Adoption Disruption UK

COUNTY COUNCIL MISLEADS PUBLIC WITH ADOPTION BREAKDOWN FIGURES

ABC — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 15:50:23 +0000

COUNTY COUNCIL MISLEADS PUBLIC WITH ADOPTION BREAKDOWN FIGURES

The Council does not collate and publish adoption breakdown figures for children who have been adopted. The County Council only publishes statistics on adoption breakdowns for the period before a child has been adopted.

Michael Warby, on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council states:

‘Adoption disruption is only recorded for statistical purposes on arrangements that disrupt pre adoption order. The disruption of an adoption arrangement post order is not collated.’

The Council refers to adoption breakdowns as ‘adoption disruptions’.

The consequence of this is that the County’s adoption breakdown figures do not represent the true figure of what is happening with regard to adoption breakdowns.

This is not in the public interest. It conceals the true rate of adoption breakdowns. It deceives the prospective adopter into thinking that the prospects of a successful adoption are better than they are. It fails to acknowledge those parents who have been through an adoption disruption. It removes scrutiny from Social Workers who may share some responsibility for those breakdowns where the child has been adopted.

There can only be one reason for not publishing total breakdown figures and that is this allows the Council to present a better picture of adoption success rates than is actually happening. The Council does not provide the statistics of post adoption figures under Freedom of Information requests.

We pay Council Staff to represent our interests. We do not pay them to hide information and deceive us. Staff who devise schemes to hide information are working neither in the public nor the Council’s interest. We do not need council staff who devise schemes like this. This is a face of bureaucracy which has no place in today’s world.

Hertfordshire County Council’s recent published ‘adoption disruption’ figures are cited as:

2013-2014 – 0

2014-2015 – 1

2015-2016 – Data not yet published

An innocent member of the public reading these figures would very reasonably think that Hertfordshire had no adoption breakdowns, at any level, in 2013 to 2014. This is NOT the case.

What we need is a mandatory recording of all adoption breakdowns. This information is readily and easily available.

The fact that the Council does not want to publish this information can only mean one thing – social workers are afraid of scrutiny, and this leads to an organization with a limited capacity to learn.

Local authorities

ABC — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 18:56:25 +0000

When will they stop demonising the parents during disruption to protect themselves and when will the government do something about it ? I am still receiving countless emails to this effect. You only have to read the public stories in this site to see this is the case.

Interested in contributing to research regarding Adoption Disruption for MA degree?

ABC — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 11:02:20 +0000

86.137.236.95

Clare Heyhoe
[email protected]

Hi,
My name is Clare Heyhoe and I am a counsellor. I am undertaking a research project on adoption breakdown as part of my Masters degree at Cambridge University, and I would like to invite anyone who has experienced adoption breakdown to talk to me about it and for me to hear your story.

WHY?
I believe the impact, trauma and emotional cost of breakdown for adoptive families and children, is never truly understood or heard. I would like Local Authorities and Agencies to hear the voices of adoptive parents and their experiences, in order to try to prevent future breakdowns.

WHAT, HOW AND WHEN?
During March, when and where convenient for you – within Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire or Cambridgeshire if at all possible. It will be an informal, semi-structured interview, where I hope you will feel relaxed enough to talk to me.

CONFIDENTIALITY
All that you say will be confidential. Names will not be used and I will make sure you cannot be identified. I will need your consent to record our session(s) in order for me to analyse what you have said for the report. You will be able to read through these transcripts. You can change your mind about taking part at any time and leave the research project.

NOT SURE….
By talking about your experience, many mixed and possibly overwhelming emotions may be triggered. I offer empathy, warmth and am non-judgemental. I am also a member of the BACP (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists), bound by their ethical guidelines for research where well-being is paramount. I have ongoing supervision with Fiona Peacock, who is a BACP Senior Accredited Counsellor and a Certified Theraplay Therapist and Trainer.

If you are willing to take part, thinking about it, and/or have any questions, please can you get in touch with me at: [email protected].

Thank you for reading this and hope you get in touch. Clare.

Claire – thank you for letting me do this.

Children’s Services

ABC — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 09:00:33 +0000

How long will it be before the Government acknowledges that Children’s Services are not only letting down the children in their care but the parents who adopt them? Children’s Services is in a shambolic state and needs far wider investigation than the government has yet ventured. The Social workers are poorly educated; departments pass the buck conveniently from one to another; Heads of Social Services are totally lacking integrity; the formal complaints process is farcical, and there appears to be no one in charge; even Chief Executives fail to respond or accept any wrong doing. With a system like this is it any wonder Children’s services is being run into the ground. Children’s services never accept culpability for their own failings and in the long run this will be their undoing…..They fail children and parents alike.

Adoption Post Disruption – the story that refuses to go away….

