), and subsequent limitations (2016).

How does this effect us? How does what we know about Adoption Support inform the content and delivery style of our assessment and preparation of adopters? What services are VAAs and LAs delivering? Do we know which are most effective and why?

Your priorities Before we hear from 2 member agencies about the range of, and the specific services they offer, let’s consider what you most hope to get from today. You many like to discuss more about: - low level support services/ support groups: buddy systems, keeping in touch - Children's and young people’s activities - General parenting courses - Placement specific support e.g. for adopters of siblings - Theraplay - Intensive therapeutic services - When to provide support pre and post placement - Recognising that many problems escalate when an adoptee is in their teens, how can we address the issues? - What works with schools? (perhaps a separate future workshop topic) - Managing placements in real crisis/point of break down - How do we ensure adoption support is fully on the agenda when assessing and preparing adopters? Brainstorm and add to whiteboard – for prompts when designing afternoon workshop discussions.

Thank you for coming. Leah.mair@cvaa.org.uk