Supporting direct contact after adoption

Supporting direct contact after adoption draws on the experiences of 51 adoptive parents, four long-term foster carers and 39 birth relatives, all of whom were involved in agency supported direct post-adoption contact arrangements. Individuals’ experiences of the challenges and benefits involved in having direct contact are described. Four different models of contact support are identified and these models are discussed in terms of both their relative costs and how they can be matched to the differing needs of adoptive and birth families. Implications for practice are offered. Supporting direct contact after adoption will be of particular interest to social workers and support workers in child and family teams, adoption and post-adoption support teams, legal professionals, child mental health professionals, adoption researchers and students.