Some dos and don’ts Peer and informal supports Do know the limits of your service and be prepared to refer on. Do be open to change how you provide your services. discriminate based on an place within the Don’t individual’s “adoption circle”. Do develop internal standards for acceptable behaviour, particularly on social media. Do value diversity. Do have good governance, such as a formal constitution, membership forms requiring people to agree to standards of behaviour, and an external complaints process. Do clearly define the nature of the services and what service users can expect. Do provide resources and supports for leaders (such as training in managing trauma and dealing with conflict). Do actively network with other groups and agencies (for training, referrals and professional support). Summary Quality professional and informal supports: incorporate adoption-related supports into existing services (such as Family Support Program services, or Medicare-funded psychological services); provide options for both professional and peer supports; address trauma, loss, grief and identity issues; sensitively enquire about a adoption experience; person’s have formalised referral processes in place with adoption-specific service providers/professionals with experience in working therapeutically with those affected by forced adoption; have formal processes in place for service users to provide feedback and make complaints; and provide ongoing training opportunities for staff. Let us know what you think AIFS acknowledges that the real experts in this sector are those working the “on with clients, and that it is important that our resource sheets are relevant and ground” useful to service providers. We welcome any feedback you may have about what has been helpful, what you think we could do to improve this resource sheet, or anything else that might be useful. Please send feedback to: Email: <> Phone: Freecall 1800 352275
Some dos and don’ts Peer and informal supports Do know the limits of your service and be prepared to refer on. Do be open to change how you provide your services. Don’t discriminate based on an individual’s place within the “adoption circle”. Do develop internal standards for acceptable behaviour, particularly on social media. Do value diversity. Do have good governance, such as a formal constitution, membership forms requiring people to agree to standards of behaviour, and an external complaints process. Do clearly define the nature of the services and what service users can expect. Do provide resources and supports for leaders (such as training in managing trauma and dealing with conflict). Do actively network with other groups and agencies (for training, referrals and professional support). Summary Quality professional and informal supports: incorporate adoption-related supports into existing services (such as Family Support Program services, or Medicare-funded psychological services); provide options for both professional and peer supports; address trauma, loss, grief and identity issues; sensitively enquire about a person’s adoption experience; have formalised referral processes in place with adoption-specific service providers/professionals with experience in working therapeutically with those affected by forced adoption; have formal processes in place for service users to provide feedback and make complaints; and provide ongoing training opportunities for staff. Let us know what you think AIFS acknowledges that the real experts in this sector are those working “on the ground” with clients, and that it is important that our resource sheets are relevant and useful to service providers. We welcome any feedback you may have about what has been helpful, what you think we could do to improve this resource sheet, or anything else that might be useful. Please send feedback to: Email: <> Phone: Freecall 1800 352275
forced-adoption-good-practice-principles-resource-paper.docx