Post adoption support front door team

Our post adoption front door team are available to take initial enquiries from adoptive families who feel they would benefit from advice, guidance and support. The social workers within this team aim to respond to your initial contact within two to five working days to take further details and consider the appropriate route of support. This may involve providing guidance from a trauma informed perspective on a specific matter, signposting to a more appropriate service, referring to the post adoption support team for an in-depth assessment or arranging a virtual short assessment of support needs to further explore your families support needs. These short assessments are scheduled promptly following your contact to prevent delay in accessing appropriate support. If appropriate following this assessment, the team can apply to the adoption and special guardianship support fund to commission specialist therapeutic support from our range of approved providers or therapeutic group-based support. The post adoption front door team also undertake reviews of therapeutic support for some families who do not require an allocated social worker to ensure therapeutic support is reviewed regularly and continues to meet the needs of every family.

Non-violent resistance therapeutic group

Non-violent resistance – from hostility to harmony - is a group-based online course run over 12 sessions, including one to one sessional support. The NVR approach is an empowering, peaceful method for families to connect with children of any age and to reduce or eradicate challenging behaviour. Lasting change can happen in just a few months for those who diligently apply the principles. This group is run regularly throughout the year.

Theraplay

Theraplay is a child and family therapy for building and enhancing attachment. It is directive – activities are directed by the adults (at first by the therapist and then by the parent). The parent is always involved in the therapy and the aim is to tailor specific activities and play to regulate the child and strengthen the parent/child relationship.

Developmental dyadic practice and psychotherapy

DDP is based on and brings together attachment theory, what we understand about developmental trauma, the neurobiology of trauma, attachment and caregiving, intersubjectivity theory and child development. Troubled children may have had many changes in the people who look after them and find it hard to trust adults. They may believe that parents aren’t safe and can’t always be turned to for comfort and help. They may develop insecure attachments and try to stop their new parents from becoming emotionally close to them. This therapy and approach helps the children learn to trust. It is family-based and involves the child with his or her caregivers.

Therapeutic Life Story Work

This is a trauma-informed therapeutic approach developed to enable children to explore, question and understand the past events of their lives that may have left them feeling lost and with no sense of belonging. This can impact hugely on their well-being and make the child very vulnerable in their present and future. Therapeutic Life Story Work offers children opportunity to explore, question and understand past events of their life and give them a voice and safe space to express their emotions when making sense of past experiences and the relation it has to their current thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. It aims to secure their future through strengthening attachment with their parents/carers. It provides an opportunity to develop healthy sense of self and feeling of wellbeing through considering the past, present and future in an integrative way. This supports the child to develop their own narrative and support the family to develop a shared one.