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

Organisations

155Adoption Jigsaw, WA

Using a mediator

156Past Adoption Resource Centre (PARC), Benevolent Society, NSW

(For birth parents) Pros and cons of approaching adoptive parents

Access to adoption information across Australia

Adolescence: Does adoption make a difference?

Adopted people affected by a Contact Veto in NSW

Adoptees considering a reunion

Adoptees

Adoption support groups and services across Australia

Adoptive parenting and infertility

Am I really adopted?

Birth parents affected by a Contact Veto in NSW

Birth parents considering a reunion

Coming to terms with the reality of your child’s adoption

Counselling sessions with Post Adoption Services (A)

Counselling sessions with Post Adoption Services (B)

Discovering you are adopted

For women who have placed more than one child for adoption

How to apply for your Supply Authority

Information about the Advanced Notice in NSW

Information for adopted people about lodging a Contact Veto in NSW

Information for adoptive parents: Is your adult son or daughter adopted in Queensland thinking of searching for birth parents?

Information for adoptive parents whose adult sons or daughters are thinking of searching for birth parents in NSW

Information for adults who were adopted in Queensland and are thinking of searching for birth relatives

Information for birth parents about the Contact Veto in NSW

Information for birth parents who are thinking of searching for their adult adopted child in NSW

Information for UK adoptees and birth relatives wanting to search

Intercountry and transracial post-adoption services

Intermediary service

Partners of adoptees

Partners of birth parents

Recommended reading on post-adoption issues

Release of information about unacknowledged birth fathers in NSW

Responding to contact from a birth relative

Searching British Births, Deaths & Marriages information in Australia

Siblings of an adoption that took place in NSW

Siblings of an adoption that took place in Queensland

Supporting a child through loss

What is a contact statement? For adoptions in Queensland

Writing to a birth mother or birth father

Writing to an adopted person

157Centacare, TAS

The Adoption Option

158Children and Youth Services, Department of Health and Human Services, Tas.

Adoptions Search Guide—October 2012

Apology for forced adoption

Apology to people hurt by forced adoption practices (Tas. Government)

Tree of Hope: A Memorial Dedicated to People Impacted by Past Adoption Practices in Tasmania

159Department of Child Protection and Family Support, WA

Contact and Mediation

Guidelines for the Message Box

Obtaining Adoption Information

Past Adoption Register and Outreach Service

ROADS: An index of location and access to adoption records

160Family Information Networks and Discovery (FIND), Department of Human Services, Vic.

Adoption: Myth and Reality

Adoption Act Amendments

Adoption Contact Statement

Adoption Contact Statement FAQs

161Adoptions and Permanent Care Unit, Department of Community Services, ACT

Former Forced Adoption Practices

An Apology to People Affected by Former Forced Adoption Practices FAQs

Search and Reunion

Adoption Information and Post Order Support Services

162Adoption Information Unit, Department of Family and Community Services, NSW

Adoption Before 2010: Information about a Past Adoption

163Relationships Australia, SA

DNA-testing

Intercountry adoption information for teachers

Making contact with your adult adopted child

Making contact with your found birth family

Making contact with your found birth family in Korea

Parenting self-esteem: The parent’s job, not the child’s

Racism and intercountry adoption

Searching for birth family in intercountry adoption

Searching for birth family in Korea

Searching for birth family relatives if you were born and adopted in the UK and now live in Australia

Searching for your birth mother if you were born or adopted in SA

Searching for your adult child placed for adoption in SA

164VANISH, Vic. (information pages for professionals and consumers)

FAQs

Adoption Questions

Referral for counselling

Facts and Statistics on Adoption

Search guide

Support Group Facilitator’s Handbook

165Salvation Army, NSW

Special Search Service

Training programs

166PARC training program

The Post Adoption Resource Centre (Benevolent Society) offers three training packages to individuals, groups and originations interested in learning more about the history, impacts and service delivery for those affected by forced adoption. These training packages include:

two-hour presentation discussing the basics of the history and impacts of post adoption (normally for organisations or school counsellors);

half-day presentation for counsellors and practitioners; and

full-day training for counsellors and psychologists with specific clinical information and case discussions.

The training sessions were initially established in 2005 and continued to be delivered until 2007, when they were stopped due to a lack of demand. In 2013, the trainings were re-established and are currently being reviewed and updated (Henegan, personal communication, 6 January 2013).

