Contact Guidance and Toolkit
Introducing the contact guidance and toolkit
‘Planning contact for children in permanent placement is a dynamic process, rather than a one-off event’ (Neil, 2015).
We know from research that it is important for children’s emotional wellbeing and sense of identity to have information about their family of origin and where they came from. Where it is safe to do so, maintaining some form of relationship with adopted children’s birth relatives can support children’s growing identity needs. Ensuring that every child placed for adoption has a plan in line with their needs, that can change over time as needed, is fundamental to helping them to understand themselves and their identity better.
Planning contact for children with a plan for adoption needs to start as early as possible but should keep in mind the child’s long-term needs not just their current situation.
The template and guidance notes are designed to be used alongside the comprehensive guidance in the NAS Good Practice Guides, especially that on Contact along with ‘Working with Birth Parents’ and ‘Adoption Support’ and the accompanying NAS contact planning tool. It is intended that it will be used to aid planning and decision making at the point when permanence options are first considered for a child.
