A THEME of “Past, Present and Future Connections” will be marked during the upcoming Adoption Week Scotland.
The event spearheaded by Scottish Adoption will run from Monday, November 14 until Friday, November 18.
The charity has also announced the BlueBird Project in a bid to make sure that no voice goes unheard and to provide support for people who need a safe space to talk, such as birth parents who can feel judged and alone when their child is removed from their care.
Ahead of Adoption Week Scotland, one birth mum described how alone she felt after her child was adopted, and how talking to other people with similar experiences would have helped.
She said: “There was absolutely nothing or no one I could turn to when the decision was made for my child to be adopted. I was on my own and just a kid myself.
“The only help was from my GP and that was only pills. 100% to counselling for a deeper look at the hard stuff would have helped. Talking to folk who had been through the same as me would also really have helped as I felt I was the only one.”
Scottish Adoption is holding an hour-long online session between 1pm-2pm on Wednesday, November 16, where people can meet the team involved in the Bluebird Project, hear about the services provided, the work already undertaken and how to make referrals.
Other events will be held for Adoption Week such as a chance to hear from senior practitioners and adoptive parents on November 17 from 7pm.
In the online session, speakers will be talking about their journey to parenthood and guests will have the opportunity to ask any questions they have about adoption.
Parent practitioner Stevan, who adopted through Scottish Adoption with his partner Denis, feels as though Scottish Adoption was a welcoming environment during the adoption process.
He said: “Some people are still put off by fears that they won’t be welcomed by agencies such as Scottish Adoption.
“This may be because they are a single adopter, from the LGBTQ+ community or think a health issue may rule them out, but they shouldn’t, Scottish Adoption is so warm and welcoming.
“I get to meet a lot of families in my role as a parent practitioner and there is a diverse range of families here, including plenty of parents who are single, or dare I say it, older!
“It’s great to see how well their children are doing, and what a positive and rewarding choice adoption can be.”
More information on the events and seminars being held next week are available at www.scottishadoption.org/events
