Adoption Support

OUR ETHOS

Adoption is for life. So is our support. At Coram IAC we believe that it is crucial that every child we find a family for has access to support to meet their needs throughout their childhood and into adulthood. We fundraise for this crucial work through grants, trusts and donations. You can read more about our services in our newsletter, Meridian.

Preparation Courses at the pre adoption time

Coram IAC runs several different courses for prospective adopters:

• Three day Intercountry Adoption Preparation Course. This course is designed for first time prospective adopters and offers the chance to explore in depth the rewards and challenges involved in parenting a child from overseas.
• Two day Intercountry Adoption Preparation Course for Kinship carers. This course is designed for prospective adopters intending to adopt a related child from overseas.
• One day Adopting Again Course. This one day course is designed for experienced adoptive parents seeking to adopt for a second or subsequent time.
• Family & Friends Workshop. The workshop is a great space for your family and friends, regardless of where you are in the adoption process, but it is especially helpful for families who are waiting, matched or recently had their child placed with them.
• Becoming a Blended Family. For prospective and approved adopters (intercountry & domestic) who have birth children living in the family.

If you are being assessed by Coram IAC your Assessment Case Worker will refer you for the courses detailed above, at which point you will be sent details of the next available course.
If you are resident in a Local Authority or Regional Adoption Agency that subscribes to Coram IAC, but which undertakes the home study assessment themselves, a social worker from your LA/RAA will usually refer you for the preparation course, at which point you will be contacted with details of the next available course.

Additional Preparation Modules:

• Parenting a child across racial and ethnic boundaries. This half day course is for prospective adoptive parents seeking to adopt a child who is racially or ethnically different from themselves. You would be required to attend this in addition to the preparation course if you were planning to adopt transracially.
• Adopting siblings. A half day course for prospective adopters wishing to adopt siblings. You would be required to attend this in addition to the preparation course if you were planning to adopt a sibling group.

“I found it comprehensive and helpful from day one”

“A very valuable experience that can’t be replaced by reading a book”

Workshops following approval:

Once you and your child have returned to the UK Coram IAC runs occasional Adoption Support Workshops on such topics as Exploring Adoption with Children, Life Story Work, Building Attachment through Play, Adoption and Schools and Adoption and the Teenage years amongst others.

"It was helpful, providing steps for us to implement at each stage of our children’s development, and what are children may be experiencing at each stage.”

“The group discussions were helpful and hearing other people’s experiences.”

Consultation Service

Our Consultation Service provides you with the opportunity to explore a range of issues you may be experiencing, like those around life story work, loss and grief, identity, family relationships, handling emotions, and managing the impact of the pandemic. The service has been thriving, and families have expressed how useful these sessions have been, especially around the area of life story work. Consultation sessions are relaxed, yet informative, and they generally last about an hour. Importantly, they are also free for our families.

If you would like to gain more information about our consultations or to book a session, please contact us at adoptionsupport@coramiac.org.uk

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All parents need support from time to time
and we offer it whenever it is needed. 
Adoption is for life, so is our support.