Supporting Birth Families and Contact in Adoption: New Research for Practice.

The 2010 Annual Conference of The Centre for Research on the Child and Family, University of East Anglia will report the findings of two major studies funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families as part of their Adoption Research Initiative. The Helping Birth Families study looks at the provision of independent support for birth relatives, and the Supporting Contact study examines the role of agencies in helping families maintain face-to-face contact. The British Association for Adoption and Fostering are publishing both studies, and the conference will include the launch of the Helping Birth Families book. The main speakers will be members of the research team and the event will include pre-recorded contributions from birth relatives, and a contribution from an adoptive parent.