| Renée Wolfs
This in-depth practical guide, written by an adoptive parent for adoptive parents, explores the problems that adopted teenagers (up to 18 years old) are likely to confront and provides suggestions for helpful solutions, helping parents discuss the known – or unknown – aspects of their adopted teenager’s history and be well-equipped to communicate difficult issues.
| Hedi Argent
This short, colourful booklet is part of CoramBAAF’s series of publications for children and young people, which aim to explain concepts in adoption and fostering that they may find difficult to understand.
| Henrietta Bond
Seventeen-year-old Holly Richards is tough, practical, determined, and has her whole future carefully mapped out. So for her, leaving foster care to move into her own flat should be no problem. This realistic and engrossing novel, the first in a trilogy, for young people is ideal reading for all those over the age of 13, with a care background or not.
| Nancy Newton Verrier
Healing the primal wound
| Ed Merchant
This charming and affirming picture book for young children encourages an understanding and appreciation of same-sex parents, as well as showing that families come in all shapes and sizes.
| Helen Jayne
Published as part of the Our Story series, this is the story of Helen, a foster carer, and her family, and what happened when Dale joined their family as a foster child. But what was planned as a short-term foster placement soon became longer than expected, and inevitably the family grew attached to Dale, and he to them.
| Mike Butcher
What happens when IVF goes wrong? Published as part of the Our Story series, in Frozen Mike Butcher recounts his, and his wife Lesley’s, experience of undergoing IVF treatment. But when Lesley suffers a near-fatal reaction to the treatment, the couple’s lives and plans for a family are thrown into turmoil. After an escalating series of setbacks and heartache, Mike and Lesley are almost resigned to giving up their dreams of parenthood – until they pick up a flyer from a local adoption agency.
| Elsbeth Neil, Jeanette Cossar, Paula Lorgelly and Julie Young
This research study explores and evaluates the growing area of adoption support of birth families where a child has been adopted. It is based on data collected from eight agencies providing independent support services to birth relatives, and from interviews with 73 birth relatives with recent experience of losing a child to adoption.
| Lorna Miles
This compelling story, published as part of the Our Story series, tracks Wayne’s journey from first being fostered by Lorna at the age of nine, in a therapeutic fostering placement, through nearly four years of family life. Wayne is traumatised by his early experiences of neglect and domestic abuse. Even when surrounded by a team of experienced foster carers, counsellors and therapists, helping him grow and heal will be a long and difficult process. But Lorna and her family are determined not to give up hope…
| Julie Selwyn, David Quinton, Perlita Harris, Dinithi Wijedasa, Shameem Nawaz and Marsha Wood
This pioneering study explores the care pathways of minority ethnic children in three authorities in England, and considers possible differences in decision making and outcomes for them, in comparison with white children, especially in relation to permanence. This study raises key questions about our understanding of ethnicity and culture and how these are reflected in and affect social work practice.
