Supporting adopted children and their families

For children who have been adopted we encourage families to access the Adoption Support Fund to meet the therapeutic needs of their child. The Adoption Support Fund is offered by Adoption South-East and nationwide (if your child is under the care of their birth local authority) to ensure that children and families receive a high quality, specialist and long-term therapy provision.

Educate U provides holistic therapeutic support to meet the individual needs of each child, and encourage collaboration with other agencies, funded by the Adoption Support Fund to ensure each child with adoption status has their therapeutic needs met. Educate U offers support to adoptive parents and children in regards to presenting behaviours, children’s current emotional mental health and education. This may include therapeutic play and parent consultations to support the child’s ability to maintain being in education and thriving at school. We encourage that families work with Adoption South-East to address children’s emotional health in regards to historical trauma rooted, pre-adoptive life, as specialists in this area who can provide long term therapeutic support.

The Adoption Support Fund can grant each child with adopted status up to £5000 per year for therapeutic support. The therapies offered by the Adoption Support Fund may include Therapeutic Life Story work, Occupational Therapy, Sensory Integration Therapies, Child Psychotherapy, Dyadic Developmental Therapy (DDP) and parent-child or family therapy.

To discuss whether your child is eligible to access this funding and support please contact the post adoption support social care team, the contact details can be found via this link: https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/education-children-and-families/adoption-and-fostering/adopt-a-child/support-for-your-family/

Fostering and adoption

www.baaf.org.uk/info (British Association of Adoption and Fostering)www.adoptionplus.co.uk (Adoption Plus)www.pac-uk.org/ (Post adoption Centre)