Work of Aberdeenshire Council's adoption team highlighted
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Aberdeenshire Council's senior councillors and officers are marking Adoption Week Scotland by highlighting their support for the local authority's dedicated team.
Staff carefully match families with children, provide ongoing support to birth parents and offer lifelong support to adoptive families in the region.
The awareness week takes place until Friday and the local authority will also hold a virtual event on Wednesday, November 25.
Council chief executive Jim Savege said “As chairman of the Executive Group for Public Protection, I work alongside partner agencies including Police Scotland and NHS Grampian to ensure our collective effort to protect children and young people as well as adults is as effective as it can be.
“Adoption has a huge role to play in that. As a council we provide lifelong post adoption support and our team is second-to-none.
"Working with us means you will only ever have to work with one dedicated team, and I encourage you to get in touch.”
The local authority’s adoption team has organised an opportunity for prospective parents to meet with them online next week.
The virtual event will take place from 6.30pm to 8pm on Wednesday, November 25 and participants are encouraged to sign up at https://bit.ly/VirtualAdoptEvening
Councillor Gillian Owen, chairwoman of Aberdeenshire Council’s education and children’s services committee said: “I am all too aware of the benefits of finding families full of kindness and care for children.
"Our adoption team do a wonderful job and I am so pleased to see so much positive feedback from families.”
Vice-chairwoman councillor Rosemary Bruce said: “Providing children and young people with a safe, nurturing home and a sense of belonging is so important.
"I’m pleased to see therapeutic parenting as a theme for this year’s Adoption Week as it’s essential we have a collectively supportive approach for care experienced children who have often gone through so much.”
Members of the public can work directly with their local authority to become adoptive parents.
Aberdeenshire Council offers an unlimited period of post-adoption support which includes workshops on topics including therapeutic play techniques, managing challenging behaviour, life stories (and helping adopted children to explore their history), and special sessions for grandparents as well as advice and support any time they need it.
Director of education and children’s services Laurence Findlay said: “As chairman of the GIRFEC Strategic Group, I know just how many wonderful people we have from across partner agencies as well as the council working to provide the best possible support to children and young people.
"I cannot underline enough the huge difference a loving, supportive home makes to a young person and I’d like to say a big thank you to all our adoptive families.”
For more information about other online events taking place nationally as part of Adoption Week visit www.adoption.scot/adoption-week
Anyone considering adopting in Aberdeenshire or for more information, visit www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/children/adoption email Adoption@aberdeenshire.gov.uk or call 01467 532800.
