A group of adoptive parents who have all accessed the Fund through Kent’s partnership with children’s charity Coram, met with Edward Timpson, the Minister of State for Children and Families. he meeting, which took place during National Adoption Week, enabled them to share their experiences of how the Fund has helped them and their families.
One of the parents who met the Minister said: “I’m so pleased I came along to meet the Minister. My adopted my son is now 15 years old. The Adoption Support Fund has helped us hugely and we’ve accessed multiple sessions, including creative therapies and a child psychologist. I’ve also booked a place at an upcoming Learning & Development workshop – Managing Contact with Birth Families.
“The Minister was really easy to talk to and, because he also has experience of adoption, he understands the issues which face families … and he could relate our experiences back to his own.”
The Adoption Support Fund enables Kent to enhance the support that it offers families to maximise their children’s emotional, social and educational development. The multi-disciplinary team at Kent comprises social workers, child psychotherapists and family therapists. Support is provided through parenting programmes, learning and development seminars, structured support groups (facilitated by experienced clinicians) as well as individual family therapy and child psychotherapy. The team’s work with children includes music therapy and life story support.
Yashi Shah MBE, Coram/Kent Adoption Partnership’s Lead Manager, said:
“We are delighted to have been able to have made a difference to so many families’ lives. The success of Coram and Kent’s partnership has been due largely to having an integrated team of professionals within the Adoption service. In this way we are able to access timely support which is tailored to families’ and children’s needs.”
Notes to editors:
1: About Coram
Coram, the UK’s oldest children’s charity and outstanding adoption agency has been finding new ways to help children for 275 years. In 2015, we will touch the lives of a million children in the UK. Coram equips young people with the skills they need to make healthy life choices; supports their voice if they are in the care system and not being heard; and gives them the confidence they need to make their way in the world. www.coram.org.uk, @Coram
2. Kent County Council
3: National Adoption Week 2015 will take place from the 19th to 25th October and the theme is ‘Too old at 4?’aims to draw attention to the children waiting longest for adoptive families whose average age is just 4 years. For further information please visit First4Adoption