Adoption support fund

Our multi-disciplinary assessments for adoptive and special guardianship families.

Our fostering, adoption and kinship care team has designed a specialist assessment service for adoptive and special guardianship families, which provides an in-depth picture of the therapeutic needs of a young person, helping families and professionals identify the best therapeutic intervention for their particular circumstances.

With over 25 years’ experience of working with adopting, fostering and special guardianship families, the team is able to draw on a broad range of clinical expertise to work with the effects of long-term trauma and attachment-related difficulties. The team includes psychiatrists, child psychotherapists, social workers, psychologists and family therapists who will combine their knowledge to deliver a thorough assessment of a family’s therapeutic support needs.

This can be funded by the adoption support fund, using the £2,500 assessment allowance.

What does the multi-disciplinary assessment consist of?

The seven sessions will focus on the strengths of the child or young person and their family, as well as developing a collaborative understanding of their current difficulties, helping to ensure ongoing support is targeted and appropriate.

It aims to gain a holistic view of the resilience of the child and the family, a full developmental history including past traumas and attachment relationships, and their cognitive development and neurodevelopmental difficulties, along with liaison with school and other agencies to ensure that approaches are consistent and supportive.

Session one: Team around the family meeting

One session with parents, school and social worker to consider the family’s strengths, and the difficulties they are confronting

Session two: Family meeting

1 x 1 hour session with the child or young person and their parents or carers and siblings

Sessions three – five: Parent and child consultations

3 x 1-hour sessions with parents/carers and their children (1 together and 2 separately)

Session six: School observation

One session in school to observe the child or young person in their school environment

Session seven: Review meeting

One hour with parents and carers, and where relevant, professionals, to develop a collaborative plan for future interventions.

The outcome of the multi-disciplinary assessment will be gathered together in a report which will also include the recommendations which have emerged from the review meeting.

What happens next?

Based on the outcome of the multi-disciplinary assessment, a tailor made package of therapy may be offered by our fostering, adoption and kinship care team.

This package could include one of several specialist interventions, such as a year of weekly child psychotherapy, or a year of systemic family therapy.

All of these interventions can be funded by the adoption support fund, using the £5,000 therapeutic intervention allowance.

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