Adoption East Midlands newsletter June 2026

Looking for a free summer adventure for your young person? The adventure day offers thrilling, age-specific adventures funded by the Nottinghamshire holiday activities and food programme (HAF).

• Tuesday, 28 July, 9am to 3.30pm for ages 14 to 18.
• Wednesday, 29 July, 9am to 3.30pm for ages 10 to 13.

Young people can enjoy outdoor challenges, team games and exciting activities designed to build confidence and create unforgettable memories, all in a fully accessible environment where everyone is welcome. Spaces are limited, and we’ll review all applications carefully.

Looking for creative summer activities for your young person?

Young people aged between 10 to18 can join our exciting mixed arts group on Monday, 3 and Tuesday, 4 August, running 10am to 3pm. Participants will explore music, drama, dance and visual arts in a supportive setting. Day two gives young people the opportunity to develop and showcase their own creative ideas.

Attend both days for the full creative experience and a chance to build confidence, friendships and skills for all. Spaces are limited, and we’ll review all applications carefully.

We are pleased to offer a two-night summer residential from Monday, 24 August to Tuesday, 25 August.

This years’ experience will take a fresh approach, with a strong focus on youth voice and participation. Young people will have the opportunity to work together to share their experiences, have meaningful discussions and help create future resources to support others.

It promises to be a rewarding and empowering opportunity, building confidence, connection and a sense of belonging in a supportive environment. Spaces are limited. and we’ll review all residential applications carefully, offering places to those for whom the experience is suited to.

We're excited to advertise our first Nottinghamshire Peers 4 Peers community group starting on Saturday, 27 June, running from 11am to 1pm.

This friendly, supportive space is open to all of our adopters and their families, offering opportunities to connect and build networks with others. Everyone is welcome!

Come along, meet new people, and be part of a growing, supportive community. To get the venue details and to let us know you're coming, please complete this short form and we'll send you the details.

Join our upcoming online co-production group on Wednesday, 17 June at 09:30 to 11am, exploring neurodiversity in adoption.

Designed for adoptive parents, this session brings together lived experience and specialist knowledge to develop practical, realistic strategies.

Connect with other families, hear from guests, and contribute to help shape better support. Whether you’re early in your journey or more experienced, your voice is valued.

A huge thank you to everyone who's engaged with and supported our campaign so far. We’re thrilled that young people enjoyed our creative writing workshops and love seeing the brilliant stories and poems submitted - well done!

Thank you also to Rebecca, Cherry, and Dan for their social media support, alongside Jay, our resident author, and Luke, our illustrator, for bringing the project to life. We’re now excited for the next stage as we create our 'Book of Belonging' and are looking forward to hearing selected readings from young people at the Nottingham Poetry Festival on Sunday, 14 June – see you there!

We’ve got a great uptake of families signing up for our popular Peers 4 Peers picnics so far.

These events will offer a relaxed opportunity for families to connect, share experiences, and build supportive networks. This year we will also have face painting and activities for the children to enjoy at both events!

We’re pleased to confirm that the Nottinghamshire picnic will take place on Saturday, 12 September and our Derbyshire picnic on Saturday, 11 July.

Here at AEM we’re always working to improve our inclusivity and understanding for all families in adoption.

This Pride month, we’re keen to hear from LGBTQIA+ adopters about your experiences throughout the adoption process, from the first website click, to our people, forms and processes right through to the support available as an LGBTQIA+ adoptive family.

Please take a few minutes to complete this short questionnaire, your views matter to us and will help to shape services.