Letterbox

ATV runs a Letterbox contact service in which birth parents, relatives and adoptive parents or special guardians write to one another to share information about their own and the child(ren)’s life. It is a formal arrangement which is managed by ATV on behalf of the local authority in order to ensure that all letter exchanges are safe and appropriate for the child in question. 

Letterbox contact is often part of a formal adoption plan and is sometimes recommended in a special guardianship support plan. Letterbox contact is made between the adults on behalf of the child, however the child may wish to contribute to the exchange with letters or pictures of their own. Adoptive parents or special guardians can make the decision when and whether to share letters with the child, depending on their understanding and emotional readiness.

Addresses are not shared between birth parents and adoptive parents, and all letters are checked by Letterbox administrators to ensure that they are suitable and comply with the agreed arrangement for each child.

If you would like to contact us about an existing Letterbox arrangement please call your local Letterbox office:
Oxfordshire - 01865 323114
Swindon – 01865 894726
Reading, Bracknell, West Berks, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, and Wokingham – 01865 894722

Please be aware that Letterbox office hours are limited. If your call is not answered, please leave a message and a Letterbox administrator will get back to you when they are able.

If you are considering whether a Letterbox arrangement could be right for your family, please contact the Helpdesk.

Support for all affected by adoption

Contact us

To contact the ATV Permanence Support Team please phone 01865 323121 or email ATV.Permanencesupport@oxfordshire.gov.uk

The Permanence Support Team administrator will respond as quickly as they can. Please do bear with us; we’re working through the challenges of developing our new service and of managing significant demand, but we will respond. Please leave your full name, the local authority where you live, and your contact details (phone and email if possible), to help us respond to you more effectively.

If there is an emergency and if anyone is at immediate risk of harm, please contact the Police or the safeguarding team in your local area as appropriate.

Support Plan

If only a simple, one-off service is needed, this may be provided without a formal adoption support plan being drawn up. If, following assessment, there is a need for ongoing adoption support, we will draw up a plan of what services we propose to offer. The plan will be reviewed periodically.

Training

Courses are offered to for adopters approved by us or adopters who live in the Adopt Thames Valley region.

Email us today about the training that’s offered in your area.

Helpdesk

The Permanence Support Team run a helpdesk, where a social worker will be available to talk to adoptive parents and special guardians. You can contact us either by telephone, email or by writing to us.  The adoption helpdesk is there to help us help you.

Call 01865 897981

Support Plan

If only a simple, one-off service is needed, this may be provided without a formal adoption support plan being drawn up. If, following assessment, there is a need for ongoing adoption support, we will draw up a plan of what services we propose to offer. The plan will be reviewed periodically.

Training

Course costs are met by Adopt Thames Valley for adopters approved by us and/or for adopters resident in Oxfordshire where their children were adopted more than three years ago. View information of the training we offer.