If you find it hard to talk to your parents, we can help and support you, and you can contact us directly on 01865 323121. If this feels a little scary then maybe there is an adult like a teacher, family friend or an important adult in your life, who you can ask for support to make the call. This is a safe space to discuss your challenges, however if we feel you need some more support then we may need to speak to other important adults in your life to ensure we are able to help you the best we can.

Sometimes children already have a plan in place to keep in touch with their birth families. These plans are often made when the child is younger and as you grow up you may find that you want more or less contact (family time) with your birth family. It’s okay to feel like this and your views are very important. Decisions around contact are not permanent and can always be looked at again if your views change. If you would like to think and talk to someone about this then you can contact us directly on 01865 323121. Or if you feel comfortable speaking to your parents, then they can also contact us.

Sometimes adopted young people find it easy to talk to their parents about their birth parents, sometimes it feels hard, you could experience feelings like being disloyal, or you could just find it hard to express how you feel. It is ok to want to know more about your birth family and for some people they want to meet them. Sometimes this can be a positive experience and sometimes it can be a bit more complicated. The best way to do this is with support from your parents and with a Social Worker so everyone can make sure that you are safe and the emotions of you, your parents and your birth parents are supported. This could mean writing letters or having a face-to-face meeting. Sometimes this is one meeting or if it feels right to everyone this could continue. We always start any contact slowly, so it feels safe for everyone. If you would like to know more about what this could look like please talk to your parents who will be able to contact our Help Desk service, so we can help. If you find it hard to talk to your parents, we can help, and you can contact us directly on 01865 323121. If this feels a little scary then maybe there is an adult like a teacher who you can ask for support to make the call.

Many adopted young people have birth siblings, sometimes you could have been placed with different adoptive families and sometimes your sibling may have remained with your birth parent or were placed with a family member, or in foster care. Sibling relationships are important, and we can help you explore different types of ways to keep in touch with your siblings. This could be sending letters or seeing each other face to face. Any form of contact needs to be right for both you and your sibling and sometimes contact may stop for a period which can feel tough. If you would like to talk about this or keeping in touch with your siblings and would like to know more about what this could look like please talk to your parents who will be able to contact our Help Desk service, so we can help. If you find it hard to talk to your parents, we can help, and you can contact us directly on 01865 323121. If this feels a little scary then maybe there is an adult like a teacher who you can ask for support to make the call.

Therapy is put in place to support people to understand their life experiences and to talk about how they are feeling. In doing this it helps us ask questions that we may find hard to understand. Often talking about our experiences help us feel better and can help us understand ourselves better. Some people find it tough to talk about what has happened or how we are feeling and so there are lots of different types of therapies which help with this. Sometimes therapists will use music or art, this type of therapy is called creative therapies. Sometimes if we want to understand our lives therapists could create a book just on you to help explain everything that has happened. This type of therapy is called Therapeutic Life Story Work. In some cases, it may be better to complete a specialist assessment which can explore your life and support your and others around you such as your parents and school to understand your needs better to better and provide you with the right support. If you would like to know more about what this could look like please talk to your parents who will be able to contact our Help Desk service, so we can help. If you find it hard to talk to your parents, we can help, and you can contact us directly on 01865 323121. If this feels a little scary then maybe there is an adult like a teacher who you can ask for support to make the call.

Happens once a month in Swindon, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. We have lots of different activities each month such as making bath bombs, arts and crafts, sports and there are always snacks available. We have an evening out every term which is led by you. Some of activities have been trampolining, bowling and laser quest. We also run a 7-week group for teenagers, focusing on building self-esteem. If you are interested in attending either of these groups. Please talk to your parents or if you have a Social Worker, please ask them.

Family days happen once a year in Swindon Berkshire and Oxfordshire. It is an opportunity for adoptive families to get together and have fun. There are always lots of activities and snacks available.

Sometimes school can feel really overwhelming and you can feel misunderstood. You may struggle with friendships or feel like no matter how hard you try you always get things wrong. We can work with your school to support you and help them understand your needs. This may be getting the same teacher to meet you at the start of the school day to talk through any worries or making sure you have a safe place in school to go if your feelings are getting too big to manage. We may be able to organise a specialist assessment which can help you, your parents and school understand what is happening for you. If would like to know more about what this could look like please talk to your parents who will be able to contact our Help Desk service, so we can help. If you find it hard to talk to your parents, we can help, and you can contact us directly on 01865 323121. If this feels a little scary then maybe there is an adult like a teacher who you can ask for support to make the call.

If you are over 18 and would like more information of your life experience or would like to discuss obtaining your records or the possibility of tracing your birth family, or simply have a question please contact our Help desk service on 01865 323121 and check out the Adults Affected by Adoption section on our website. We can help you talk to your parents. We also run a training session for young people aged 17 or over to understand what their rights are in relation to accessing their records and how to do it.