Creating a psychologically informed and therapeutic service for children awaiting adoption

Children awaiting adoption often face significant psychological and emotional challenges due to adverse childhood experiences, complex trauma, and disrupted attachment patterns. These challenges are particularly pronounced for children over four years old, sibling groups, and those with additional needs. These groups typically wait the longest to find adoptive families.

St. David’s Children Society sought to address these challenges through a transformative approach of creating a therapeutic service tailored to meet children’s needs and support adoptive families effectively.

At the same time, inter-agency agreements between statutory and voluntary sectors were reactive, inconsistent, and costly. A sustainable and collaborative model was urgently needed to improve outcomes and streamline adoption processes.

In 2017, St. David’s embarked on a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the University of East Anglia and sector experts to develop and implement a solution. The result was the Adopting Together Service.

What Do Funders, Content Producers, and Audiences Value?

• Funders: Clear, measurable improvements in children’s emotional well-being and long-term adoption success.
• Practitioners: Research-backed methods that enhance professional practice and outcomes.
• Adoptive Families: Accessible, tailored services offering practical and emotional support for unique challenges.

Creating a meaningful evaluation framework

The evaluation framework developed focused on tracking emotional, behavioural, and developmental outcomes for children, as well as the overall success and satisfaction of adoptive placements.

Key to the success of Adopting Together was collaboration across the sector. St. David’s worked with voluntary adoption agencies, local authorities, and clinical specialists to embed therapeutic practices. Training sessions, delivered by expert partners like The Family Place, equipped social workers with advanced therapeutic skills and fostered a shared understanding of children’s needs.

The approach aligned with the Well-being and Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, leveraging its mandate for collaboration to build strong partnerships with statutory providers. These partnerships were formalised through service-level agreements, enabling a shift from short-term purchasing to long-term strategic planning.

The KTP partnership enabled St David’s Children Society to design and implement a new, evidence-based therapeutic model, Adopting Together. This model provided structured assessments and interventions tailored to children’s individual needs, significantly improving their readiness for adoption and long-term family integration.

This pioneering model combines four best-practice components into one holistic framework:

• Specialised Recruitment: Tailored strategies to find families for children with complex needs.
• Therapeutic Preparation: Clinical psychologists and therapeutic social workers prepared children for transitions to adoptive families.
• Ongoing Support: Comprehensive training and clinical supervision for social workers, alongside continued therapeutic support for families.
• Sustainability and Collaboration: Formalised service-level agreements replaced reactive spot purchasing, ensuring consistent funding and collaborative delivery.

Since its launch, Adopting Together has transformed adoption practices in Wales:

• Children Placed: The service has placed 14 children with families who are now better equipped to meet their complex needs.
• Specialist Training: Social workers received advanced therapeutic training and clinical supervision, enhancing their ability to support families.
• Sustainability: The service now operates on a cost-recovery model, with surplus reinvested to expand services.
• Recognition and Integration: The model has been included in the National Adoption Service (NAS) Good Practice Guide for Family Finding and Improvement Plan, cementing its place as best practice in the sector.

One of the most notable achievements is the ability to capture and analyse data on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) among children placed through the service. These children experienced an average of seven ACEs compared to four in broader cohorts, highlighting the critical need for tailored therapeutic interventions.

The KTP has left a lasting legacy for St. David’s and the wider adoption sector. The Adopting Together Service has not only improved outcomes for children and families but also fostered a culture of collaboration and innovation.

Through the development of a three-year Strategic Business Plan, St. David’s has diversified its services, including a training and consultancy arm (AFA Cymru) and a dedicated Adopting Together Service Manager. Recent funding of £328,000 from Welsh Government has further strengthened infrastructure, enabling continued growth and innovation.

The service’s integration into NAS governance ensures its sustainability and sets the stage for future developments, including a new commissioning strategy. The ultimate goal is to position St. David’s as a leader in adoption services, offering families the tools and support they need for lifelong success.

Highlights include:

• Development of a three-year strategic business plan, diversifying services through initiatives like AFA Cymru and appointing a dedicated Adopting Together Service Manager.
• Securing £328,000 in Welsh Government funding to strengthen infrastructure and drive innovation.
• Integration into NAS governance, ensuring sustainability and setting the foundation for a new commissioning strategy.