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We Made a Wish Adoption and parenting magazine sharing experiences from all sides of the triangle to give us the tools to help and support our children

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Life story work is such a vital part of an adopted child’s development. It helps them understand their history, identity...
19/06/2025

Life story work is such a vital part of an adopted child’s development. It helps them understand their history, identity and why it wasn’t safe for them to live with their birth family.

My daughters have various different resources, but they’re a bit all over the place and not very easy for them to access. Their life story books are great (youngest’s is brilliant) but they’re heavy folders that aren’t particularly easy for them to hold and look at which has got me thinking over the years that there has to be a better way for all of this to be stored.

It turns out there absolutely is.

I was very interested when an email from Sharon at virtual Memory Box landed in my inbox recently, sharing their safe and accessible online tool which has been developed with young people in care and the adults in their lives, so they can store key moments and memories all in one secure place.

Virtual Memory Box are partnering with Adopt North Easy to pilot the boxes so it’s a project that’s very close to my heart.

If you’d like to read this week’s magazine article about how Virtual Memory Box are transforming the way vital life story work and important information is stored for those in care and adopted children, comment “Virtual” and I’ll send you the link.

If you work in children’s services or adoption, I’d love to know your thoughts on this. Leave a comment or send me a message and let me know what you think so I can feed it back to Virtual Memory Box

Life story work is such a vital part of an adopted child's development. It helps them understand their history, identity...
19/06/2025

Life story work is such a vital part of an adopted child's development. It helps them understand their history, identity and why it wasn't safe for them to live with their birth family.

My daughters have various different resources, but they're a bit all over the place and not very easy for them to access. Their life story books are great (youngest's is brilliant) but they're heavy folders that aren't particularly easy for them to hold and look at which has got me thinking over the years that there has to be a better way for all of this to be stored.

It turns out there absolutely is.

I was very interested when an email from Sharon at Virtual Memory Box landed in my inbox recently, sharing their safe and accessible online tool, which has been developed with young people in care and the adults in their lives, so they can store key moments and memories all in one secure place.

Virtual Memory Box is partnering with Adopt North East to pilot the boxes, so it's a project that's very close to my heart.

Click on the link to read this week's magazine article about how Virtual Memory Box are transforming the way vital life story work and important information is stored for those in care and adopted children.

If you work in children's services or adoption, I'd love to know your thoughts on this. Leave a comment or send me a message and let me know what you think, so I can feed it back to Virtual Memory Box

https://wemadeawish.co.uk/using-a-virtual-memory-box-in-adoption

Life story work and contact are vital to help our children understand their history and relationships with their birth f...
17/06/2025

Life story work and contact are vital to help our children understand their history and relationships with their birth family.

Writing letterbox contact is something a lot of adopters struggle with for a lot of reasons including not knowing what to include and getting the tone right.

There are a lot of articles in the magazine about different experiences of letterbox contact, including one from birth mum Sammy who shares things from a birth parent perspective.

If you’d like to read her interview, comment “contact” and I’ll send you the link.

If your child has special educational needs and disabilities, making sure they get the right support at school can be an...
11/06/2025

If your child has special educational needs and disabilities, making sure they get the right support at school can be an uphill battle.

In this week's magazine article, Alice Marshment shares what a SEND Advocate does and how they can help parents navigate the system to ensure their child gets the right support so they can thrive.

Click on the link to read the article.

https://wemadeawish.co.uk/send-advocacy-a-guide-for-parents

This is one of several articles I have published about adoption disruption, because it’s something that isn’t talked abo...
09/06/2025

This is one of several articles I have published about adoption disruption, because it’s something that isn’t talked about enough, particularly during the assessment process.

Anyone thinking about adoption needs to be aware of all sides of the rollercoaster including how difficult it can be when the right support isn’t in place. I’m grateful to Fiona Wells from Our Patch for letting me publish this extremely raw article written by an adopter who shares her experience of not receiving the right support

Comment 'Ellie's Story' for the link to the full article

𝟮𝟬 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀Books are a great way of learning about any subject. Whatever stage of your adoption journe...
03/06/2025

𝟮𝟬 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀

Books are a great way of learning about any subject.

Whatever stage of your adoption journey you’re at, there’s always a book to help you learn more.

So, I thought it would be useful to do a post on some of the adoption books available for parents and children.

