CVAA UK

29/04/2026

There’s still time to book onto next week’s expert-led Practice Programme training session: From Contact to Connection: Navigating Culture Change in Adoption Practice
🗓 Thursday 7th May | ⏰ 10am–4pm
Co-delivered with Vicky Swift from Adoption England and Dr Beverley Barnett-Jones MBE FRSA h.c

Global research consistently shows that preserving links to a child’s birth history is highly positive. These connections are vital for adopted and care experienced people as they form their identity and transition to independence. Failing to maintain these links can cause identity struggles, unanswered questions about heritage and medical history, and emotional difficulties during major life events.

This expert-led session will give social workers and managers the tools to create effective, ongoing relationship plans that align with this new cultural standard.
👉 Find out more and book here: https://bit.ly/4t8qhwP

28/04/2026

CVAA Scotland – representing five VAAs (Barnardo's, Kibble Adoption, Scottish Adoption and Fostering, SACS Adoption - St Andrew's Children's Society & St Margaret's Adoption Society) - has published its 'Keeping the Promise for Adopted Children: CVAA Scotland Manifesto 2026'.
The manifesto sets out the sector’s shared priorities for reform and modernisation of adoption in Scotland, calling on the next Scottish Government to take urgent action to improve outcomes for adopted children, young people and adults, and their families.
The five priority areas for action are:
• Recognising the value of adoption
• Tackling delays for children awaiting permanence decisions
• Making high-quality, timely support available for all
• Supporting adopted children’s identity needs
• Acknowledging the lifelong impact of trauma.
Read the manifesto here:

We champion and support voluntary adoption agencies in their life-changing work by advocating for them in national forums and drawing on their vast experience of adoption to facilitate the sharing of best practice across the adoption system. We create space for professionals in the voluntary adoptio...

23/04/2026

CVAA UK has launched a new on‑demand training platform, providing a flexible and accessible way for professionals to undertake high‑quality learning at a time and pace that suits their workload.

Adding to our hugely popular Practice Programme, the new on‑demand training allows learners to access expert‑led content wherever they are, pause and return to sessions as needed, and revisit key learning points. This approach supports meaningful professional development without the need to attend live events, making training easier to balance alongside practice responsibilities.

We are excited that our first on‑demand course explores Blended Families: Parenting Birth and Adopted Children Together. The course is delivered by experienced sector expert Jan Way MBE and offers 2.5 hours of CPD through engaging, reflective learning.

Course pricing:
£59 for CVAA members
£69 for subscribers
£79 for non‑members

To mark the launch of the platform, an introductory 20% discount is available on the course price. Please use Discount Code: CUT20 which is valid until: 31 May 2026.

Further on‑demand courses will be added over time, covering a wide range of core practice topics. All courses are at affordable prices to support wider access across the sector.

You can access the platform here:

22/04/2026

Another day, another Outstanding Ofsted result 👏
Barnardo's Adoption North England has been rated Outstanding in all areas, with inspectors highlighting exceptional adopter experiences, strong parent-child relationships, and life-changing outcomes driven by consistent care and love. Strengths include therapeutic parenting support, effective work with birth families, robust safeguarding, and a child-centred approach that enhances children’s life chances through stable, nurturing placements.

This inspection report and recognition covers all five services below:
• Barnardo’s Adoption North England
• Barnardo’s Adoption Midlands & South West
• Barnardo’s Adoption London, East & South East
• Barnardo’s Making Connections
• Barnardo’s CAFIS
A fantastic achievement and well done to everyone involved!
You can read the full report here: https://bit.ly/4sKoe1L

21/04/2026

A huge congratulations to the entire team at ARC Adoption North East on their recent Ofsted inspection. An outstanding achievement made by all!

We are very happy to share that ARC Adoption North East has been awarded an ‘outstanding’ rating by Ofsted for the third consecutive time 👏!

The whole team is over the moon with the result and with feedback received from inspectors, which cited 'overwhelmingly positive experiences' of adopters, and an ‘incredible’ range of quality pre-and post-adoption support provided to families.

💭 ARC’s Director, Terry Fitzpatrick OBE shared:

“We are absolutely delighted to again achieve an Outstanding rating, and it is humbling to receive such wonderful comments from the inspectors. I am extremely proud of the team, and the result is testament to their dedication and ongoing hard work. We all feel privileged to work in the field of adoption and securing permanence for children. While adoption is not an easy route to parenthood, we believe in the difference it can make to children’s lives and to those people who wish to become parents, and are committed to supporting families in every way we can.”