167VANISH training program

VANISH has recently launched its free two-day training program for GPs, health and welfare professionals and counsellors titled Looking Through the “Lens of Adoption” in Working With Loss and Trauma. According to the details of the workshop, available on the VANISH website, the first day focuses on support for individuals experiencing separation and loss through past adoption practices and is designed for a broad range of professionals in the health and community sector (such as GPs and nurses). The learning objectives of day one state: “recognising the context and impact of past adoption practices; engaging empathically with individuals separated by adoption; identifying the effects, loss and possible expressions of grief and trauma; and providing support to individuals and identifying potential resources for healing and growth.” (VANISH, 2013, “Looking through the lens”, p. 1)

The second day of training focuses on counselling individuals experiencing separation and loss through past adoption practices and is designed for counsellors, psychotherapists, etc. As stated on the training guide, the learning objectives of day two are to “identify personal and systemic issues relating to the complexities of adoption and the effects of grief and trauma; draw on a range of counselling and therapeutic approaches to support adaptive recovery; and to work with three unique areas of adoption complexity (the “late discover” adoption status, the re-emergence of trauma and grief responses during search and contact, and the phenomenon of genetic sexual attraction).” (VANISH, 2013, “Looking through the lens”, p. 1)

Relationships Australia (PASS) training program

Relationships Australia states on its website that they:

provide professional training to enhance the work of counsellors, social workers and other professionals from community service organisations who work with or are interested in adoption-related issues. (Relationships Australia, 2013, “Professional Training”, para.1)

They also provide a workshop on “Trauma Informed Care and Practice” that engages clients in learning skills in practicing a trauma-informed approach.

168Other training programs

Professionals seeking further training on how to best provide trauma-informed services can attend general training and conferences. An example of such a conference is the annual WA Family Pathways Network Annual Conference, which is scheduled for 14 May 2014 and will be focusing on “Using attachment and trauma-informed practices to support families”.

Good practice guides and training manuals

The urgent need for counsellors and psychologists to be trained in addressing the long-term impact of forced adoption was a key message that emerged from previous research and inquiries into forced adoption. The use of training guides has been recommended as a useful approach to improving training and awareness (Kenny et al. 2012; Senate Inquiry, 2012).

169Information and Resource Kit—Post Adoption Resource Centre (PARC)

In response to a recommendation from the NSW Legislative Council Standing Committee on Social Issues (Parliament of NSW, 2000) the Department of Community Services funded the Post Adoption Resource Centre (PARC) to produce and distribute a post-adoption resource and training kit for counsellors with a particular focus for counsellors in regional NSW.

In 2005, the Benevolent Society published Adoption in NSW: An Information and Resource Kit for Counsellors and Practitioners in Regional NSW’ (Young, 2005). This guide to adoption in NSW includes information on the relevant legal framework and a comprehensive overview of the issues facing all parties in an adoption. The Benevolent Society also published Intermediary Services in Post Adoption Reunion; A Resource and Training Guide for Counsellors Assisting in Family Reunion (Armstrong, Ormerod, & Young, 2005), which includes structured models for formal mediation and sample letters to parties sent to facilitate the mediation. This booklet is available for sale from the Benevolent Society. Both of these resources are currently being reviewed and updated to reflect the recent changes in adoption legislation in NSW (Henegan, personal communication, 7 January 2013).

170VANISH guides

Currently VANISH hosts an informative website that has recently been updated. It includes access to a Support Group Facilitator’s Handbook and a Search Information Guide. The Support Group Facilitator’s Handbook is a comprehensive manual on setting up and running support groups and includes comprehensive good practice guidelines along with forms such as a “Support Group Facilitator’s Agreement” form, VANISH’s Code of Conduct, and a feedback and complaints policy form. It also provides advice on issues regarding privacy, self-care, debriefing and conflict of interest.

171Selecting and Working With a Therapist Skilled in Adoption

The Selecting and Working With a Therapist Skilled in Adoption Guide was published in July 2012 by the Child Welfare Information Gateway. The guide outlines the various therapeutic approaches, such as individual psychotherapy and trauma-informed therapy, and continues to explain the types of treatment settings available. However, the guide is an American publication so the usefulness of some of the advice, such as how to find and work with a therapist, is limited. Furthermore, it is focused on accessing therapeutic support for current adoptions rather than past adoptions, but it can still provide some context for people seeking advice on selecting a therapist.

Attachment M: Terms of reference—National Committee of Post-Adoption Service Providers

Terms of reference

National Committee of Post-Adoption Service Providers

Background

Following an informal meeting of representatives from post-adoption service providers prior to the 2008 National Adoption Conference in Sydney and it was identified that there was an ongoing need for an annual meeting to involve the government and non-government service providers involved in the delivery of post-adoption services.

The first official meeting occurred in Adelaide in September 2009 and it was agreed during the 2010 meeting in Brisbane that, a National Committee is needed in order to support the meeting to continue annually. Draft terms of reference for the group which were to be discussed and confirmed during the 2011 National Meeting of Post Adoption Service Providers held in Sydney are described below.

