Why?
Oldham recognized that they had a high number of young women whose children had been adopted.
What?
Young parents affected by adoption worked with the Regional Adoption agency to develop post adoption support arrangements for care leavers.
This was an 8 week programme for care experienced young people affected by adoption; the sessions worked on building self esteem and focusing in on reaction to grief and loss – building peer support was key.
The group comprised of a ‘closed group’ of women who had their children placed for adoption – it provided a safe space to share feelings and hopes for the future.
Work was practical – focusing on artistic activity as a way to express difficult experiences.
Impact
Feedback from the attendees was universally positive with care leavers often talking for the first time about what they had been through.