Supporting a Family After Adoption

It’s Been 5 Years Since Adoption, Now What?

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For many foster and adoptive families, working through past trauma goes beyond Adoption Day.  Often kids must work through trauma at each developmental stage as their processing and understanding abilities increase with age.  For some families, the effects of past trauma may not even surface until years after the adoption hearing, and it’s important to recognize that learning to work through trauma as a family and growing together as a family is a process.

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Supporting a Family Years After Adoption... As a support team member, recognize your role is crucial not only during the foster/adoptive process and shortly thereafter, but for the years following as a family develops. Review the Grief and Loss process and prayerfully consider what the child might be experiencing and need through each developmental stage. Take time to listen when adoptive parents need to process during a new developmental stage.  Arrange a time to get coffee and make yourself available to simply listen. Brainstorm with the parents how the group can better support the child and family in this new stage. Re-invigorate the support team!  (Read this support team newsletter for ways to keep your support team active and healthy) Talk about the possibility of re-attending a support group.  Offer to watch the kids for that evening. Gift parents with a weekend away to spend time together and recommit as a couple and as a family. Offer to watch the kids or fund their weekend getaway. (Some hotels will even give away free nights if you call and explain that it’s for an adoptive couple to get away). Have a fall house cleaning day or a painting party.

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​	Learn More Ways to Support A Family in "The Guide"