Families for Children / CVVA / Post adoption services


As a member of the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Families for Children will provide a menu of Core Post Adoption Services for adoptive families and adopted children. Families for Children is committed to providing support where, and for as long as it is needed.

These support services include:

Telephone/postal advice/information service to adoptive families.
Liaison/short-term counselling/initial assessment and referral to specialist local services, which may be available in relation to matters such as:
• challenging behaviour
• contact issues
• educational/medical/legal issues
• lifestory issues, and
• implications of events in the birth/adoptive family
Post box contact system, as and when appropriate, this may include administrative support, recording and monitoring, liaising regarding contact, e.g. advice on writing letters and help in renegotiating level of contact etc.
Counselling in preparation for tracing, intermediary services, reunion and post-reunion support.
Access to workshops/support groups for members of adoptive families (this may be via own agency or the agency's membership of regional consortia etc.).
Access to information about resources such as videos, books and specialist services.
Opportunities for networking with other adoptive families, including social events for adoptive families.
Regular agency up-dates for adoptive families e.g. newsletters, AGMs and other written communications.

We have two Social Workers in the Agency with a special responsibility to provide, maintain and develop Adoption Support Services and in particular to ensure that we are able to make a speedy initial response to people seeking our help and support after adoption. They are based at our main offices at Southgate Court, Buckfast.

We also have a part time Social Worker with a specific responsibility for work with adult adoptees, and their birth/adoptive families.

In most areas in which we work, we have developed good liaison with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and our social work staff are able to consult on casework issues with a Clinical Psychologist, working in the area, who has particular interest, and knowledge of adoption issues.

The Agency has a service level agreement with a local Psychological & therapeutic service, which provides a monthly consultation clinic for adoptive families and/or Agency social workers.

Families for Children seek to provide Adoption Support services in a facilitating and empowering way, which recognises the range and complexities of issues that can arise at any time for adopted people, their adoptive families and their birth families.

Where we are able to organise an event/session of wider interest we will do our best to make such occasions available on a wider geographical scale.

Additionally, historically the Agency has organised a late summer BBQ for all our adoptive families, usually in September. This is organised from our main office at Buckfast and many find this is a very good way of “keeping in touch”.

Finally Families For Children is committed to ongoing training for adoptive parents and we will keep you informed of training events, which may be of help and interest to you.

We aim to provide all the above services in a facilitating and empowering way which recognises that you know your child(ren) best, and takes account of the range and complexities of issues that can arise at any time for adopted people, their adoptive families and their birth families.

If you would like further information, please contact our Post Adoption social workers.

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