Adoption East Midlands newsletter May 2025

We have lots of young people’s events happening over the summer, including a day on a canal boat for 8- to 16-year-olds, adventure activity days and winter sports days.

We also have summer residential opportunities for 10- to 17-year-olds. There will be an assessment process to determine who is eligible to attend. Please see our Hub events page for further information.

In addition to this, we are excited to be starting a new participation group for 11- to 13-year-olds. For further information please contact Allison Lindley at Allison.Lindley@adoptioneastmidlands.nottscc.gov.uk or Aimee Sharpe at Aimee.sharpe@adoptioneastmidlands.nottscc.gov.uk.

Spaces are available on our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) workshop three taking place on Friday, 16 May 2025 at 10am.

This workshop covers the topic of understanding self-harming behaviours and how you can support your child. The aims of the workshop are to demystify some of the myths around self-harm and explore:

• what is meant by self-harm
• the reasons why your child may feel the need to harm themselves
• how this harm may present
• ways to manage their thoughts and feelings
• ways to support your and your child’s wellbeing

Please get in touch with us at the link below for more information and to book on.

Our Theraplay® course is a five day in-person interactive course led by a Theraplay practitioner.

The course supports children and parents to develop a deeper connection and will focus on the four essential qualities found in healthy parent-child relationships including structure, engagement, nurture and challenge.

The next cohort starts on Friday 6 June. For further information and to book onto the course please get in touch.

We have had a busy start to the year in our recruitment team and have been out in the community busting myths and chatting to people interested in adoption.

One of our busiest events was Nottingham Light Night weekend where we were at the St Nic’s and St Mary’s churches in Nottingham.

We are starting to get excited looking ahead at the upcoming events over summer and have lots of community events to look forward to. This includes Pride festivals, Nottingham County Show on 10 May, Chatsworth Country Show, 29 to 31 August and The Big 1 on 1 June. Why not come and say hello? We’d love to see some of your lovely faces there!

To find out more about our upcoming events, please see our events page on our website or give us a follow on Facebook.

Our Peers4Peers team would like to invite you to their next exciting coffee morning event on Thursday, 8 May 2025! This will be a great opportunity for adoptive families to network and meet members of our Peers4Peers team.

To register to attend, please complete the booking form using the link below. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the Peers4Peers team at peers4peers@adoptioneastmidlands.nottscc.gov.uk.

The Complex Trauma Co-Production group have created a comprehensive guide titled ‘Peer Reflections on School Residentials’.

This document offers valuable insights and practical tips to help families and schools support children during school trips. It addresses common challenges such as separation anxiety, sensory needs and food preferences, providing strategies to ensure a positive and enriching experience.

The guide emphasises the importance of preparation and collaboration between parents and teachers to create memorable and stress-free residentials.