Core Adoption Preparation Training

Days 1 to 4 of our adoption preparation training are available to all prospective adoptive parents undergoing assessment with a Voluntary or Regional Adoption Agency. During each training day, an adopter will share their experiences of the adoption process and life as an adoptive parent. The preparation training provides opportunities for you to build an adoptive family support network. Sessions are held at our new premises, The Park Centre, Knowle, Bristol, BS4 1DQ.

— If you are a prospective adopter with CCS Adoption, training is free of charge. Your social worker will discuss relevant training dates with you and will book these on your behalf.

— If you are currently going through an adoption assessment with another agency, please discuss your training requirements with your social worker. They will need to confirm with CCS that you are currently in assessment before booking training. Once this has been done, you will be able to book and pay for training via Eventbee by clicking on the date below:

Day 1

Explores how a child’s identity develops and the importance of adopters having empathy for a child’s birth family. We consider children’s needs as well as how healthy attachments are formed, and the impact when these needs are not met and insecure attachments develop. We introduce the secure base model to highlight the aims for adoptive parents and the need for therapeutic parenting. Here you will learn more about the adoption process, what to expect, and the resources available to you to further your own learning.

— 6^th November 2025 – 9.45 am-4.00 pm

Day 2

This day creates a deeper understanding of the importance of a child’s identity and has a strong focus on separation and loss. It recognises a child’s emotional ties with birth and foster families, even after the legal ties are severed. It also highlights the benefits of contact to support a child’s recovery and to strengthen relationships within the adoptive family. You will learn to recognise your responsibility in keeping a child’s story safe, and our medical adviser provides a more in-depth look at the impact of toxic stress, as well as pre-birth harm.

— 11^th November 2025 – 9.45 am-4.00 pm

Day 3

We draw a link between adverse childhood experiences and insecure attachments, and the impact of these. Through film clips, you will gain an insight into the reality of the impact of trauma, separation, and loss, and the behavioural challenges these can bring. By reflecting on our own feelings of shame and learning about the impact of toxic stress on the brain, you can begin to understand how a vulnerable child may view the world and themselves, and struggle to manage their big emotions. We discuss a child’s permanence report and introduce therapeutic parenting using PACE, as well as how you can build resilience in a child.

— 8^th October 2025 – 9.45 am-4.00 pm

Day 4

Looking at a prospective adopter’s report, we explore examples of strengths and vulnerabilities and how these can influence the matching process. We consider the impact of parenting a vulnerable child and touch on the tragedy of adoption disruptions. We prepare you for the emotional process of finding your children and share details of post-adoption support. We also highlight the importance of sharing a child’s story, at the child’s pace, throughout their young lives.

— 15^th October 2025 – 9.45 am-4.00 pm

Day 5 – Morning

The morning of Day 5 of our adoption preparation training is mandatory and covers Safer Care and Therapeutic Parenting.

The session has been designed to help you safeguard your children and to raise awareness of the risk of allegations that a vulnerable child could make. Here you will learn what to do if a child makes an allegation or a disclosure about their early experiences. Training provides an understanding of how a vulnerable child may interpret situations and considers how to mitigate risks in different scenarios. Attention is drawn to resources that support online safety for adopted children at risk of being contacted by their birth family online, and how to support children if this does happen.

The session also builds on the introduction to therapeutic parenting provided earlier in adopter preparation training. There is more of a focus on the child’s interpretation of themselves and the world, as well as looking further into PACE, building attachments and creating a safe base. There is also an introduction to Theraplay and how this can be used to help build attachment.

— 22^nd October 2025 – 9.30 am-12.30 pm

Day 5 – Afternoon

This session will provide you with an understanding of the legal context of Early Permanence (EP) for children and highlight the role of the EP carer as a foster carer; this will include record keeping, their role regarding contact between a child and their family and working with key professionals. The session will look at attachment and the impact of becoming an Early Permanence carer, including supporting decisions that are in the best interest of the child.

— 22^nd October 2025 – 1.30-4.30 pm