After Approval (once a child/ren joins your family)
Here you will find details about the workshops on offer after you have been approved as an adopter, a match has been identified and the child/ren joins your family. Access to some of these courses* are via the Adoption Support Fund and need to be discussed with your worker. To book a place on any of our unfunded workshops, please speak to your allocated social worker about availability and specific venue locations.
Welcome to AEM Adoption Support- Essential Learning
An opportunity to meet with staff from Adoption Support as well as other families from the region in a similar position. Support is available from our experienced team and this session will take you through what this could look like, when you may want to access it and how to stay in touch with us, so you know where to come when the need arises.
| Dates (*subject to change) | Venue | Time |
| Tuesday 9 July | Virtually delivered via Microsoft Teams | All 11am-1pm |
| Thursday 17 October |
Life Story Work- Essential Learning
This workshop will aim to support you with: ideas and tools to be able to talk to your child about their story; ways to communicate openly and honestly about your child’s history, taking into consideration their age and level of development; recognising how your own life experiences may affect you doing this work; feeling more confident in using the life story work material available to you, the timing of telling your child about their other family in a comfortable way; and meeting other adopters and talking to them about life story work.
| 2024 | Time | Venue |
| Thursday 13 June | 3 hours | In person (TBC) |
| Thursday 10 October |
Theraplay® and Adoption- Highly Recommended
Theraplay® promotes developing secure attachment and sensory and emotional regulation. It is based on natural patterns of healthy interaction between parent and child and uses emotional, attuned, interactive and structured play and activities.
There will be an opportunity to explore the origins of Theraplay, learn about the 4 key functions, try some activities as a group, and to consider the benefits of Theraplay for your family.
| Dates (*subject to change) | Venue | Venue |
| Tuesday 16 July | All 9.30am-12.30pm | In person (TBC) |
| Tuesday 12 November |
AEM Collaboration with CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service) – Highly Recommended
AEM Adoption Support have joined up with Nottinghamshire CAMHS Children Looked After and Adoption Team to offer workshops aimed at supporting adoptive parents to revisit the impact of developmental trauma on their child and their emotional wellbeing. These workshops aim to support parents with thinking about their concerns in relation to their child’s current presentation using a trauma informed approach.
| Dates (*subject to change) | Time | Venue |
| Workshop One- Friday 12 July | Three sessions, for 3 hours each 10am-1pm | In person (TBC) |
| Workshop Two- Friday 20 September | ||
| Workshop Three- Friday 22 November |
***The following workshops will require an application to the Adoption Support Fund to fund attendance***
Making Connections- Highly Recommended
Weekly therapeutic sessions designed to support you grow in connection, and relationship to your child/ren with a focus on developmental trauma and how to support your child through relational healing. It is open to all adoptive parents whatever age and stage of your child/ren. This will be done through connections: with your child’s world; to therapeutic parenting in practical ways; to yourself and your own needs as a parent; and building community with other parents who have a shared understanding.
| Dates (*subject to change) | Time | Venue |
| Tuesday 4 June (for 7 weeks) | Seven sessions of 3 hours each. Four virtual (9.30am) and three in person (10am) | Microsoft Teams/in person TBC |
| Thursday 12 September (for 7 weeks) | ||
| Tuesday 8 October (for 7 weeks) |
Therapeutic Crisis Intervention- Highly Recommended
The TCI training program for families is a 4-day modular parenting programme designed by Cornell University. It gives parents the practical skills, knowledge, and techniques to enable them to support their child with their emotional and behavioural development using a therapeutic parenting approach.
| Dates (*subject to change) | Venue | Time |
| 10, 11, 17 and 18 October and 15 November | Virtually delivered via Zoom | Four days of 5 hours each plus one day (5 hours) follow up session |