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It's a Piece of Cake
Adoption UK’s acclaimed parenting programme has been improving the lives of adoptive and foster families for nearly ten years. This unique six-day programme for adopters and long-term foster carers provides a fresh approach to parenting hurt children, helping to minimise family distress, placement disruption and breakdown. The programme is designed for parents and carers who have had a child in placement for at least one year.
Parents taking part in 'It's a Piece of Cake?' will:
- Develop their understanding and expertise in dealing with attachment issues and the effects of early trauma
- Explore their own expectations
- Share new and creative parenting strategies
A major evaluation of 'It's a Piece of Cake?' revealed that it led to better communication between children and parents, improvements in dealing with children’s behaviour and much lower levels of stress in the family home.
Adoptive parents said:
“It changed everything … it gave me the ability to stop trying to change the child and to change the way I approached the situation.”
“I understand where they are coming from a lot more - stopped comparing them with friends’ children.”
“It has enabled us to carry on. The adoption may have broken down without it.”
Programme modules
Module 1 – Expectations, Realities and Loss
The expectations of everyone involved in the adoption process, the reality of living with a hurt child and the issue of loss for parents and children.
Module 2 – Attachment
How healthy and unhealthy attachments develop, the legacy of dysfunctional attachment and how this affects daily life for adoptive and foster families.
Module 3 – Claiming and Belonging
How parents can enhance the special relationship with their child and help them develop a sense of belonging.
Module 4 – Trauma and Adaptive Behaviour
Developing an understanding of the ongoing effects of trauma and how the child's behaviour is a survival mechanism.
Module 5 – Rewiring
Creating parenting strategies to help the child achieve better relationships.
Module 6 – The Last Piece of Cake
Managing anger and the importance of self-care for parents. This allows parents to reflect on the issues covered by the course and think about what they need in the future.
Delivery
Each programme is delivered to a maximum of 14 participants by Adoption UK’s experienced trainers, all of whom are adoptive parents, giving them a unique perspective into living with hurt children. They come from a variety of professional backgrounds and all have completed Adoption UK’s ‘Training for Trainers’ programme.
Contact us for more information about 'It's a Piece of Cake?'
Find out more…
View our training event listings for details of Cake programmes taking place in 2012.
Watch a short film about It's a Piece of Cake?
Download a journal article about the 2005 evaluation of the programme:
Read a Special Featue about how Cake changes lives