Keeping in touch

Getting in touch

If you are looking for support and advice as an adoptive family, young person or birth relative around keeping in touch you can contact us:

Making it Meaningful

Once an adoption order is made, Adopt South West will support adoptive families and birth relatives to engage with their keeping in touch plan until the child turns 18. We manage the exchange of indirect contact.

Support is on offer to help you think about what’s important to share through your conversations, videos, letters, photo’s, cards, gifts and more.

We also offer support in planning direct contact arrangements and making the experience positive and meaningful. Where needed we can attend direct contact arrangements to support this. We help adoptive families and birth relatives to think creatively and about how they can work together safely.

Adopt South West’s Proactive Keeping In Touch Review Model

Adopt South West supports Local Authorities, Birth relatives and Adoptive families to build bespoke and evidence based Keeping In Touch plans for adoptive children at the point where a plan of adoption is made. We do this through offering training and consultation to Local Authorities about Keeping In Touch Planning. Whilst a child is ‘looked after’ the Local Authority is responsible for regularly reviewing the Keeping In Touch plan to make sure it is still the right fit.

Following a child’s adoption we will invite adoptive families, adoptive children and young people and birth relatives, as appropriate to review the Keeping In Touch plan at regular intervals to make sure the Keeping In Touch plan remains relevant to the child and young person as they grow up and their needs change.

The benefits of proactive Keeping In Touch for a child or young Person:

• Ensures the plan remains relevant overtime
• Supports Child’s identity, relationships and sense of belonging
• Provides safer, supported connections
• Reduces unsafe independent searching

The benefits of proactive Keeping In Touch for adoptive families

• Regular professional support
• Shared responsibility for reviewing Keeping In Touch
• Better preparation for changes alongside the child
• Support needs of the adoptive parent are understood and planned for

The benefits of proactive Keeping In Touch for birth relatives

• Supported involvement in planning and reviewing keeping in touch
• Opportunities for contribution
• Clear expectations and communications
• Support needs of the birth relative are understood and planned for

The Proactive Review Points:

• 3 years post adoption order if the child was placed with the adoptive family under 1 year old
• Age 5-6
• Age 9 -10
• Age 12 – 13
• Age 16-17 (after GCSE’s)

Sending in an Exchange:

You can send in your letters, cards or other post exchange to our email address or via post to:

Freepost RTGJ-SYXG-CJAS

Room 255
Devon County Council

County Hall

Topsham Road

Exeter

EX2 4QD