Blog
Being Different
I’m a single adopter with one son, so one of the good things about the lock down was having quality time together. Having taken 9 months off work meant I could give my son a lot of one-to-one attention. We went for bike rides, played loads, I taught him to read & write, we cooked together, had regular film nights,…
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Reflection on being a gay adoptive dad
It was at a food shop. (It’s almost always at a food shop, get ready.) My partner and son were filling a basket with reduced-price Ben & Jerry’s. I wasn’t there. “Be sure to get some for mum too”, the smiley shop assistant said. And as much as we prepare the responses they never come out as planned, because we’re…
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Mother’s Day lock-down mayhem
Sitting in the midst of lockdown mayhem where rules and regs change daily, we’ve no idea from one moment to the next what’s coming our way and yet sat in front of me my four (and a half – very important half) year old is making me mimic her reindeer impression… She’s the utmost joker and every time I want…
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Which School Help – Easy as A B Let’s See!
Parenting comes with no guidebooks, often advice but who knows which bits work for who; in the end, the buck stops at your door and you make decisions on your own experiences and for your child’s personality and benefit. But with schools – where do you start? For many, it starts with toddlers at nursery age. There are a ton of…
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Children’s Anxiety at Christmas
Please stay safe and follow Government guidelines for Christmas 2020. What to do when the festive season is a challenging time for your children? The Christmas season is so exciting for many children, even with the unusual Christmas we can expect for 2020. For some children, where trauma has affected their early life experiences, it can be a particularly challenging…
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Merry Christmas Everyone
The Adopt London Choir are pleased to share our first ever Christmas song with you. The instantly recognisable classic, made famous by Shakin’ Stevens in 1985, has been revamped by our choirmaster Megan and is guaranteed to have you clapping, dancing and singing along with us. How it started The Adopt London Choir began in response…
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The Kite’s Tale – a special sibling relationship
Adoption is a hugely positive option. It’s not something that just “happens”, it is a rationally thought through choice. By the time most parents meet their new child, they have generally been through years of longing, have shed countless tears and have learnt which shopping centres to avoid as they are filled with smiling mums with buggies. Our children are…
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Some People – A Young Person’s View
An adopted young person has written an extraordinary poem about their early life experiences. They wanted to share this emotional insight. Some people Some people know what it’s like to be called a mistake in front of their friends to be short on food to be short on water…
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Being Adopted – A Child’s Perspective
We’ve been reading a fantastic book called Being Adopted – A Child’s Perspective. The book is for adopted children aged six years old and upwards, and written by London born Abi Dowinton, who is now 10 years old. Abi talks about her own special story, which will resonate with other adopted children. Your child may be wondering if there are…
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Journey Through Adoption Conference
*This event has now taken place.* Adopt London offered a limited number of free tickets for the online interactive conference ‘Journey through adoption’ hosted by Scott Casson-Rennie and Al Coates, which took place on Friday 20 November 2020, from 9.15am – 3.30pm. Scott Casson-Rennie is an adoptive parent to three sons, two of which are now adults. Scott worked…
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Celebrating Adopt London’s Diverse Community
Adopt London is a partnership of four regional adoption agencies providing adoption services for 23 diverse London Local Authorities. We work closely with children’s social workers to find the right family for every child. Our specialist family finders are looking for new loving families every day for our London children. Did you know our adopters are…
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BLM – meeting adopters and sharing ideas
Hi I’m Henrietta, Project Lead for Adopt London, Black Lives Matter. I qualified as a social worker with a master’s degree in 2000. I have worked within the public sector and as a senior manager for over 18 years. I also worked as a Service Manager within Adoption and I am passionate about improving service user experience. My husband and…
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Adopt London Choir – support families and staff can lean on
Spaces available for new choir members. The Adopt London Choir is a wonderful new initiative to support adoptive families and adoption workers, as we celebrate National Adoption Week. It provides so many benefits from a positive effect on mental health to meeting other like-minded individuals, and just experiencing that feel good factor. Watch the Adopt London Choir in action and…
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Happy Birthday – We are 1
Today – 1 October – is the official 1st birthday of Adopt London, celebrating the coming together of 23 London local authority adoption teams as one. We are stronger together as we recruit adopters and support adoptive families across the London area. We are four Regional Adoption Agencies (RAA) – covering the north, east, south and west of our…
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I always knew I wanted to adopt
Like many Londoners, Paul* migrated from his hometown in the north to work and build a new life for himself. With a fantastic career and social life, Paul tells us how he – a black, single LGBT man – made his dream to be a father a reality. ‘I always knew I wanted to adopt a child, right from when…
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You Can Adopt – it’s rewarding like nothing else!
The #YOUCANADOPT campaign has been created by a cross sector of Regional Adoption Agencies, Voluntary Adoption Agencies and other key stakeholders around adoption in England, supported by the Department for Education. The campaign aims to change perceptions around adoption by breaking down common myths and ensuring people feel eligible and capable to adopt. Additionally, the campaign aims to target potential…
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We have a little boy who we are incredibly proud of
Steven and Jason* had always wanted to adopt, living in a one bedroom flat, they knew things needed to change – and after one adoption information evening they were hooked and almost overnight, their flat was up for sale and they started looking at three-bedroom family houses! Between them, Steven and Jason tell their story. “We were really motivated to start the…
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Closer and Stronger
Adopt London, has teamed up with award winning film animation company My Pockets to encourage special guardianship families and adopters to access support from some of the leading agencies in the UK, during the COVID-19 pandemic . My Pockets have worked for a number of years with young people and families in all kinds of situations making films…
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A letter to Adopt London families
We are writing to you- adoptive families, prospective adopters and adopted adults, because we want to find a way to acknowledge the massive significance of the death of George Floyd in our society, and the heartache and anger caused. We are sure that this and the protests which have resulted have been forefront in most of our minds over the…
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At Grandparents Plus, we’re the leading kinship care charity and we’re here for you.
At Kinship we are working hard during the health crisis to support families who have specific concerns and needs. We are pleased to work with Grandparents Plus – the kinship care charity, to support your kinship family through the pandemic and its aftermath. Kinship Response is the Grandparents Plus membership service for all special guardians in your local authority during…
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