PACT adopter champions
PACT appreciates how wonderful parenting can be but also how challenging it can be at times and how sometimes adoptive parents need some extra support or insight into understanding the needs of their children.
PACT has recruited an amazing team of adopters as PACT adopter champions. They are our “experts by experience” – parents who have adopted children and have built up a wealth of experience and in-depth knowledge of the adoption process and the joys and challenges of raising adopted children.
Adopter champions are not social workers or counsellors but they are here to offer other adopters and prospective adopters support on a range of issues, including:
- Adopting siblings
- Adopting older children
- Single parent adoption
- Behavioural support, such as eating, sleeping, aggression, anxiety, regression and general behaviour that is deemed as challenging
- LGBT adoption
- Helping children to understand their own story and revisiting this at different ages
- Educational support in nursery and school settings
- Accessing funding for your child
They can draw on the advice and support of PACT’s FACTS and Strengthening Families teams so can also help you access more expert support if you need it.
PACT is here to support you at every stage of your journey.
If you would like support from our adopter champions, you can speak to your social worker or contact our team at adoptionsupport@pactcharity.org where you will be put in touch with the most appropriate adopter champion.
Meet our adopter champions!
Megan, Adopter Champion Team Leader
Megan is married to Charles and has two sons, her birth son is aged 19 and her adopted son is aged 17. She has 11 years of adoption experience. Megan can help if you have children with early developmental trauma or attachment disorder, problems in school or if you are considering home-educating as well as the puberty years, the teens and betweens.
“Think of adoption as a journey and focus on the end goal – a well-adjusted young adult capable of achieving the best that they can achieve. That journey may not be plain sailing but with you as a consistent parent, there championing your child, supporting them to heal and achieve, you will be surprised at just how far your child can develop.”
Mark
Mark with his partner Laurence adopted a sibling group four years ago, a brother and sister who are now 9 and 10 years old. Mark is a specialist teacher for looked after/adopted children and in special educational needs who can assist you in navigating the education system. He can also help in answering questions about LGBT+ and sibling adoption.
“Having two children move in with us and to become their parents has been completely life changing. Despite the challenges and hurdles along the way, every day we are thankful for the joys that our children bring to our lives and those magic moments of being proud parents.”
Sue
Sue is married to Jim and she has nine adopted children. Her children are aged between 18 and 38 and she has 29 years of adoption experience.
“Adoption has been the most amazing roller-coaster of ups and downs that has taught me so much. Even when things are tough I try to focus on the end game of helping my children to heal and become well-adjusted, functioning and happy adults. I have learned that this journey is a marathon, not a sprint and that as a family we can achieve much. I am happy to support adopters as they navigate their journey, however challenging it might be.”
Neil
Neil and his wife Siân have two adopted biologically unrelated children aged 13 and 17. Neil has 16 years’ experience of adoption and also brings his experience of working in adult mental health as a social worker. He is able to help families with adjusting to having a child with additional needs and has extensive experience advocating for appropriate services for his children.
“I have found the adoption journey one of challenging and rethinking my parenting, with the rewards of seeing how changing approach brings changes and rewards for our children. Caring for our children is also about giving time and care to ourselves, enabling us to parent therapeutically. It is not an easy journey, but it is a joy to see our children grow as very different but unique young people with so much potential.”
Lisa, Paul and their son Timmy received support from PACT’s Adopter Champion service after Timmy was experiencing issues at home and in school.
Lisa said: “Without a doubt I would recommend the Adopter Champion service. It has truly saved my family! We now have a wonderful little boy who enjoys spending time with his family, and comes to us for comfort. At home now we are not just surviving, we are thriving.”
Families who received support from the Adopter Champion service said…
Thank you for all of your support and advice over the last couple of years. I know I took the first step in contacting PACT; however, I truly believe your intervention saved our family. Our home is unrecognisable to how it was before. There is now joy and laughter (most of the time!) with proper hugs and cuddles. With your help, I no longer feel alone and isolated. I have now found my mojo again. [Our son] is in a much better place emotionally now. We now see the funny, cheeky, loving little boy he truly is.
We now have a wonderful little boy who enjoys spending time with his family, and comes to us for comfort. At home now we are not just surviving, we are thriving.
Everything is going really well and we are in a much better space than before. Thank you for listening to me during our conversations. It really was helpful to let things out to someone who truly understands what we had been going through and have your perspective on things.
[Our adopter champion] was able to reassure us that we were not alone in experiencing these issues and he reminded us of why they might be happening. He was able to identify areas of need and liaise with myself and PACT to get the support our family needed.
The work of our adopter champions is further enhanced by a pool of volunteer adoption peer supporters, who are able to provide more experience from which to draw upon and support prospective and existing adopters on their journey.
If you would like to learn more about our adopter champions and peer supporters, find out how to volunteer to join the team, or to arrange to speak to an adopter champion for some support, you can speak to your social worker or email adoptionsupport@pactcharity.org.
You can download a flyer about our adopter champions here.
PACT is grateful to The National Lottery Community Fund for funding that supports the cost of providing the Adopter Champions service
