For family and friends

"It takes a village to raise a child"

……is a proverb that means that an entire community of people must provide for and interact positively with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment.

Thank you for looking on ACE’s website. ACE is offering you support and training as an invaluable advocate and supporter to your friend or family member who are starting their adoption journey. When a child joins their new family, friends and family members (who become related to the child by adoption) can have an important place in helping the newly established family through adoption to grow and adapt to the inevitable changes that lie ahead.

It will take time for relationships with the adopted child or children to develop and grow and we hope that as an important family member or friend you will be able to offer emotional and practical support to the adoptive parents in your social network. This might be a regular phone calls offering a non-judgemental listening ear, perhaps practical help such as doing the ironing or cooking the occasional meal – these acts alone will allow the parents the time and space to focus on getting to know their adopted child or children.

ACE adoptive parents are trained and supported to adopt a therapeutic approach to parenting, and we would encourage you to find out more by looking up Dyadic Developmental Practice (DDP) and checking out our resources page.

We know that adoptive parents can sometimes feel isolated with limited support many years after they have adopted. This can be due to the new challenges being presented by their child or children who, through their behaviours are communicating the effects of their early life trauma and abuse.

Adoptive families admit that it can be hard to ask for help, or they think that their friends and family members may not understand the child’s attachment needs and only see the child’s dysregulated behaviour. This may result in them not being invited to days out and phone calls and visits dwindle. This is when they need you most!

To support family and friends in understanding adoption, and how best to support the adoptive family in your social network,  ACE is offering a range of training courses and resources specifically for you.

For further information regarding training please contact:

enquiries@aceadoption.com  | Tel: 0300 3690556