Ofsted have today released their ‘Thematic Inspection Report into Regional Adoption Agencies (RAAs)’.  Ofsted carried out this thematic inspection between October and December 2023. RAAs are responsible for delivering a range of adoption services on behalf of local authorities. Ofsted Inspectors visited a sample of 6 RAAs, chosen to be representative of the sector, taking into account factors such as location, size and model of service delivery. WAF is delighted that our long-term successful partnership with Adopt London (RAA) was highlighted in the report as a positive example ..read more

We Are Family are recruiting for two new Trustees to join our board as Company Secretary or Treasurer. This is a volunteer role and so the capacity to devote the time needed for the following is essential: 4 Board meetings per year 2 Board away days per year (on a Saturday) We estimate 8-10 hours for the charity per month. THE ROLES The Company Secretary will: Work directly with the Chair and Deputy Chair to organise and plan for regular Board meetings, producing agendas and a supporting pack of Board papers Ensure minutes are taken at the Trustee Board meetings and circulated in ..read more

Prospective and Early Permanence by Kerry  Our adoption journey thus far has been anything but a leisurely ride. So, we searched for a sense of belonging and sought to build connections with people who understand. Understand the wait, the setbacks, the sense of intrusion into our lives, the moments of self-doubt, the nervousness in the days leading up to panel and the periods of absolute excitement! I found that understanding in the support groups I attended. I was relieved and overwhelmingly grateful that we were not completely on our own and others understood, even though our expe ..read more

Why is an organisation like WAF needed and what sets us apart from other adoption support organisations?  Our podcast host, Eddie Elliott, sat down with our Co-founders, Marie-Louise and Miranda to find out more about their stories and motivations for starting We Are Family ten years ago. Miranda and Marie-Louise were colleagues but it was only days before Miranda left to go on adoption leave that they found out that they were both adopting. “It’s that kind of process that you don’t massively talk about because you never know when it’s going to happen, or how, and so you keep it to y ..read more

If you are not an adopter you cannot fully understand what the adoption journey is like. As with most things in life, you need to go through it, to really get it. There are so many assumptions about adoption that are at best, misplaced, and at worst, harmful. These are some of the things I’ve heard said to adopters: ‘Is he yours?’ ‘Oh, now she’s adopted, everything will be fine’ ‘Are you going to tell them they are adopted?’ Moving beyond the fact that some of these questions are just plain rude, they can be extremely complicated and exhausting to answer.  What adopters really need ..read more

WE ARE FAMILY ARE 10! As we approach the end of 2023, we celebrate not only another fruitful year of providing support to our prospective and adoptive parents, but also our first decade as We Are Family!  Back in 2013, a small group of adopters found there was a lack of local and peer support for adoptive parents and set to do something about this. This marked the beginning of We Are Family. Since then, We Are Family have grown to become a community benefitting from: 1,350+ We Are Family members 400+ Blog posts 80+ recorded WAF Talks in the Member Hub 65+ volunte ..read more

We Are Family are hiring for an Operations Assistant! We have an exciting paid role within our adopter peer support community to join us as our Operations Assistant. This is a fixed term contract of 13 months initially (Jan 2024 – Jan 2025), covering parental leave.  This role is an excellent opportunity for a highly organised, personable professional with an interest in working in a mission-led environment, to support and grow the services of We Are Family’s community of adopters and prospective adopters.  THE ROLE The Operations Assistant will: Provide a ‘first poi ..read more

My son was 14 months old when he joined our family. My older boy was already in school so after the Easter holiday this new ‘baby’ joined us for drop off and pick up. I had only told a few close friends about the family member we were expecting so for many it was a bit of a surprise to see the little guy. As far as I knew he was the only adopted child in my group of parent friends at school. This in itself wasn’t a problem, but when I spoke about sibling rivalry or attachment they would make innocuous remarks like, ‘oh all kids do that.’ I smiled through their placations, but I knew it w ..read more

My little one is now 4 years old, he came home at 19 months and I can’t believe how much time has passed and how life has changed since then.  One of the things that took me by surprise was his incredible ability to guide us in what he needs and how to create the mother to baby neural pathways that we didn’t have through experiences we hadn’t had together. When he’d been home a while we visited his foster parents who we’d formed a strong relationship with. We were incredibly nervous about what his reaction might be to going back to the only home he could remember before ours. As soo ..read more

In my first year of teaching, having seen the positive impact fostering had on one of my students, I decided that I would one day foster and adopt from the UK care system. I knew there were hundreds of children waiting to find safety and love in their forever families. I foster. I love watching the changes in attitude, supporting the forming of attachments, and broadening their horizons; I love that Christmas Day is without fail a day of celebration and catching up with my first two foster children, now in their early 20s. I love that my eldest foster daughter occasionally comes shopping ..read more