Forced adoption support services scoping study Daryl Higgins, Pauline Kenny, Reem Sweid and Lucy Ockenden Report for the Department of Social Services by the Australian Institute of Family Studies February 2014

57Stakeholder workshops and consultations

One of the main components of the Scoping Study was the design and conduct of workshops and consultations with relevant services and individuals providing support to those affected by forced adoptions—as well as with agencies and individuals with experience in service delivery models for related areas (individuals who have experienced significant interpersonal trauma or mental health consequences from events, particularly those that carry shame, secrecy or stigma).

Incorporating the findings from the systematic literature review and relevant information from the AIFS National Study (specifically, components of effective service and support models as identified by participants directly affected by past adoptions), a platform of best-practice principles was developed from which to deliver a series of half-day workshop-style consultations with service providers across all Australian states and territories.

This chapter provides an overview of both the content of the workshops and the process undertaken in identifying and recruiting participants. A detailed overview of participating organisations and individuals is also provided, and the locations in which the consultations took place.

57.1Workshop content and materials

The workshops had two components:

The first was a presentation, providing a brief overview of the findings of the National Research Study on the Service Response to Past Adoption Practices (Kenny et al., 2012), supplemented by information obtained from the systematic literature review undertaken for the scoping study. The presentation outlined what we have already heard from people affected by past adoptions (including forced adoption) and what they saw as the appropriate methods of support to adequately meet those needs. These implications for service delivery were summarised in a series of “best practice principles and models of intervention”.

The second component involved group discussions that centred around three structured activities. The activities were based on an agreed framework devised through consultations with the Department of Social Services and the Forced Adoptions Implementation Working Group, and are described below.

58Activity 1: Strengths and weaknesses

In this activity, workshop participants were asked to explore the extent to which they believed different types of services addressed the support needs of those affected by forced adoption policies and practices. Stakeholders were provided with an open table, which listed the key needs of those affected (as discussed in the presentation of findings) against the types of services currently available:

information services;

search and contact services;

post-adoption support services (often state/territory-funded services providing counselling, as well as information and support for people during the search/contact process);

general therapeutic services (i.e., psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors and other health/mental health services); and

peer-support services.

A copy of the worksheet template is provided in Attachment C.

Participants were asked to rate the extent to which they thought each service type currently addressed these needs. The purpose of this activity was to stimulate a guided discussion within the group that could then inform the findings of this study. Thirty minutes was allocated to this activity.

Stakeholders were asked whether the following service and support needs (which were based on key findings from Kenny et al., 2012) could be addressed:

service is sensitive to, and addresses:

trauma;

grief and loss;

secrecy and shame; and

identity, attachment, abandonment and relationships;

service assists with contacting family separated by adoption;

information is accurate, complete, and provided in a timely and sensitive manner (e.g., birth certificates, medical histories, hospital records, etc.);

affordability;

accessibility;

choice—that a diversity of support interventions and service providers are available; and

services go beyond one-on-one interventions, and include options for educating and raising community awareness about adoption issues and the needs of those who experienced forced adoption.

59Activity 2: Pathways

In this activity, participants were asked to come together in groups to discuss their observations of current practice, and how they viewed “best practice” in terms of an individual’s pathways through the past-adoption service system (i.e., for a person entering the service system, how do they see that journey occurring most effectively). Participants were asked to identify whether particular interventions/supports occur in sequence, parallel or collaboration with other services/interventions. This allowed the facilitator to liaise with the various groups and note any variations in their findings. The group was then brought together to discuss these findings. Forty-five minutes was allocated to this activity.

60Activity 3: Good practice principles

The final activity of the workshop focused on identifying good practice principles and guidelines. The worksheet in this activity was used solely for the purpose of encouraging and stimulating ideas, and has not been used to evaluate the specific agencies. Participants were given a table containing the list of key elements of good practice that were identified in the AIFS National Study (Kenny et al., 2012) matched against each service type (see Attachment D). Participants were asked to fill out the table primarily through the perspective of their own area of practice, identifying to what degree the current services/system met these elements of good practice.

