Children’s Minister Edward Timpson announced the Department for Education has committed £19.3 million into the Fund for 2015/16 with a commitment of continued funding. The Adoption Support Fund will primarily pay for therapeutic services such as attachment-based therapy and intensive family interventions. The Government said it now plans to work with adopters, voluntary adoption agencies, local authorities and others to design the Fund and how it will best work.
Jeanne Kaniuk OBE, Coram’s Head of Adoption, said: “Coram has long recognised the vital role of post adoption support, offering a range of life-long support to our adopted children and families, so increased investment to help more families who need this can’t come soon enough.
“We know adopted children will have experienced some sense of loss and separation. Some children may have developed survival strategies which make it more difficult for them to settle into family life. That’s why, in addition to parenting skills programmes which give adopters the tools to develop positive relationships with children, Coram offers creative therapies to those children who need extra help to express themselves and bond with their adoptive families.
“We hope our experience, along with that of others, can be used to help shape how the Adoption Support Fund will work, so many more adopted children and families can benefit from timely, high quality support.”
Mary Rose Brady, Coram’s Head of Parenting and Creative Therapies, added: “Creative therapies can be particularly useful for adopted children by helping them to learn to communicate and build trust, thereby strengthening confidence and their relationship with their new family.”
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