ABC — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 08:51:42 +0000

This is a genuine email from someone who has contacted the website raising the same issue about adopting post disrupting. There is an extremely serious issue at heart here . Local Authorities will simply NOT allow a parent who has disrupted (post adoption order) to adopt again. However they will not say this to their face and follow the farcical procedures of pretending to examine them as a potential adopter again with the same end result – a series of reasons at the end of it why they may not. My local authority will simply not tell me how many adopters who disrupted have gone on to successfully adopt again – why not?

It must be a very easy figure to ascertain. They said I would have to pay the LA £450 for them to reveal this information. What a ridiculous response and an evident diversion away from the truth.

Adopting post disruption and treatment by LA’s handling this subject is a human rights issue, and one that refuses to go away. Discrimination to protect themselves?

Contact me or share this story if you know someone willing to speak up and tell me about their positive second time round adoption story.

here’s the same story repeated to me regularly from genuine parent…

‘however it seems we are now facing being discriminated against even though the breakdown was because of social services and not us.

I am really interested to investigate how many more adoptive parents have suffered discrimination once a disruption has taken place. It seems to me that the adoptive parents are made the scape goat for the social workers sheer incompetency.’ Anonymous.

Social Services consistently fail parents who have disrupted

ABC — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 08:34:45 +0000

The message received loud and clear from parents who have contacted me via this website is that Social Services neglect, abandon, disown parents who have disrupted or wish to disrupt. Every single parent who has emailed me reports the exact same experience. This is a shocking FACT. Why do the SS fail parents at a time when support should not be greater? That is the bigger question – something to do with statistics? having to admit failure/poor representation of the child to start with – inadequate services/ poorly educated staff? Social Services distance themselves from parents almost immediately a disruption is on the cards and offer zero support; and instead go on the defensive, close rank and make sure that the parent accepts all the blame for the disruption. Authorities accept NO blame or failure in the adoption breakdown. The question we need to ask ourselves is what is wrong with Social Services and how a Dickensian organisation like this can purport to be on the side of children’s best interests? Woe betide you ever fall short as a parent and end up the wrong side of the fence…. Parents who have experienced the tragedy of disruption are further traumatised by SS attitudes, the adoption disruption meetings and the Care Orders and are further more bamboozled by the Local authorities appalling internal formal complaints procedure, yet again designed to protect all those within the SS for their own internal miserable failures. Don’t forget your human rights ‘No one shall be subject to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to protection of the law against such interference or attacks’ Declaration of Human Rights Article 12. Feel free to quote and repeat this next time SS blames you for the disruption in its entirety. As parents who have been through an adoption disruption trauma we need to collectively report our experiences and stand up and be counted without cowering in the shadow of fear. The LA’s shambolic internal formal complaints procedure has left us as parents with one other powerful option – go to your local MP, media, radio stations, and national papers. The SS have left parents with no other choices as they consistently defend the indefensible, have no hesitation to misreport facts, and will have you as the parent cast aside as the pariah and accept no blame or part in any of the breakdown. Your voice does count. Make it count.

Edward Timpson MP

ABC — Tue, 26 May 2015 11:32:25 +0000

I think Edward Timpson Department for Education, Ministerial and Public Communications may be the only person who can help further financial support for http://www.adoptiondisruptionuk.com and further the campaign to change the current nature of the Care Order to protect parents post adoption disruption. I have emailed him today 26.5.15 I will let you know when I hear back.

Support for Disruptions

ABC — Wed, 13 May 2015 09:07:36 +0000

I have been contacted by yet another group in London who cannot offer support for disruptions and lack expertise or knowledge in this area. I am also finding it hard as a solo organiser of adoptiondisruptionuk to offer all the support I can for parents. Funding for disruptions needs to be passed our way so proper support can be offered 24/7. Please retweet and show your support.

Grazia South Africa article – 8th April 2015

ABC — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 10:45:42 +0000

I am sharing the article published by Grazia in South Africa – it doesn’t wholly reflect my story. I am discovering that it’s probably best to tell my story in my own words in future to the press ! however it does raise awareness about adopting damaged children and the subsequent Adoption Disruption which occurs and Care Orders which as you know I am passionate about changing and is the only reason why I went public with my story. Thank you South Africa for your support.

http://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/grazia/20150408/283592398829483/TextView

Adopting after an Adoption Disruption

ABC — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 09:04:01 +0000

I am getting inundated with parents who have been through an adoption disruption, applied to adopt again, and been declined by their LA who have put the blame for the disruption squarely at the parents feet. This cannot be right? These parents are heroes who deserve support – and have tried their hardest with damaged children often at the cost of their marriages ; ask yourself the question – could you do any better?

I have had the same email may be 50 times since I launched adoptiondisruptionuk.com

Thank you everyone

ABC — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 09:00:38 +0000

Thanks to all those who have had the courage to email me, post a comment on the forum, and those who have signed the Care Order Petition, and retweeted adoptiondisruptionuk

A lovely friend of mine just said a prayer for my son while she was in GOSH yesterday with her daughter when she visited the chapel. For anyone who doesn’t know the chapel at GOSH is one of the most beautiful places in the world and one of the most poignant. Thanks again everyone for all your support for the new website.

