News

We hope everyone is continuing to keep safe and well at this difficult time.  Our priority is to continue to ensure that our children and families remain safe and are supported. 

Please be assured that adoption services across Wales are working within UK and Welsh Government and Public Health Wales guidelines to continue to provide as many of our services as we can.  However, this has resulted in us needing to provide some services in a different way as we switch to staff working remotely or from home.  

Below outlines how we plan to continue with everyone’s safety in mind. We will keep this page updated as and when there are any significant changes. Please bear with us as things may continue to change.

Should you need specific parenting or adoption advice, Adoption UK’s Wales helpline is open. You can call on 02920 230319 or email wales@adoptionuk.org.uk. There is also advice, information and resources geared to supporting families during the Covid-19 situation here.

If you have any major health concerns regarding the Coronavirus, please also visit the NHS website.

We are keen to hear about your experiences of using Link Maker as part of Adoption Register Wales (ARW) and would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes of your time to complete a short survey.

Barnardo’s Cymru Adoption Practice Manager

Are you a qualified social worker? Are you a manager or have aspirations in becoming a manager? We are looking for someone with experience of adoption to lead our excellent team of adoption staff. This an exciting opportunity to grow and develop the service further, making a real difference to those affected by adoption.

I am very pleased to provide you with a copy of the AUK Barometer report for Wales. 

Our podcast won Gold for Best Use of Content at this year’s CIPR PRide Cymru awards – an awards which celebrates and recognises great communications.

I am very pleased to provide you with a copy of the 2020/21 Annual Report of the National Adoption Service for Wales (NAS).

It goes without saying that 2020/21 wasn’t the year we’d expected.  Like all services in March 2020, we needed to adapt quickly whilst absorbing the shock and uncertainty the pandemic had created.

However, we continued to deliver adoption services across Wales thanks to the tremendous efforts and adaptability of everyone involved.

We recognise with immense admiration and gratitude to all:

• Adopters and foster carers
• Staff, whatever their role
• Adopter Champions 

for their ongoing support.

I hope you enjoy the report.

Suzanne Griffiths
Director

Adoption can sometimes be an emotional path to navigate, regardless of the circumstances in which you are doing it. Everyone has their own unique experience; luckily, many people are willing to share theirs, as well as many tips and tricks they’ve picked up along the way.

The AUK Barometer report paints a very positive picture for Wales. It’s great to see such strong engagement from Welsh adopters and positivity around the adoption conversation - with 80% of responders from Wales were likely to encourage others to adopt and 83% feeling optimistic about the future. The findings are a vote of confidence – reiterating the importance of the work we are doing and the necessity to keep it up. 

In light of the stories that women have shared of adoption from 50 years ago, we want to express our deepest sympathies ​for the distress endured by all women affected.  We cannot change what happened in the past and the injustice of historical practices should be acknowledged.  Adoption has changed significantly since that time and is now considered for children only when other options have been fully explored​.  Services aim to help birth families to stay together wherever that is possible and where this is not, adoption provides children with safety and the opportunity to thrive. If you’re an adopted adult and if you’ve been affected by the recent news stories and you would like further information or support from us, please visit our website and search for adoption support. – Suzanne Griffiths, Director of National Adoption Service

We are pleased to publish this report on research completed for NAS by the Institute of Public Care at Oxford Brooks University.

The findings are drawn from activity undertaken in October and November 2020.  Overall, the study heard from over 430 individuals concerned with adoption support in Wales, including 313 adoptive parents. 

The report provides a reassuring picture of improvements in the availability of adoption support in Wales, increased positivity amongst adoptive families in asking for and receiving support as well as describing additional and innovative new services. The study also provides significant insight into the current needs of adoptive families alongside noting the further work needed to create consistent and sustainable services.

The report will continue to act as a blueprint for maintaining the improved arrangements and future development. The findings align with a growing body of research that indicates how the needs of adopted children are more akin to children who are ‘looked after’ than other children in relation to their higher emotional, health and wellbeing needs. The full report can be read here.