Core Adoption Preparation Training

Day 1 to 4 of our adoption preparation training is 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 of life as an adoptive parent. The preparation training provides opportunities for prospective adopters to build an adoptive family support network.

Sessions are held at our new premises The Park Centre, Knowle, Bristol, BS4 1DQ.

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. Prospective adopters will learn more about the adoption process, what to expect, and the resources available to them to further their own learning.

— 8^th October 2024 – 9.45-4.00 pm

— 7^th January 2025 – 9.45-4.00 pm

— 22^nd April 2025 – 9.45-4.00 pm

— 8^th July 2025 – 9.45-4.00 pm

— 30^th September 2025 – 9.45-4.00 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. Prospective adopters will learn to recognise their 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.

— 15^th October 2024 – 9.45-4.00 pm

— 14^th January 2025 – 9.45-4.00 pm

— 15^th July 2025 – 9.45-4.00 pm

Day 3

We draw a link between adverse childhood experiences and insecure attachments, and the impact of these. Through film clips, our prospective adopters 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, families 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 parents can build resilience in a child.

— 17^th October 2024 – 9.45-4.00 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 people for the emotional process of finding their 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.

— 24^th October 2024 – 9.45-4.00 pm

— 12^th June 2025 – 9.45-4.00 pm

— 16^th October 2025 – 9.45-4.00 pm