PAC's CEO Peter Sandiford and other members of government's Adoption Support Fund Expert Advisory Group have welcomed a short animated film inspired by comments received by adopters from a range of support services.
Sally, an adoptive parent who is also a member of the Adoption Support Fund Expert Advisory Group, asked other adopters the following questions:
- What sorts of things does your child say to you, which gives you a glimpse into their inner world?
- What sorts of things do you hear from professionals which show that this 'inner world' is not understood?
There were a large number of responses, falling into a few broad themes. It was felt by adopters that it would be worthwhile presenting the work in a way that might help to educate others about the realities for a child living with trauma and for parents being bounced between services.
As a result Sally commissioned an animation as a way of communicating this creatively and without risking identities being revealed. The resulting film The Lost Children of Trauma is freely available here.
Sally says:
'It's not the most positive piece of film, but it is the current reality for many adopters, and something which we hope will be transformed by the Adoption Support Fund. We are intending to make more animations in the future around the sorts of approaches that adoptive families feel are helpful and respect the experiences of their child and their family.'
The animation was funded by the charity The Open Nest, of which Sally is a trustee.
