Hi all,
We are second time adopters (hopefully!) due to go to matching panel very soon for another little AD. We have just been told by our Social Worker that the panel will ask us, what we have done proactively, to minimize the impact that the adoption may have on our current AD and what we have done to prepare her. Obviously we have talked and talked and talked about different scenarios that could happen when our soon to be adopted child is placed. (we know it's not going to be smooth sailing!) and we believe that she is fully prepared and eager and excited, in that way. But of course, this is all just words and who knows what the real impact is going to be, but we are expecting the worst and hoping for something in between. However our SW has said that what the Matching Panel will want to know is "what type of therapeutic support and/or counselling we have put in place for our current AD in order to help with the transition from being a family of three to a family of four". ?And also that having a newly adopted child in our family could of course raise up thoughts and feeling about her own adoption.
Our SW has asked us to try to contact some agencies via our local council in order to try to put this in place so that we can go to panel with a plan, so to speak.
So what I wanted to ask other second time adopters is;
- do you have any suggestions or information about "what have you done to prepare your little one or one's for the addition of another adopted child into your family'?
- have you had any proactive professional input to help prepare your child?
- and if so, who from?
- does anyone know of any charities that may offer this type of support for free? Safebase used to do this type of thing but I understand they have now folded!
Thanks in advance all