Adoption Charities - If you are creating a similar award, or recognition for schools, please get in touch as some suggestions I have already received from schools would be relevant to an established organisation.
Since September a handful of schools have received the Attachment Friendly School Award. In addition, we have received kind comments from individuals, agencies and charities in support of what we are trying to achieve. This term (Summer Term) we have closed the award to new applicants to allow us time to improve the criteria using comments and suggestions from individuals and the schools who have already received the award. These include making more transparent what Pupil Premium Plus money is being directly spent on and making sure information is clear and accessible on the school website. If you have any comments or suggestions of improvements, or additions to the award criteria or website please comment on this blog so others can see and discuss them. Please help make a difference to all children.
Adoption Charities - If you are creating a similar award, or recognition for schools, please get in touch as some suggestions I have already received from schools would be relevant to an established organisation.
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National Adoption Week is generally thought of as a time to share glossy pictures of happy smiling children in an attempt to encourage more people to come forward as adopters. This is certainly needed as there are many children waiting for a secure loving family to call their own.
Thank you Gareth Marr for this excellent blog, you have summed up excellently what we are trying to achieve. Please follow this link to read the blog in its entirety. It’s back to school! My twitter feed is full of stress from many parents whose children are yet again not getting the understanding and support they deserve. This has to change, and it will. I love it when adopters get up stand up and don’t give up the fight. We have to move from ‘I don’t like Mondays’ and another brick in the wall we need to climb. So I’m back and will not stop until we get Virtual School support for our children, and it is great to have another adoptive dad pushing for the same end and in a very positive way. Another reflective guest blog from Tina at Reattachment parenting.
If you have a blog you would like to share please email it to me using the links on the website. If you feel it is a supportive piece that would be better suited in the resources section please indicate this and I will attach it. Thank you to Tina at Reattachment Parenting for allowing me to use this blog. In her blog she reflects a Kinship Carer even hosted by Children 1st, and how it impacts on her and on us all.
The previous linked blog from herding chickens, in her about me section, she talks about attachment challenges stating that they 'are the hardest type of challenges to explain to anyone outside the home.' Many adoptive parents agree with this and can frequently come up with examples: "He is not like that in school", "She is such a calm girl", "He gets on well in school and works quietly understanding what he is doing" ... (Please comment with others you have heard.) We started this page after similar 'unhelpful' comments from our children's school which then led to the questioning about our parenting. Whilst all this was going on our children where suffering and clearly showing this at home where they felt safe. In turn, at times we questioned ourselves as to whether the child in school was the true child and the one at home is the one we created.
This is a title of a blog, linked below, written by HerdingChickens, in there own words they say about themselves, with a little edit to remove names: Who We Are Thank you to all those parents, teachers, companies and charities that have given support in creating the Attachment Friendly Award and website; especially Open Nest, Inspired Foundations and the Adoption Social who are all linked from the home page and are well worth visiting.
After nearly three weeks and some fantastic feedback it really feels that this site is going to be of use, but it can only be that if we use it, recommend it and share it. The resources page is looking useful from my point of view but at the moment doesn't reflect the resources we have all used and found useful - more links, resources and research would be great. In addition guest bloggers would be most welcome.
Please find below a blog written by 'Five Go On An Adventure - A true story of family life, children and adoption.'
A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to attend a conference held at Bath Spa University on Attachment and Trauma in Schools. the university along with Bath and North East Somerset County Council have been working together to create attachment aware schools. It was wonderful to listen to the speakers share their passion about the importance of attachment and how schools can help. Please find below a post created by Hugh Thornbery the chief executive of Adoption UK the leading charity providing a voice and support for those parenting adopted children http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/hugh-thornbery/adopted-children-education_b_7753686.html Five years ago his son was pinned down to the ground by three teachers - that's what one of our members told us happened to his adopted son at primary school. Relations with the school broke down further to the point where they asked for his son to stay off school during an Ofsted inspection. Things have moved on and this child is at a secondary school where his teachers have a better understanding of his complex needs and early trauma. This is an extreme example but shows what can happen with a lack of understanding of the needs of an adopted child who has already experienced trauma and neglect in their early years.
After having a very negative experience centering around a complete lack of understanding on the part of a school it led us to thinking what are the issues and how can we help. From those thoughts the idea for some kind of 'attainable' attachment aware school award was born. This award is intended to be easily achievable and based on a schools intentions rather than 'hoops to jump through' and checklists of evidence to collect. It is also not the intention to 'name and shame' but to celebrate. Adoptive families can feel very alone and isolated but a school, an understanding and approachable school, can make all the difference for the children and the family - it is this the award hopes to mark and celebrate. In addition, we hope that this site will become a 'one-stop-shop' as it collates resources, anecdotes, and advice to help support schools and families. However we need your help to do this please comment or contact us with your resources or sites that you have found helpful and supportive. If you have access to any research, or trainers/courses you can recommend then again please let us know. Finally help us to make this site worth while visiting, contact us with your thoughts for improvements and amendments.
At the moment the website has been published but the award is closed to applicants whilst we gain vital feedback. Please share this site with your friends and colleagues so that feedback and resources can be received. I wonder how many of us have wanted to write a letter similar to the one copied and pasted below. In the past I have longed to but ended up sending a short note. Please comment and share. If you have a blog you would like to share please use the contact form, forum or email links. Thank you.
Dear Head Teacher https://adoptedtwo.wordpress.com/2015/03/11/dear-headteacher/?preview=true |