After Approval (once a child/ren joins your family)
Here you will find details about the highly recommended workshops on offer after you have been approved as an adopter, a match has been identified and the child/ren joins your family. Access to some of these courses* are via the Adoption Support and Special Guardianship Fund and need to be discussed with your assigned social worker or the Adoption Support Team.
To book a place on any of our unfunded workshops, please speak to your assigned social worker or contact us on AdoptionEvents@adoptioneastmidlands.nottscc.gov.uk for more information about availability and specific venue locations.
Welcome to AEM Adoption Support - Essential learning
An opportunity to meet with staff from Adoption Support as well as other families from the region in a similar position. Support is available from our experienced team and this session will take you through what this could look like, when you may want to access it and how to stay in touch with us, so you know where to come when the need arises.
| Dates (*subject to change) | Venue | Time |
| Tuesday 8 July 2025 | Virtually delivered via Microsoft Teams | 11am-1pm |
| Thursday 16 October 2025 | Virtually delivered via Microsoft Teams | 11am-1pm |
Life Story work - Essential learning
This workshop will aim to support you with: ideas and tools to be able to talk to your child about their story; ways to communicate openly and honestly about your child’s history, taking into consideration their age and level of development; recognising how your own life experiences may affect you doing this work; feeling more confident in using the life story work material available to you, the timing of telling your child about their other family in a comfortable way; and meeting other adopters and talking to them about life story work.
| 2024 | Venue | Time |
| Thursday 9 October 2025 (TBC) | In person (TBC) | All 9.30am-12.30pm |
AEM Collaboration with CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service)
AEM Adoption Support have joined up with Nottinghamshire CAMHS Children Looked After and Adoption Team to offer workshops aimed at supporting adoptive parents to revisit the impact of developmental trauma on their child and their emotional wellbeing. These workshops aim to support parents with thinking about their concerns in relation to their child’s current presentation using a trauma informed approach.
Workshop 1 is around developmental trauma and emotional wellbeing. This is to allow adopters the opportunity to revisit their understanding of developmental trauma and getting them to think about their child’s early life experiences, in utero and pre-adoption, asking them to consider these through a trauma lens when thinking about their child's behaviours and emotional needs.
Workshop 2 is an introduction into the overlap between neuro development and developmental trauma. This workshop will explore the overlap between developmental trauma and two neuro-developmental disorders (Autism Spectrum Disorder/Condition and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
Workshop 3 focuses on understanding self-harming behaviours and how to support a child. This workshop is aimed at demystifying some of the myths around self-harm and to explore what is meant by self-harm, the reasons a child may feel the need to harm themselves, and how this harm may present. We also hope to explore alternate ways to manage thoughts and feelings that may reduce the child’s self-harm to support their wellbeing but also looking at adopters' own wellbeing.
| Dates (*subject to change) | Venue | Time |
| Workshop One - Friday 11 July 2025 | In person (TBC) | Three sessions, for 3 hours each, 10am-1pm |
| Workshop Two - Friday 19 September 2025 | ||
| Workshop Three - Friday 5 December 2025 |
Education workshops
Our education workshops are tailored for adoptive parents to help support their child's educational needs. They are designed to create a collaborative space for adopters to receive important information relating to the educational needs of their children. Our aim for all participants is to leave our workshops feeling that they have acquired the skills and knowledge needed to support their children as they progress through their education journey.
| Building communication and relationships in school | ||
| Dates (*subject to change) | Venue | Time |
| TBC | Virtually delivered via Microsoft Teams | 9.30am-1pm |
| Introduction to SEND | ||
| Dates (*subject to change) | Venue | Time |
| TBC | Virtually delivered via Microsoft Teams | 9.30am-12pm |
| Transitions in primary school | ||
| Dates (*subject to change) | Venue | Time |
| TBC | Virtually delivered via Microsoft Teams | 9.30am-12pm |
| Transitions in secondary school | ||
| Dates (*subject to change) | Venue | Time |
| TBC | Virtually delivered via Microsoft Teams | All 9.30am-12pm |
***The following courses will require an application to the Adoption Support and Special Guardianship Fund to fund attendance***
Making connections
Therapeutic sessions designed to support you grow in connection, and relationship to your child/ren with a focus on developmental trauma and how to support your child through relational healing. It is open to all adoptive parents whatever age and stage of your child/ren. This will be done through connections: with your child’s world; to therapeutic parenting in practical ways; to yourself and your own needs as a parent; and building community with other parents who have a shared understanding. There are seven sessions in total (with breaks for school holidays and a break between sessions six and seven to allow time for reflection before the final session).
| Dates (*subject to change) | Venue | Time |
| Starting on Tuesday 23 September 2025 | Microsoft Teams/in person TBC | Seven sessions of 3 hours each. Four online(9.30am) and three in person (10am) |
Theraplay® course
Theraplay® is an attachment based intervention and is relational in nature. It supports children and parents to develop a deeper connection and attachment through play. It can promote a healthy sense of self for young people and allows children and young people to explore their emotions in a safe and contained enviroment.
This course will be a five day interactive course which will be led by a Theraplay® practitioner. This will focus on the four essential qualities found in healthy parent-child relationships. These include structure, engagement, nurture and challenge.
| Dates (*subject to change) | Venue | Time |
| Starting on Friday 26 September 2025 (for 5 weeks) | In person TBC | Five sessions of 4.5 hours each, 9.45am-2.15pm |
Parent and Child Sensory group
This group is an inclusive and supportive group where you can share, learn and support others but most importantly have fun with your child! You and your child will attend five in-person sessions, each designed to provide valuable insights about the role of sensory play and regulation, your child's sensory systems, and the importance of early motor development.
| Session Dates (*subject to change) | Venue | Time |
| TBC | In person - Mansfield Woodhouse | There will be two sessions, held within school hours. |
Dependant on the needs and age of your child, you'll be placed in one of the two groups.
Therapeutic Crisis Intervention
The TCI training program for families is a 4-day modular parenting programme designed by Cornell University. It gives parents the practical skills, knowledge, and techniques to enable them to support their child with their emotional and behavioural development using a therapeutic parenting approach.
| Dates (*subject to change) | Venue | Time |
| July 2025 | Online, delivered via Zoom | Four days of 5 hours each plus one day (5 hours) follow up session |