This is for professional’s information only. If you would like to know more about the workshops and the benefits for adopters, please contact Jane Slee via emailing info@pactcharity.org and marking it for Jane Slee’s attention.

We are delighted to be able to tell you about the 2002 dates for the series of workshops we are continuing to provide for approved adopters and adoptive parents with some experience of the issues relating to adoption.

Established adoptive families are likely to find workshops 3, 4 and 5 particularly relevant. Those of you who were unable to come to some of the workshops last year will be welcome to come this year.

It is helpful to know in advance who is able to come: please email info@pactcharity.org and mark it for the attention of Jane Slee.

The workshops will be provided by Jane Slee, Mary Elford and Lois Williams who are all PACT workers and we do hope you will be able to participate in them, as they have been designed with your best interests in mind.

There are a number of reasons why it is so important to provide these workshops:

• Experience shows us that adopters are at a different stage of learning once the stages of home study and approval are behind them and they are actively preparing for placement and becoming adoptive parents.

For those with placements or those who have now successfully adopted, questions often arise about talking to their children about adoption and in making contact arrangements.

• Demonstrating a continuing commitmenmt to learning and developing skills as adoptive parents will be a positive factor for agencies seeking to place children with you.

• As an agency we will have enhanced the information and preparation that we can provide.

• We have learned from the experiences of those who have worked with us. They have told us about the impact of all of the issues to be covered and how overwhelming they can be at times. Sadly, this does include instances when things have not worked out as we all would have hoped and we have listened to views about what might have helped or made a difference.

Details of the workshops are as follows:-

1. 21st March 2002 7.30pm –9.30pm
Waiting for a placement, linking and the introductory process

2. 20th May 2002 7.30pm-9.30pm
The first 6 months of placement and the impact on all concerned.

3. 13th July 2002 10.30am – 1.30pm this session will include a light lunch after the workshop.
A session for members of adoptive parents’ wider support network. This will give those close to you an opportunity to find out more about adoption and consider the role of wider family members and friends in supporting adoptive families. We do not expect adopters to attend this session themselves.

4. 17th September 2002 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Parenting issues and behavour management

5. 16th November 2002 10.30am – 12.30pm
Talking to children about adoption and maintaining contact with people from the child’s past.
All of the meetings will take place at the Benson Parish Centre, Benson, Oxfordshire.
We are happy to receive your ideas on subjects for discussions at these meetings. We will be running the sessions on a rolling programme over the next few years. Thus if you miss a session, there will be an opportunity to attend in the future, if you wish. The sessions will be run by PACT staff and may include some outside speakers.

We hope that you will find the meetings informative and helpful in your parenting role and give you an opportunity to meet other adoptive parents and PACT staff.
Please email info@pactcharity.org if you would like to attend any of the workshops and mark it for the attention of Jane Slee.