60.1Workshop recruitment

A list of 48 service providers working in the area of post-adoption support was compiled through an analysis of the data from the AIFS National Study (Kenny et al., 2012) supplemented by a thorough web search (see Attachment E).² This list included all categories of support service providers (i.e., peer-support groups, search and contact services, etc.).

On 10 September 2013 a letter of introduction was sent via email to service providers on this list (see Attachment F). The letter of introduction outlined the scope of this study and informed the recipients of the intention to conduct workshops with relevant staff at their service. The letter of introduction did not elicit any response from service providers; however, a few providers did respond by email and telephone to register their interest.

Once the date and location of each workshop was confirmed, an email inviting participants to the workshop was sent out to relevant service providers in the state. The email invited the recipient and all relevant staff to attend the workshop. A total of 26 separate meetings, consultations or workshops were held. Across the country, 13 workshops were conducted and a further eight consultations were held with other stakeholders and relevant professional associations and organisations. Two consultations were held with the Forced Adoptions Implementation Working Group. In addition to the workshops (some of which included attendance by state/territory departmental representatives), separate meetings occurred with the following departments:

Adoption & Permanent Care Family Information Service ACT;

Adoption and Permanency Services, Deparment of Health and Human Services, Tasmania; and

Adoption and Permanency Programs, Deparment of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services, Queensland.

Of the 48 agencies or services that were invited to participate, 37 sent at least one participant to attend a workshop. One agency that could not send a participant provided a written submission. Only 10 agencies were unable to contribute. In total, 103 participants from a wide range of agencies were involved in the workshops and consultations. Members of the Forced Adoptions Implementation Working Group were also invited to attend any of the workshops as observers if they wished. The result was a series of stimulating and commendable group discussions that have been fundamental to the findings of this report.

Participants who were unable to attend a workshop or those who attended a workshop but expressed an interest in contributing to the study further were invited to complete a written submission form that was available on the AIFS website. This form was based on the three activities of the workshop. In total, seven written submissions were received.

Table 1: Workshop attendees by state

State	Workshop locations	Number of attendees	Number of agencies	Organisations represented
ACT	Canberra	5	5	Adoption & Permanent Care Family Information Service Adoption Mosaic Canberra Independent Adoption Support Group Within these Walls Australian Journal of Adoption
NSW	Sydney Hurstville	22	8	Adoption Focus and Support Group—Mother Support Group Adoption Information Unit—Department of Family and Community Service Anglicare CatholicCare International Social Services Origins Post Adoption Resource Centre Salvation Army Special Search Services
NT	Darwin	1	1	Adoptions Unit, Department of Children and Families
Qld	Brisbane Townsville	18	8	Benevolent Society Adoption and Permanency Programs—Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services Jigsaw Link Up Origins—Queensland SPSA The Salvation Army—Family Tracing Services Uniting-Care White Australian Stolen Heritage
SA	Adelaide (2)	12	3	Adoption and Family Information Service (AFIS)—Department for Education and Child Development Identity Rights Post Adoption Services—Relationships Australia (SA)
Tas.	Hobart	4	2	Centacare Family Services (Catholic Private Adoption Agency) Past Adoption Support Services—Relationships Australia (Tas.) Adoption and Permanency Services, Department of Health and Human Services
Vic.	Ballarat Melbourne	20	7	Adoption and Permanent Care Community and Family Services Association of Relinquishing Mothers (Vic.) (ARMS) CatholicCare Family Information Network Discovery (FIND)—Department of Human Services Victoria International Social Services Australia Victorian Adoption Network for Information and Self-Help (VANISH)
WA	Cottesloe Mayland	17	4	Adoption Jigsaw Adoption Resource & Counselling Service (ARCS) Fostering and Adoption Services—Department for Child Protection and Family Support