National Adoption Week: Live webchat with Adopt a Better Way founder Francesca Polini, Monday 3 November 12.30 - 1.30pm

[KateHMumsnet]

Next week is National Adoption Week, and to mark it we're hosting a webchat with Francesca Polini, Chair and Founder of adoption support and advocacy organisation Adopt a Better Way.

While adoption rates have risen over the last few years, Adopt a Better Way take the view that the 67,000 children living in care in the UK would benefit from even quicker adoption routes, given the often poor outcomes for children living in care.

Adopt a Better Way aims to change the adoption process, and Francesca will be joining us to discuss how she believes this could be achieved to the benefit of the children concerned. Francesca founded Adopt a Better Way after adopting her first child from Mexico.

Please do join us live on Monday 3 November from 12.30 - 1.30pm to talk about all things adoption-related; as ever, if you can't make it then, do please post your questions in advance on this thread.

Thanks
MNHQ

I agree KristinaM
The answers were just simply unhelpful or uniformed, they were actually potentially damaging for the posters who'd bared their souls and asked for help. To be dismissed in the manner they were could be the last thing they needed.

'Weren't'

My question wasn't answered (how can the costs of doing this badly be recycled as resources to do it well) and it should be directly in scope for this charity.

As a charity policy developer and advocate in RL, I can advise them that getting your numbers, policy asks and solutions straight is basic. I thought at first F was the PR lead for the charity, as the answers were promotional rather than solutions-focussed, but I see she is the founder. I actually do agree with their main point, that the system takes too long and damages children, and this is the only bit of the adoption system I've directly experienced so far.

Better support for vulnerable children and their parents, adopted or otherwise, would be a great Mumsnet campaign (just saying...)

Hmm, I feel sorry for Francesca Polini and don't want to be over-critical as she was clearly coming from a good place, but I do wonder if her contribution would have been better as a blog? In essence, she is an adoptive parent who has started a new campaign with ill-defined objectives and no real track record under its belt. I'm not sure that makes her any more of an authority than many of us here, so better by far to have her proposing a viewpoint or solution, which we could then discuss with her. Frankly, Kristina, Lilka, Maryz and Kew have more expertise.

I agree it would be better to get Edward Timpson on here, or someone from BASW.

I've been pondering why this was such a car crash (sorry, it was), and agree that this would have been better as a blog with comments below rather than a web chat which should be genuinely interactive and add value for all parties. I think the best web chats are where someone is either a real expert and / or a fascinating person - unfortunately in this case it was neither, and the responses to Qs did indeed sound like PR stock lines to take.

MNHQ - rather than write this off completely, would it be possible to start a blog thread on a sticky at the top of the adoption board asking a couple of specific Qs along the lines of "this is what the charity thinks is most important for us to campaign about, do you agree", then we can have a more productive dialogue.

Francesca - if you do come back to read this thread, one thing you really do need to do is develop a better answer for individual requests for help. Even if it's not personalised advice, you must surely be able to say something along the lines of "find out what you are entitled to and what is a statutory requirement; always put your requests in writing; always follow up requests if the timescale for reply had passed; be aware that things often fall between the cracks when SW move on (which is staggeringly common); don't be afraid to escalate if you are getting nowhere, including to your MP"

Oh, and Edward Timpson would be excellent, wouldn't he

Yes, please to Edward Timpson.

I've also just realised that Francesca told me about resources in West London, when I hadn't told her where I lived. I guess she's probably a Mumsnetter, then!

Yes I noticed that too Devora. Spooky

Hi All

Thanks so much for continuing to engage. I'll check in to see if we can invite Edward Timpson, sounds like a very good idea, Familiessharegerms also a great idea for Adopt a Better way to have a stickied thread asking for feedback - I'll offer that.

I've now looked at the Adopt A Better Way website and am still unclear as to what they think the 'better way' is and what they are actually doing about it. With the exception of their patron Oona King, most trustees seem to come with experience of international adoption. They seem very early on in their development and most focus seems to be on promotion and fundraising.

Which is also fine, but they might find the combined wisdom of Mumsnetters is better deployed in consulting us than advising us. At this point I have no idea whether or not I actually support what they're doing, because I don't know what that is.

See, I'm not convinced by speeding up the approval process. I am convinced by the need for swifter and more effective intervention to support families in distress, with earlier action taken when it is clear a child is at risk. I'm also convinced by the need for improved post-adoption support, and vastly improved resourcing of the social work profession. But I don't particularly see the need for making approval quicker, since for most of us the adoption journey seems to be taking only a year or two these days? I don't think that's unreasonable.

I agree, approval needs to be intrusive and thorough. Why the need to speed it up for potential adopters? Put the children's needs first!

I think adoption needs to be relatively speedy for the children involved (where every day / week / month really matters). For adopters it needs to be brisk and efficient but not so fast that there isn't a chance to draw back and be clear that it is absolutely the right thing to do and properly prepare

FamiliesShareGems, well said.

Oops, sorry Families! But you probably share gems, too, tight?