Purpose of the national meeting

To provide an opportunity for service providers in the field of post adoption services across Australia to meet to discuss and analyse:

service delivery challenges and solutions;

practice wisdom and innovations;

the current context of post-adoption service delivery across the government and non-government sector in Australia;

the future of post-adoption service delivery;

to foster and enhance relationships across state and territory, and the government and non-government post-adoption service delivery sector; and

to identify and collate shared service delivery trends, risks and challenges for consideration on the National Agenda and to inform the development of future policy and programs.

Purpose of the National Committee of Post-Adoption Service Providers

To be the contact point for each state to distribute information about the national meetings and to provide assistance to the hosting-state to co-ordinate the meetings if required.

To facilitate the exchange of information and to progress agreed priority actions following the national meetings.

To act as a reference group of representatives from direct service delivery providers in the area of post adoption who will co-ordinate the exchange of information regarding contemporary practice and research developments.

To raise the profile of the service delivery area of post adoption with local, state and federal authorities in order to mobilise additional resources, research and services and to enhance practice and policy development to meet emerging trends and service delivery demands.

To further consider the establishment of national minimum best practice standards in post-adoption service delivery.

Outcomes

Enhanced national awareness within the post-adoption service delivery sector of the challenges, solutions and practice innovations across the sector of post-adoption service delivery.

Enhancement of relationships between government and non-government post-adoption workers and volunteers.

Identification and collation of service delivery trends, risks and challenges which may inform the development of future policy and programs, both at state and national levels.

Membership

Each state and territory authority responsible for administering government post-adoption service provision is required to nominate a representative for the committee.

Non-government services funded by state or territory governments to provide post-adoption services & non-government services (including volunteer agencies) whose governance establishes the provision of specific post-adoption services within their organisation; can also nominate a representative from each of their organisations.

1^ For more information refer to the Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, .

2^ There were some peer support groups identified in the web search that appeared to no longer be active. In these cases the telephone number was disconnected or no longer attributed to the group. These groups were not included in the list.

3^ All quotations from participants have been deidentified for the purposes of this report.

4^ See .

5^ For example, one participant described how mothers were subjected to internal body examinations by groups of medical students, without consent.

6^ Some of the specific concerns raised by stakeholders included: attempts to increase the number of babies “available for adoption” in some jurisdictions; the assumption that “open” adoptions solves all the problems for adoptees; the difficulties in maintaining or enforcing contact with birth families, and the reality that contact diminishes extensively over time; the lack of need for adoption where permanent care orders can provide the stability that children/young people need. In summary, stakeholders felt that there was a strong pro-adoption lobby, and the focus was often about “ownership” of the child, not what is in children’s best interests.

7^ Consistent with the research on PTSD, many stakeholders described how people affected by forced adoption—particularly mothers who experienced traumatising events prior to and around the time of the birth and separation from their babies—can easily experience psychological distress and be returned to a state of high anxiety, psychological arousal or even psychosis (i.e., “re-traumatisation”) when insensitive service delivery exposes them to words, images or situations that take them back psychologically to the original trauma events. A key element of any service delivery is for training in how to be aware of this potential, and manage it effectively. See:

8^ The form filling for BDMs in each jurisdiction, for separate time periods—as well as the need to verify their identity with each jurisdiction—was seen as an onerous administrative burden on affected individuals attempting to search for family, let alone the costs.

9^ For example, the Australian Psychological Society provides a summary of the nature of the evidence relating to psychological interventions for mental disorders:

10^ ARMS in South Australian and Western Australia is known as the Association Representing Mothers Separated from their children by adoption.

11^ In Victoria, ARMS is known as the Association for Relinquishing Mothers.

12^ There were conflicting perspectives from adopted persons who participated in the AIFS National Study regarding the appropriateness of receiving their adoption information in a group setting. Some found it useful to have others in the room going through a similar experience, while others found it to be a traumatic experience and the lack of privacy availed to them was considered to be insensitive and careless.

13^ Not-for-profit organisations such as Catholic Care and Connections UnitingCare offer information services for people seeking their adoption records. Both these agencies are involved in providing foster homes and permanent care placements for children, including adoption, which can present a barrier to access for some affected by past adoptions who are currently seeking support.

14^ Some stakeholders were aware of the detailed training package developed by VANISH with funding from the Victorian Government. However, a small minority of stakeholders were highly critical, apparently based on their philosophical divergence from VANISH over matters such as the role of adoptive parents.

15^ See:

16^ For evidence regarding research utilisation, see:

17^ Implementation might be considered the next step after KTE—implementation science is a newly emerging field of research into what helps or hinders successful integration of knowledge about “what works” into practice and policy.

18^ Implementation science is the carrying out of a plan for implementing evidence-based interventions in policy and program delivery—the “how” rather than the “what”. For more information see .

19^ At one workshop, a single participant expressed a very strong view against funds being used for a website, as this was seen as unnecessary and wasteful. But others attending the same workshop didn’t share that view.