5 more minutes

I want five more minutes of your time.

I want you to ask you complete the following survey on Continual Professional Development for child and family Social Workers in relation to Permenance (Adoption, Long term Fostering, SGOs, kinship care and children who return home). Its looking to gather the views of families touched by the above. It doesn't ask all the questions I'd ask and some of the questions seem a little off point. However, there's some stuff that's relevant for many. 

I don't work for Mott MacDonald or have any vested interest but it is in my interests as an adoptive dad to fill this in. 

Every day I see comments on Twitter and Facebook that reflect on the skills of Social Workers, not all good and not all bad. I know where the gaps are and you don't have to look far in my blog to see where I've highlighted them.

I still wake in the night screaming with astonishment at the day we taught our support SW attachment theory. That was a long time ago.

We adopters often have to raise our voices and I'm asking you to give five more minutes. I can't promise the outcome but it's worth a try. If we can move the conversation 1% in the right direction then that's worth it. 

The survey is here

2016 Child on Parent Violence Survey - The Impact on Parents

This week we're releasing the second report generated from the Child on Parent Violence Survey 2016. To be honest like a lot of research it often confirms what we already know and with this one focusing on the impact of living with Child on Parent Violence on parents, carers, guardians, foster carers and family members there are few surprises. But to say that is an injustice, many experience #CPV and the impacts can be insidious, enduring and destructive.

Dr Wendy Thorley has written up the data and produced the report. It can be downloaded here -

'CPV Exploratory Exercise- The Impact on Parents'

In our lives CPV precipitated me leaving work and a chain of events that leads me to where I am, that's a condensed version of events but only now can I reflect on the impact of that time. I'm blessed with a fairly robust psyche and can take some punishment, or so I thought. I didn't realise that there was a knot in my stomach every day 'til it had gone. I didn't realise that I lay barely asleep each night waiting for the sounds that would indicate that the fight was about to start 'til I had a nights respite and slept soundly. The ripples are lifelong, relationships are severed and physical and mental health is impacted.

CPV remains a taboo, with multiple, complex and nuanced reasons fuelling it solutions are not easy to find. However, even though solutions are not easy to come by even in discussing it in the open we are able to shine a light that will bring relief to many.

Read the report and share if you can. Share with your Social Worker and let's continue to push to raise awareness and to seek out affective and appropriate support and intervention.  

Again, thank you for participating.