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The Adoption Barometer survey for 2023 is now live!

The annual Adoption Barometer, now in its 5th year, is the only comprehensive UK wide survey of the lived experience of adopters and adoptees. It is an important way for the National Adoption Service to hear about the experience of those most directly affected by adoption services in Wales.  

The Barometer is highly influential. It has helped to stimulate debate and shape policy, in Wales and across the UK 

This year there is just one survey for adopters and adoptees.  For the past 4 years the survey has had a specific focus topic; this year the report we will be looking at patterns over 5 years of Barometers.  and will be published at the end of May 2023. 

As many adopters and adoptees as possible are encouraged to complete the survey, whether you have done so before and whether your experience is recent or from many years ago. The cumulative evidence provided is very powerful. You do not need to be a member of Adoption UK to take part. The survey only takes about 20 minutes to complete and will enable your voice to be heard.  

The surveys are now open and will close at midnight on Sunday 15th January 2023.  

 

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/AdoptionBarometer2023

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Adoption Barometer 2022 Report for Wales

Adoption Barometer Report 2022 (Wales) 

This is the 4th year running that Adoption UK have taken stock of the adoption landscape across the whole of the UK by seeking the views and experience of adopters and prospective adopters during the preceding year. Those experiences naturally reflected the ongoing impact of the pandemic on all our lives in 2021. Despite this, there is much to celebrate as the experience of adopters in Wales overall continues to compare favourably with those in other parts of the UK. The report shows that 72% of prospective adopters were matched within 6 months of their approval panel and 81% said that they had been given all the information they needed before their child had moved in. However, we cannot become complacent: there was a dip in the number who had received their child’s life story book or equivalent by the end of the year – down from 73% to 58%.  

Adoptive families in Wales continue to demonstrate great resilience.  Despite 43% reporting that their children had a diagnosed social, emotional or mental health need and 25% saying that their child had harmed themselves during 2021, 80% of established adoptive families said that they felt optimistic about their children’s future. Thanks to the investment made by Welsh Government in the system and the hard work of many people, Wales continues to lead the UK in ensuring that those facing significant challenges receive timely and expert help. 

Each year there is a main focus for the report and this year it was ‘establishing and maintaining relationships with birth family’. This will also be reflected in the upcoming Big Adoption Conversation, which will take place online on 25th January 2023. 

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New name for St Davids

 

Re: St David’s is rebranding its adoption service 

Following an extensive consultation period with our families, staff team, Board of Trustees, and external stakeholders, I am delighted to share with you, that St David’s Children Society is rebranding its adoption service. This rebrand acknowledges our history, while providing clarity on our service delivery as modern Voluntary Adoption Agency. From the 17th of October 2022 the new name for our service will be St David’s Adoption Service

The new logo which has been designed to represent the brand intends to symbolise family and trust.  It is built around the individual, what makes a family and the importance of connections and support. 

This change does not impact our legal entity and St David’s Children Society remains registered as a charity with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (Registration No: 509163) and company limited by Guarantee (Registered Cardiff 1546688). 

As an integral partner in the National Adoption Service, our core purpose to find families for children with adoption as the plan and to provide ongoing support remains unchanged. AFA Cymru and Adopting Together Service are not affected by this change and will continue to deliver their services under the legal umbrella of St David’s Children Society. 

With kind regards,

Wendy Keidan

Chief Executive Officer 

 

 

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The National Adoption Service Annual Report for 2021/22

I am very pleased to provide you with a copy of the 2021/22 Annual Report of the National Adoption Service for Wales (NAS).

2021/22 has been another busy and successful year for adoption services in Wales. Within an ongoing, fluctuating ‘Covid’ context services have continued to recruit adopters, place children and provide support to ensure these newly created families have the best start and can access support at other times should they need it. 

The Adoption UK annual Adoption Barometer findings show Wales is performing well compared to the other three UK nations.

I hope you enjoy the report.

Suzanne Griffiths

Director

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Life Journey Work Newsletter 2022

Life Journey Work is a vital part of the work that needs to be done with all children looked after, but especially those who are being adopted. NAS published its Life Journey Work Framework in 2018 and associated with this, brought together a wealth of resources in the form of a LJW toolkit, which is freely available on our website. This was the first such framework in the UK. The aim was to ensure that high quality Life Journey Work is undertaken at key points from when a child first becomes 'looked after', through to the time they join their adoptive family and beyond. There has been great progress made since that time, in ensuring that Life Journey materials are made available to children and their adoptive parents in a timely manner. Following the LJW Framework the first NAS Life Journey Work newsletter was published in January last year and the second one is now available. Further issues will be published annually, with each newsletter having a specific focus. This issue focuses on the Later Life Letter, but also has a great deal else, which will be of interest to anybody with an interest in adoption. 

Life Journey Work Newsletter 2022 

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The Welsh Adoption Support Commitment

The National Adoption Service Adoption Support Commitment outlines the support that all adoptive families in Wales can expect to be able to access at each stage of their adoption journey. It is part of a continuing drive to develop and improve the quality, consistency and range of adoption support services across Wales. The Commitment is the first document of its kind in the UK, and its ambition is to ensure adoptive families in Wales feel confident that information and support is available when needed, from professionals with specialist knowledge of adoption and children’s care needs. 
The National Adoption Service Adoption Support Commitment

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Taking the next step

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