‘Everybody has a different story’: How compassionate connections are helping to support birth parents

This Adoption Week Scotland, Melanie Thomson, a Social Worker for the Bluebird Project at Scottish Adoption, which offers counselling and support to birth parents, and birth mothers who currently take part in the Bluebird Project, share why compassionate, nurturing peer support is so important.

Staying connected: How connections – past and present – can help to write our own futures

This Adoption Week Scotland, Tegan, a Youth Ambassador at Scottish Adoption and Teen Talk Adoption, discusses her experience of reconnecting with her birthmother, and reflects on how building connections and sharing experiences with others can help to find out the most about yourself.

Why the new John Lewis advert matters

It's long been understood now that there is a pressing need to ‘reframe’ care, something being taken forward with the support of the Each and Every Child initiative which is underpinned by research and practice. It’s fitting then that we have a new Christmas messenger – John Lewis and their annual Christmas advert.

Leaving narratives unchallenged can only lead to injustice

Reflecting on the impact of the media, and how it is used, in shaping public attitudes to care experience.

Challenging the narrative of adoption: Who tells the story?

The narratives around adoption narratives are changing, led by the voices involved. This Adoption Week Scotland, we look at what the award-winning project Whatever Next? tells us about how we can learn from each other and international adoption.

Language and understanding at ‘the chalkface’

This Adoption Week Scotland, Dr Leanne McIver, Research Associate at CELCIS, discusses how greater inclusiveness for adopted children in policy, guidance and language is changing the face of adoption.

How Life Story Work can help care experienced children

In National Storytelling Week, Jennifer Bell, a social worker in a fostering team at North Ayrshire Council, with a special interest in Life Story Work, discusses why it’s vital for care experienced children to know about and understand their life journey.

Therapeutic Parenting in adoption

For Adoption Week Scotland this year, Fiona Aitken, Director of Adoption UK Scotland, looks at why therapeutic parenting is so important for children who have been adopted.

We need to talk about FASD

This Adoption Week Scotland, Barbara Ogston, FASD Advisor in the FASD Hub Scotland, managed by Adoption UK, who is an adoptive parent, discusses the impact of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) within the care community, and why it’s vital that children and families receive the support they need.

Finding the ‘invisible’ adopters

Pride month 2020 was a bit different from previous years. The restrictions in place in various ways around the world to address the ongoing coronavirus/Covid-19 pandemic meant that many of the usual parties, parades, and protests were cancelled, postponed, or moved online. One constant however was the opportunity to reflect on how far the LGBT+ community has come – and importantly, how far there is still to go.