Cheshire East hosts national conference to tackle challenges around adoption

 

Experts from the full spectrum of adoption services in England gather in Crewe next week (Monday) for a high-profile conference, hosted by Cheshire East Council.

Children’s Minister Edward Timpson MP will give a keynote speech to delegates attending the event at Crewe Hall Hotel, Crewe on Monday October 6^th, 2014.

As a young boy, the Minister had a unique insight into adoption and the care system because his parents John and Alex Timpson fostered over 90 children and formally adopted two.

Dealing with challenging behaviour, relationships, family pressures and emotional support are many of the concerns and issues that adoptive parents and birth families can face.

The conference will hear from a range of experts who will highlight the need for all agencies and local authority services to have a robust support network in place in order that the adoption process can operate more smoothly and quickly, with follow up support for families and adopted and birth children.

Among the speakers will be author, blogger and columnist Sally Donovan, an adoptive parent and Hugh Thornbery, Chief Executive of Adoption UK.

The conference will discuss how local authorities and voluntary adoption agencies need to have robust support programmes in place to secure successful adoption placements and that support services are essential in that process.

Councillor Rachel Bailey, Cheshire East Council Portfolio holder for Safeguarding Children and Adults said:

“This conference, the first of its kind in the North West, brings together professionals and adoptive parents from across England to secure and deliver those services which will improve the lives of adopted children and their families.

“In Cheshire East we are fortunate to have a small but highly successful and innovative adoption support team who together with partners in Four4adoption, provide much needed support to families often at crisis point as well as to the birth families and other relatives, assisting them to come to terms with adoption and to move forward.

Those attending and speaking include:

Professor Julie Selwyn University of Bristol

Sally Donovan, author, adoptive parent and columnist

Professor David Shemmings University of Kent

Rob James, Brynllywarch Hall School

Julia Brown, Founder and Joint CEO FASD Trust

Hugh Thornbery, Chief Executive Adoption UK