Virtual meet ups and webinars Member Meet-ups: Chat, support, share frustrations and find a friendly face We will be holding at least two UK wide member meet-ups per week - all free as part of your membership to AUK. For now we have included below the first two weeks of meet ups, which can be joined simply by clicking on the links below. If you have any problems please get in touch via: [email protected] Please note that the name you register with for each event below will appear on screen next to your video image, so if you don't want your full name shown please register using a pseudonym. Links to register for an event/webinar can only be viewed if logged in as a member. When logged in you will be able to click on the button below of the event/webinar to register. Login now to view booking links Tuesday 26th May - UK-wide Adoption UK members' meet-up at 11am: Click here to register Wednesday 27th May - Adoption UK meet-up for all prospective adopters - UK-wide at 11.30am: Click here to register Monday 1st June May - UK-wide Adoption UK members' meet-up at 8.30pm: Click here to register Tuesday 2nd June - Adoption UK meet-up for all prospective adopters - UK-wide at 11am: Click here to register Expert voices - A series of webinars from specialists in the adoption sector We have lined up a number of fantastic speakers who will be hosting truly inspiring and supportive free webinars for our members to enjoy. Below are the details of the webinars coming up in the next few weeks and further details will be sent to you in due course. To register for a place on any of these webinars simply click the links and if you have any problems then please contact the membership team. Tuesday 26th May at 8pm Suzanne Gould - Parenting from a distance Click here to register Suzanne is a single adopter of a now 22-year old whom she adopted when he was 6 years old. He has learning difficulties and so was considered hard to place. The last 16 years have been a roller coaster of highs and lows but they're still riding and things are less scary as time goes on. Hang on in there! Wednesday 27th May at 10am Rachel Swanick from Chroma - Interactive Music, Art and Drama event for the whole family Click here to register Rachel is from Chroma; they help people to realise their potential through creativity. This interactive webinar is aimed at over 7-year olds.The events encourage communication and well-being, with four ten-minute activities: • Music • Art • Drama • Guided Meditation The resources you'll want to have to hand for this session: • Music – a homemade shaker (rice or dried beans or lego blocks in a bottle), or hand held musical instrument • Art – paper or notebook and colouring materials • Drama – paper and colouring materials • Guided Meditation – a comfy blanket and pillow Find out more about Chroma's work here: https://wearechroma.com/education/ Thursday 28th May at 11am Ruth Scotten - Contact in adoption and how it can work Click here to register Ruth is a single adopter of two children; as a parent already and a social worker she thought she knew what to expect when adopting but she had no idea she would be adopting a whole new (birth) family along with her children! Or that her children’s first family would be the source of so much support... Thursday 28th May at 8pm Becky Brooks - What home education is really like Click here to register Thinking about Home Education?Despite the challenges involved in remaining socially distant during the Covid-19 pandemic, some families have found that their children are thriving at home without the anxiety and stress that school can bring. If you have ever wondered what it might be like to home educate your child long term, Adoption UK’s Education Policy Advisor, Becky Brooks – a former teacher and home educating parent of two adopted children – will talk you through the highs and lows of life without school. Friday 29th May at 1.30pm (please note change to time from 11am) Ally Hunter - Be More Human Click here to register We’ve got all the strength, skills and resilience we need already - we've just forgotten how to tune in to it or where to find it. In this webinar we’ll learn easy-to-understand ideas about what makes us tick and how we can use this to navigate these tricky times! There’ll be practical takeaways, a few giggles and plenty to think about.Ally is a Social Entrepreneur working with a big heart, huge ideas and with massive ambition to develop person centred solutions to the pressing issues of our time. He has spent 20+ years working in senior roles within Young People's services, not-for-profit sector, education, local government, behaviour change & social policy, organisational development and change management in Scotland and Australia.He is a devoted dad to Emma, Hollie, Logan Fyfe, and Logan. He’s an avid bike rider, goalkeeper coach, gin drinker and day dreamer! Monday 1st June at 11am Helen Oakwater - Future-proofing your adoptive family Click here to register Helen Oakwater is an adoptive parent, coach, trainer, speaker and author who adopted a sibling group in the early 90s. She has held various roles in the adoption field including membership of Government Task Force, two LA adoption panels, Adoption UK Local Coordinator and Trustee.She is a Coach, NLP Trainer, IEMT Practitioner, and mBIT Master Coach and has published two books: Bubble Wrapped Children: How social media is transforming the face of 21st century adoption (in 2012), and Want to Adopt: How to prepare yourself to parent a child from the care system (in 2019).She can be found on Twitter, YouTube and at www.FABparents.co.uk where there are free resources, articles, conference presentations and online trainings.Helen's webinar will link a number of concepts to enable you to see what may be over the horizon. Comprehend what is happening inside your child, below their presenting behaviour, illustrating the reasons you may need to rethink your approach and actions.Whether you are an experienced adopter or just thinking about adoption, there will be useful information, models, tools and practical strategies for you and your children including:• trauma overview• strategies for thinking long term and dot joining• how you can change your responses and why that’s so important• learnings from 10 years of contact via Facebook with birth family and why it has changed everything• importance of evidenced truth telling• value of stepping into other people’s shoes Tuesday 2nd June at 8pm Sheila Mulvenney - Promoting recovery and building resilience Click here to register Having spent years working with children, young people and adults, initially as a nurse and health visitor, and then as a teacher in a variety of settings, Sheila developed a passion for inclusion. Working as head of Virtual School for Children in care in a number of authorities she saw that many teachers and other professionals needed support in meeting the complex needs of vulnerable children.Following the publication of her book ‘Overcoming Barriers to Learning’ she set up her own training company and now spends most of her time delivering training on attachment, trauma, emotion coaching, behaviour regulation and more to school staff, parents and carers, social workers and other professionals.You can see the services she offers at www.attunededucation.comSheila also trains in phonics and in personal development; her second book ‘Make it Magnificent’ is designed to help people identify their limiting beliefs and harmful mindsets and she runs workshops, coaching sessions uses to social media to support people in developing their potential and living happy fulfilled lives. Wednesday 3rd June at 11am Becky Brooks - Transition back to school Click here to register Adoption UK’s Education Policy Advisor, Becky Brooks – a former teacher and home educating parent of two adopted children – hosts a webinar on transition back to school after lockdown covering questions including:Why are transitions particularly challenging for care-experienced children?Why are these Covid-19 related transitions even more challenging than normal transitions?What might care-experienced children have been experiencing during lockdown? (based on our survey results)How can parents/schools work together to support children to prepare for the transition? Thursday 4th June at 10am Roy Peachey - Education at home and at school for adopted children Click here to register Roy Peachey is a teacher, home educator, author, and father to two adopted children. He is Director of Curriculum Development at a secondary school in London and has written two books about education, one about literature, and a novel about the Chinese Labour Corps in World War I. His first novel for children, featuring both Eric Liddell and a contemporary adoptive family, will be published early next year. He has also written about education and other topics for a number of national publications including the Telegraph, the TES, Standpoint, UnHerd, and Adoption Today. Please note there is no Chroma webinar w/c 1st June as Rachel is taking a well-earned break! She will be back with her usual mix of music, art and drama on Wednesday 10th June.