Conference: Far, Far Beyond the Adoption Order: Lessons from Lives Impacted by Trauma

This month, professionals joined The Potato Group for our first-ever conference.

Far, Far Beyond the Adoption Order: The Potato Group Conference

Far, Far Beyond the Adoption Order: Lessons from Lives Impacted by Trauma was an in-person event held at the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre, with attendees invited from the full spectrum of professional groups who come into contact with adoptive families.

Hosted by conference chair, Jim Clifford OBE, distinguished speakers included Professor Julie Selwyn CBE, Professor of Adoption at Oxford University, and lead author of the seminal research paper Beyond the Adoption Order, from which our event took its name, Sarah Johal MBE, National Strategic Lead for Adoption (England), Suzanne Griffiths, Director of the National Adoption Service for Wales, and the President of the Family Division of The High Court, Sir Andrew McFarlane.

Attendees were presented with the results of two extensive research projects: one qualitative and one quantitative, carried out within The Potato Group over the past year. A total of 438 members (70% of our total membership at the time of participation) took part in the research, which provided a detailed look at our families' lives, the many challenges they face, and the complex interactions they encounter with statutory and non-statutory services.

A series of films was commissioned for the conference.

Alongside the presentation of our research, the lived experiences of Potato Group families were represented both in person and through a series of films commissioned for the event. The conference featured stimulating exchanges in the form of panel discussions and Q&A sessions.

The conference was the vision of Potato’s chair, in part to celebrate the group’s tenth anniversary, although it took place in Potato’s eleventh year due to the challenges of organising such a large event by a group of volunteers.

The event received extremely positive feedback from both delegates and speakers, representing a renewed opportunity for dialogue between leading authorities in family law, adoption, and academia, professionals working within adoption, and adoptive families.

Far Far Beyond the Adoption Order was hosted in partnership with The Belay Foundation, and was supported with funding from Adoption England and the Centre for Social Work Practice Legacy Fund. We would like to thank our partners, and additional sponsors Rock Pool, National Organisation for FASD, Ridley & Hall, Cornerstone, The Child Psychology Service, Siemens Energy, Cam Planning, and Apple Binding.