If you’d like to read more, including the full Ofsted report, please head to the ARC website:

https://www.arcadoptionne.org.uk/news/adoption-agency-celebrates-third-outstanding-rating-from-ofsted-inspection

02/04/2026

CVAA UK has issued a statement in response to the recently published report on Historical Forced Adoption in England. Parents and adoptees have campaigned for a formal apology from the government for a long time and we fully support the findings and recommendations in this report from the Education Committee chaired by Helen Hayes MP.

We agree that an apology for the state’s role in forced adoption is not enough on its own so we are writing to the Prime Minister to ask that this is backed by funding for support and reform.

It is also essential that the shocking accounts contained in the report, which represent just a small percentage of those affected by forced adoption, inform how we as a sector also understand our role in this system and continue to lobby for change for all those affected by today.

You can read our full response here:

We champion and support voluntary adoption agencies in their life-changing work by advocating for them in national forums and drawing on their vast experience of adoption to facilitate the sharing of best practice across the adoption system. We create space for professionals in the voluntary adoptio...

26/03/2026

Don’t miss our next Short & Smart lunchtime session! ⏰
Holding the Rope: Effectively Supporting Trauma-Impacted Families Needing Respite

📅 Wednesday 16th April
🕛 12:00–1:00pm
💻 Online

Join us for this engaging 1-hour session, co-delivered by Libby McVeigh (CEO) and Helen Willis (Operations Manager) of the The Belay Foundation.
This session will explore why trauma-responsive respite is such a vital intervention for families of care-experienced children. You’ll gain practical insight into how to support families to identify, access, and implement specialist support that truly “holds the rope.”

👉 Secure your place here: https://bit.ly/4rXh0qH

12/03/2026

📣 Don’t miss our next expert-led training session!
Supporting Black and Brown Adopted Children in Education: Building Inclusion, Equity, and Confidence

🗓 Tuesday 24th March
⏰10am to 4pm
💻 Online

Co-delivered by Esher Williams, founder of Anti-Racism Hub, this interactive session is designed for and professionals working with and who want to strengthen their understanding of how best to support Black and Brown adopted children in education.
🔗 Interested? Book your place now: https://bit.ly/4rLN2Gd

12/03/2026

The CVAA UK Board and Team have had a fantastic and inspiring couple of days together in Bristol this week taking stock of our current strategy and priorities for VAAs in the adoption and permanence sector. We have come away with some great ideas and insights and we are looking forward to continuing our work with this amazing and committed group of colleagues over the year ahead.

23/02/2026

Excellent synopsis from Community Care on the recent ASGSF announcements and what they signal. We're pleased to share that our CEO Satwinder Sandhu has been quoted sharing CVAA's concerns about the overriding focus on early intervention:
"Our experience is that most adopted children, if not all, will require additional support at some point. As universal support is already established and effective across many regional and voluntary adoption agencies, it should not be the focal point of these reform efforts. What is currently missing is timely, effective and accessible high-level support when families need it most, as demonstrated by the growing evidence base from the adoption community itself" .

Important contributions too from Emily Frith at Adoption UK about proposals to devolve the Fund which would "create more inconsistency and reduce accountability" which echo concerns we also raised last year. We will be unpacking these themes more in our consultation response and encourage others to do so as well.

Government increases ASGSF budget for 2026-27 by 10% but fails to unwind reductions in funding limits for therapy

29/01/2026

🍴 Make your lunch hour work smarter this new year!
Work in and curious about —but not sure where to start?

There's still time to join our Short & Smart 1-hour session: Enhancing Adoption Practice with AI: Using Magic Notes
🗓 Thursday 5th February | 12:00–13:00

👤 Led by Emma Simpson, CEO of CCS Adoption, this practical session shows how her agency uses Magic Notes to:
✅Reduce admin
✅ Capture richer, better-quality information
✅ Improve meetings
✅ Free up more time for children, families, and staff
✨ Expect real examples, best-practice tips, and clear takeaways you can use straight away!

Interested? Don't delay, book using the link below now:
https://bit.ly/3LR9H4V