An adoption support charity in Bristol has secured £300,000 of government funding with the help of Business Doctor Richard Tidswell.
The Centre for Adoption Support and Education has secured the funding it needed to continue and increase their valuable work in promoting attachment, long after the children have been placed. This is done via workshops, courses, activities and social events. Now, with the grant from the department of education, the centre has increased access to therapeutic services.
Richard has become a trustee to the charity on a voluntary basis, and now chairs the group to help establish the site as a regional Centre of Excellence. Richard said: “This is a charity close to my heart as I was adopted at birth. I’ve experienced first hand, the impact a loving family can make.
I was happy to play a small part in assisting the board in setting out the long-term strategy for the centre and securing the funding to make it happen. The team at CCS and the centre do amazing work and their utter dedication makes such a difference to the lives of adopted families.”
The funding will help in three areas: complex assessment of families and therapeutic interventions, mediation with birth families to assist with a child’s life story work and further development of the early permanence projects; placing children with adoptive families while court cases are ongoing.
Emma Simpson, centre manager at the site said: “We are delighted to get the funding, which means we can more quickly assess families’ needs and get them the help they need.
We will be able to provide therapy more widely, which can help address issues such as abuse, neglect and trauma in early childhood. This then helps children to better form attachments with family members and friends.”
Find out more about Richard here.