PAC-UK is proud to support
National Adoption Week

16th to 22nd October 2017 

The advantages and challenges of placing adopted siblings together

An adopted adult speaks out about the complexity of his own placement in a sibling group. You can read Alex's story and the ensuing discussion about sibling placements by clicking on the blue button at the bottom of this article.

For Alex*, the maintenance of sibling relationships was invaluable. Born in 1983, he was placed with a foster care family with a view to being adopted. When it was discovered that his mother was pregnant with a second child, whom she was not healthy enough to look after, a decision was made to delay the adoption until his brother Carlo was born. Over the following eight years, his birth mother had another three children, all of whom except one were placed in open adoptions. A network was set up, with relationships between all the children and their adoptive families being carefully nurtured and maintained, until the children were old enough to so themselves.

“Each adoption is truly unique. It depends on both the circumstances of the adopting family, and the children. My parents opening their minds to an open adoption created a doorway towards a relationship with five siblings and five wonderful families,” said Alex. “To me, it was like having a wonderfully large extended family.”

*Please note some details have been changed to protect identities

National Adoption Week Appeal to develop PAC-UK’s essential Advice Line

”It’s not easy to pick up the phone to call the advice line. The sensitivity, understanding, warmth and insight I received from the person on the phone was invaluable.” PAC-UK Advice Line caller

We are continually humbled by the grateful feedback like this that we get from callers to our Advice Line. Many of our callers (adopted adults, birth parents, adopters and permanent carers) have felt isolated with their problem, often for years, and may not be aware of the support services available. It takes courage for people affected by adoption and permanent care to take the first step of opening up to a stranger.

PAC-UK’s Advice Line service is our ‘front door’. We warmly welcome callers from across the country – and abroad. Our experienced staff will respond to all queries, and refer on to further services as appropriate, whether inside the organisation or elsewhere. Last year we took 3,270 calls. We constantly need to fundraise to maintain our activities year on year and with your support we can continue to develop our Advice Line and reach out to more people.

We urgently need £10,000 to make improvements to our Advice Line. Please help;

£10 will enable an Advice Line counsellor to answer a short enquiry;

£25 will allow for a longer discussion leading to an onward referral for further support;

£45 will help a caller in crisis to tell their story and feel truly listened to and supported.   

You can also send a cheque made payable to 'PAC-UK' to our London office address.

Thank you for your support, it will make a big difference to someone’s life.

PAC-UK: A Comprehensive Adoption Support Service