Professionals - Maintaining Relationships

Adopter Journey Early Permanence Linking and Matching Maintaining Relationships Adoption Support Voice and Influence Multidisciplinary Approaches Commissioning

Many of the resources have been developed and piloted in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders and have considered best practice and research.

As part of this work Adoption England commissioned Professor Beth Neil (University of East Anglia (UEA)) to develop a theory of change around maintaining significant relationships in adoption.

This drew on existing research, rapid consultation with relevant groups (adopted young people and adults, birth parents, adoptive parents, adoption professionals), and a survey completed by adopted adults. The theory of change identified the need for significant changes in approaches to letterbox contact and face-to-face contact necessitating changes in how contact is considered, planned, and supported.

Theory of Change

Lifelong Links (adaptation for adoption)

Letter-swap prototype

Birth family mapping

Improving Adoption Services for Adults (IASA)

Research in Practice

Theory of Change

The identified problems, barriers and potential solutions operate at several different levels: 

Individual level - the characteristics and needs of adoptive parents, adopted people and birth parents
Relational level - particularly the collaboration between birth and adoptive families
System level - the attitudes, values and resources of professionals across the sector from children social workers, adoption social workers in LAs, VAAs and RAAs, birth family support workers, Cafcass, IROs, legal professionals and the judiciary

Letter-swap prototype

Letter Swap is a prototype created by Link maker and the digital system is being used to exchange letters via digital communication that would traditionally be handwritten and posted. The project commenced in August 2022 and runs until October 2023. The main aims of Letter Swap are:

To find out how Letter Swap is working in practice: does it help adoptive and birth families stay connected, and is anything about Letter Swap that needs to change to make it better?

To inform the future use of a digital system and to develop guidance to help agencies decide when to use a digital approach and it will also help adoptive parents and birth family members decide if they want to use a digital system to support staying in touch.

Improving Adoption Services for Adults (IASA)

The IASA project is being progressed in partnership with the University of East Anglia and PAC-UK. The project will run until July 2024 to address the needs of adults affected by adoption. There are issues with lack of support for adopted people, such as accessing birth records, intermediary and therapeutic services.

Likewise, services are needed to support birth parents and birth relatives who are affected by adoption. The team will collaborate with experts who have professional experience, alongside adults with lived experience of the impact of an adoption order on their family.

Lifelong Links (adaptation for adoption)

Adoption England Strategic Team has commissioned the Family Rights Group (FRG) to develop and adapt the lifelong links approach for children and young people who have been adopted. A trained coordinator works with a young person in care or care leaver to find the people that matter to them.
The child or young person is at the centre of the approach. The work only happens with their agreement, and it goes at their pace. This would include exploring:

What legal issues need consideration? (This would include access to records, consent, GDPR)

What adaptations or additional tools and resources are required?

What support is needed from the outset, and then throughout for the child, their adoptive family, and their birth family?

How would a lifelong links plan be implemented? Where does responsibility lie for continued support? Which organisation(s) should host lifelong links services for adopted children?

Sustainability of the approach.

Birth family mapping

Research in Practice

Adoption England has jointly commissioned the update of the micro site “Post Adoption Contact”. The site was originally co- created by the University of East Anglia and Research In Practice in 2017. The content draws together evidence from extensive research led by Beth Neil into practitioner/strategic leader-oriented formats to support maintaining relationships for children who are adopted. Practice, policy and legal content will be reviewed and updated and the visibility of the site will be promoted through Adoption England for practitioners to make use of the resources.

Be a “Champion” of Culture Change in Adoption

GUIDE - Being a champion of culture change in adoption ( PDF, 956.22 KB)

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Maintaining relationships

Theory of Change

Letter-swap prototype

Improving Adoption Services for Adults (IASA)

Lifelong Links (adaptation for adoption)

Birth family mapping

Research in Practice

Be a “Champion” of Culture Change in Adoption