Welcome to the Certificate in Understanding the Impact of Adoption Course.
The Albany Centre has designed and produced this national training programme for anybody working with or affected by adoption or special guardianship orders.
This course will enable you to develop your skills and knowledge to support all those affected by adoption and special guardianship orders at every stage of the process.
Closed captions are available for all videos.
Information is subject to change, and this course is reviewed for updates once a year. Please note the following:
This course was originally designed with Barnardo’s.
Click the "Materials" tab above for details of other recommended materials.
Below is a list of recommended books and movies that complement this course. Please note, links are provided allowing you to purchase these items, but you are not obligated in any way to do this. Likewise, if you choose to purchase any items you are not obligated to purchase them at the online store the link has directed you to.
| Type | Link | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Link | Lion | The story of an Indian boy who was adopted away from India and his journey to find his birth family. | |
| Link | Oranges and Sunshine | The true story of a Nottingham Social Worker who uncovered the mass exporting of children to Australia and Canada and her work to reunite the adult children with their birth families. | |
| Link | Philomena | The true story of a mother trying to trace her son. | |
| Link | Rabbit-proof Fence | Based on the shameful history in Australia where aborigine children were taken by force from their families and tribes to camps and taught to be servants. | |
| Link | The Magdelene Sisters | A broader focus on the Irish Laundries / mother and baby institutions. | |
| Link | The Secret Scripture | An elderly woman being moved out of a psychiatric hospital and her “journal”. |
| Type | Link | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Link | A Baby Moves in with Leroy and Patsy | |
| Link | A History of Adoption in England and Wales (1850-1961) | |
| Link | Adoption Conversations | |
| Link | Adoption Matters: Philosophical and Feminist Essays | |
| Link | Adoption Therapy: Perspectives from Clients and Clinicians on Processing and Healing Post-Adoption Issues | |
| Link | Cross-Cultural Adoption: How to Answer Questions from Family, Friends and Community | |
| Link | Innovative Therapeutic Life Story Work: Developing Trauma-Informed Practice for Working with Children, Adolescents and Young Adults | |
| Link | Inside I'm Hurting: Practical Strategies for Supporting Children with Attachment Difficulties in Schools | |
| Link | Life Story Books for Adopted and Fostered Children, Second Edition: A Family Friendly Approach | |
| Link | My Name Is Why by Lemn Sissay | |
| Link | No Matter What (The Adoption Process from the perspective of adoptive parents) | |
| Link | Rose's Difficult Mother's Day | |
| Link | Sam's Foster Family | |
| Link | Sophie and Tom's Adoption Day | |
| Link | Ten Top Tips for Managing Contact | |
| Link | The A-Z of Therapeutic Parenting: Strategies and Solutions | |
| Link | The Quick Guide to Therapeutic Parenting: A Visual Introduction | |
| Link | The Unofficial Guide to Adoptive Parenting: The Small Stuff, The Big Stuff and The Stuff In Between | |
| Link | The Whole Life Adoption Book: Realistic Advice for Building a Healthy Adoptive Family | |
| Link | Therapeutic Parenting Essentials: Moving from Trauma to Trust | |
| Link | Understanding Looked After Children: An Introduction to Psychology for Foster Care | |
| Link | What Every Parent Needs To Know: Love, nurture and play with your child | |
| Link | When Daisy Met Tommy: The story of a little girl and her adopted brother | |
| Link | Why Love Matters: How affection shapes a baby's brain |