Blamed, burnt out and broken…
Why families need more than just parent groups
Too often, adoptive families are offered the ‘wrong’ kind of help. Parenting
courses are sometimes the only option available. Rarely does the support
offered address the impact of childhood trauma being imported into the
adoptive family and the relational repair need for the child. Instead, support is
reactive, arriving only when crisis hits, and systems often leave parents feeling
unseen, blamed, and isolated.
In the current climate of cuts to the ASGSF and uncertainty about its future the
support that is going to be available for adoptive families going forward is
deeply worrying. There is an also an increasing focus on parent blaming with
adoptive parents being accused of “entitlement” by Adoption England and told
what they actually need are parenting courses.
This webinar will explore what families actually say they need from the latest research
by Claire Agius which is: earlier relational support, access to therapeutic input, and
services that build trust rather than erode it. Drawing on research, lived experience,
and professional practice, our panel will share insights into:
• Why current systems so often miss opportunities for prevention and repair
• How systemic design fuels parental burnout and ‘forced expertise’
• The role of emotional touchpoints in exposing structural problems
• What happens when therapy and relational support are provided
There will also be an opportunity at the end to ask the panel questions.
Together, we will discuss how to move from blame and crisis-led models towards
compassionate, preventative, and transformative support. This webinar is designed
for adoptive parents both pre and post order and for professionals passionate to
learn about how to support adoptive families and their children to heal.
This webinar is hosted by the Institute for Recovery from Childhood Trauma (IRCT) as part of their mission to encourage the government to be trauma informed but importantly ensure that services are available to adoptive parents and their children.