My article includes the following titles and many more:
- An Adopter’s Guide to Adoption
- Adopting a child: The definitive guide to adoption in the UK
- The A to Z of Therapeutic Parenting: Strategies and Solutions
- First Steps in Parenting the Child who Hurts: Tiddlers and Toddlers
- Meant to Be

I’d love to know what your favourite adoption books are – let me know in the comments

https://wemadeawish.co.uk/20-of-the-best-adoption-books

It’s called ‘Breakdown’There are hundreds of us out there who have disrupted. Is it easy? No. You may not even be quite ...
02/06/2025

It’s called ‘Breakdown’

There are hundreds of us out there who have disrupted.

Is it easy?
No.
You may not even be quite at that point yet, or you can’t face the fact that you are even thinking like this.

But the fact that you are reading this means that all is not well, and you are most likely desperate.

So, this article is to try to explain the adoption breakdown process, to help you understand what Section 20 (Children Act 1989) (s20) is all about.

And to help prepare you for what might lie ahead if you decide to go down this road.

We are not solicitors, however, and nothing that is contained in this article should be considered legal advice

Read the full article here...
https://wemadeawish.co.uk/an-overview-of-adoption-breakdown

𝗔𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁: 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁Finding activities and games that help us connect as a family is always on my...
30/05/2025

𝗔𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁: 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁

Finding activities and games that help us connect as a family is always on my radar so, I thought it was a good time to re-share our review of Beacon Family Services resource packs as the games are a lovely, simple way of reconnecting and having fun together

Read our full recommendation here...
https://wemadeawish.co.uk/adoption-support-beacon-family-services-resource-packs

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: 𝗢𝗹𝗹𝘆 & 𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘆I love discovering new books, particularly when they’re about adoption. Our eldest daughter was...
29/05/2025

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: 𝗢𝗹𝗹𝘆 & 𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘆

I love discovering new books, particularly when they’re about adoption.

Our eldest daughter was six when we reviewed the book and was really excited when we opened the parcel. She loved the front cover straight away. She asked what the book was about so I said it was a book about what happens if parents aren’t able to look after their children.

We really enjoyed reading the book.

It’s engaging and fun but deals with big issues sensitively to gently explain why sometimes parents can’t look after their children.

Read our full review here...
https://wemadeawish.co.uk/book-review-olly-lilly

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀Introductions or transitions are when adopters are gradually introduced to their child once t...
21/05/2025

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

Introductions or transitions are when adopters are gradually introduced to their child once their match has been approved. This post looks at intros when matching happens after the care and placement orders have been granted, not for foster-to-adopt placements.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The best way to prepare is to get as much information as you can from the foster carer about your child's likes, dislikes, favourite toys, routines, and things like the brand of washing powder they use.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Sleep with a snuggle blanket or soft toy (even if your child is older) so that they have your smell on them. These can be given to the foster carer so that your child is familiar with your smell.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Make sure you wear the same perfume/after shave/deodorant so that your child smells the same fragrance when they meet you for the first time.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Create some kind of photo album or laminate photos of your immediate family to be given to the foster carers to help prepare your child for meeting you. If you can, wear the same clothes on the first day of intros as you wore in the photos.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The process is a difficult time for a child. They're gradually being taken away from the main carer in their life by relative strangers. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Maintaining the status quo in terms of routine is best as it helps your child to feel safe. So doing the same types of things as the foster carer does, using the same brand/clothes can really help.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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You may not agree with a child taking a nap in a pushchair rather than a cot, or the types of food or drink they have. But intros are not the time to change anything. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Keep routines the same and gradually make changes as your child settles and develops their attachment with you.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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What tips were you given that helped you prepare for introductions? ⠀⠀⠀⠀

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸?Adoption introductions (or transitions) are the process that introduces your...
14/05/2025

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸?
Adoption introductions (or transitions) are the process that introduces your child to you and your home. This post looks at the process for traditional matching rather than for a foster-for-adoption placement. ​​​​​​​​​
Each agency will do things slightly differently, but this post will give you an idea of how they work.

The first day takes place at the foster carer's home. It lasts a couple of hours and helps your child to become familiar with you.

The foster carer will continue to do most of the caring, such as feeding. Yours or your child's social worker should visit at some point to make sure everything is ok.

The next few days will start at the foster carer's home and gradually move into the community. You will start to take over care by being involved with feeding/dressing/naps etc.

The foster carer will probably come with you for a walk or trip to the park initially, and then you'll take your child into the community on your own.

Intros will then start to move from the foster carer's home to yours, initially with them being there. Then you'll have full days with your child either at your home or taking them into the community before returning them to the foster carer's home for the bedtime routine.

There will be a review on the final day to make sure everyone is happy, and then you'll pick up your child from the foster carer's home for the final time and bring them home.

If you'd like to read some adoption introduction stories, click on the magazine link in my bio or send me a message/leave a comment and I'll send you the link.

If you've got any questions about intros, leave a comment.

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