BBC Radio 4 Breakfast – 20th March 2015

ABC — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 07:50:39 +0000

BBC Radio 4 – Friday 20th March 2015 – http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b055jtwh really good mention for the website and background of my story in conjunction with general debate about improving adoption process and support

Campaigners are highlighting the huge impact on children and families following an event we hear little about – the breakdown of adoption. It’s rare – only about one in every thirty children adopted ends up being returned to care – but when that does happen, the impact upon the child can be dramatic. Now there’s a call for local authorities to ensure they give as much information as possible about the child that is to be adopted – which should happen in principle but in practice doesn’t always. A website adoptiondisruptionuk has just been set up to help such parents, by a woman who adopted a boy at eighteen months but struggled and eventually had to end the adoption after he developed a serious neurological disorder. Every family has a different story to tell. Our reporter Sanchia Berg has spoken to another mother whose adopted daughter is now back in care. Her words are spoken by an actor. Jemma Vanderstock was adopted age 4 and went back into care age 13 after the relationship with her adoptive parents broke down, she’s now aged 19 and Jim Clifford has nine adoptive children, and trains others in adoption and therapeutic parenting.

Seek justice and Sign – Epetition has just gone live

ABC — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 10:09:06 +0000

Please sign the petition to support changes in Care Order forms to protect ALL parents whose child needs to go into care for complex special needs reasons only and not through lack of parental love and devotion. As it stands Care Order form C110A will find fault with the biological or adoptive parent after a placement breakdown. This is not justice – Seek justice and Sign.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/75746

The Daily Mail – 19th March 2015 – new article

ABC — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 09:09:27 +0000

The Daily Mail – Thursday 19th March 2015 – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html I am mentioned in the Daily Mail Online today and have been given full support by a very courageous woman who has told her story about adopting her child. It was really kind of her to give me her support and not condemnation and I thank her for putting herself out for me in doing so.

Lorraine Kelly – 17th March 2015

ABC — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 12:54:56 +0000

Appeared on Lorraine Kelly this morning and was able to say in my story in my own words and raise awareness about lack of support for adoptive parents, talk about my website adoptiondisruptionuk and the care order. Hope I did ok as my first tv appearance…

The Independent 17th March 2015

ABC — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 12:52:07 +0000

An article in Independent today about my story regarding adoption breakdown. Trying to raise awareness re adoption breakdowns and lack of support all round.

OPINION Sir Martin Narey, former chief executive of Barnardos

ABC — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 10:05:07 +0000

Sir Martin Narey reaction upon regarding my story on adoptiondisruptionuk . ”You can sense the grief and guilt as you read it” he said, ”but she shouldn’t feel that. There are just some children whose future is in residential care; if her child was very ill he may well be one of them. Adopters frequently take a badly damaged child. They are heroes and need practical support and moral support.”

Opinion by Social Worker G.R – the other side

ABC — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 07:45:00 +0000

Pop over to the ‘Opinion’ section of the website to read moving account by Social Worker G.R showing the other side of the story. Thanks so much for sharing this.

The Daily Mail Article – backlash

ABC — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 08:53:43 +0000

I am a woman and am a supporter of all women. I support mothers who have given up their child for adoption, I support mothers who have adopted and I support birth mothers who struggle with raising kids on a day to day basis.

I believe in human rights. I do not believe in trolling under any circumstance.

I had not abandoned my adoptive child. He was an extremely poorly child with attachment issues, autism, neurological brain damage, poor muscle tone, who required 24/7 medical care and supervision which I was unable to provide as single carer. It was not as some people interpreted that he was disabled and that is why I ‘returned’ him. I had managed his disabilities successful until his uncontrollable seizures started and it became clear all his symptoms were part of a far wider problem.

The decision for him to go back into state care was made in conjunction with GOSH, SWs, doctors .

I had the full their full support as it was acknowledged by son’s medical needs were so extensive there was NO CARE PACKAGE AVAILABLE that could be offered to cope with his MEDICAL requirements so that he could be kept at home with me.

He moved to a foster care placement with four adults sharing the responsibility of caring for him 24/7 and I would like to personally thank them today for taking the most amazing care of him.

Thank you Daily Mail for sensationalising my story, but at the end of day you have also made the decent and caring people of Great Britain aware of the heartbreak for parents and children who go through adoption disruption and Care Orders and raised awareness of my website to support parents and the need to change the Care Order Form.

Request for Lawyers – Change the Care Order form

ABC — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 10:56:38 +0000

UK lawyers please contact me – Do you work with Care Order Proceedings? Are you empathetic to a change in the Care Order form C110A? -if so how would you change the Care Order Form? let me know how you would change the Care Order form so it is less adversarial and less damaging to the parents than it currently stands. I propose a third box with complex psychological and/or medical grounds’ which would mean it would not denigrate or blame the parent. As the form currently stands care proceedings are a seriously traumatic experience for the parent. Please contact me asap with your views. email [email protected] Thank you Claire