Welcome to the May 2016 edition of the St Andrew`s Children`s

Reflections
Reflec
14
Newsletter of the St Andrew’s Children’s Society
May 2016
Welcome to the May 2016 edition of the
St Andrew’s Children’s Society newsletter,
Reflections14.
We say a fond farewell to Sue du Porto, retiring after 23 years
with the Society.
In this issue…
Events Diary p2
Meeting The Princess Royal p2
Calling all SafeBase™ Graduates! p2
We are calling all SafeBase families for a get-together on 22nd June.
Loretta McKechnie obituary
p3
The Top Ten Tips for Christmas proved popular - so here are
tips for the summer holidays.
Four Nations Partnership p4
What’s in a name? p5
Our Chair makes an appeal for new Trustees and also launches
our survey into the name of the Society – have your say.
Top 10 Holiday Tips p6
Sue du Porto
A Q & A interview
p7
Our Director reports on the Four Nations Partnership and he
pays tribute to a very special lady.
Trustees Appeal - We need you! p8
STOP PRESS: Award of £40,500 pa for three years from the Scottish
Government Early Intervention Fund from April 2016. This is to
enable us to develop our services.
www.standrews-children.org.uk
info@standrews-children.org.uk
7 John’s Place, Edinburgh EH6 7EL
St Andrew’s Children’s Society
West Lodge, Greenwell Road, Aberdeen AB12 3AX
T: 0131 454 3370
Scottish Charity No. SC005754
T: 01224 878158
Events Diary
April-May
Parent and Toddler Theraplay® Group – Aberdeen
Please contact your social worker if you would like to attend.
Wed 11 May, 9am-4pm
Lifestory Work Training
For more info call the office on 0131 454 3370.
Sat 14 May
Adoption Activity Day
16-29 May Foster Care Fortnight
Tue 31 May, 5.30-7pm
News
Lunch with
The Princess Royal
On 2nd December last year, we were guests of the
Royal Caledonian Ball Trust at a lunchtime
reception in the presence of Her Royal Highness
The Princess Royal.
Sunshine Girls Group
Photo credit: © Chris Watt www.chriswatt.com
June (date tbc)
Single Adopters Support Group
Sat 4 June, 10am
Dads Group – Bo’ness Fire Station Tour
Meeting in conjunction with Scottish Adoption, Barnardo’s, East
Lothian Council & Adoption UK.
Wed 8 June, 7.30-9.30pm
Male Adopters Group
Mon 13 June
Adoption Exchange Day – Musselburgh
Tue 14 June, 7-9pm
Adopters Support Group
Tue 28 June, 5.30-7pm
Sunshine Girls Group
Sat 2 July, 10-11.30am
Dads Group
Meeting in conjunction with Scottish Adoption, Barnardos, East
Lothian Council & Adoption UK. Details tbc.
Rita Grant, Adoption Services Manager, Nuala
McLusky, one of our SafeBase parents and Dan
Docwra, Fundraiser were among 150 guests from
Scottish charities supported by the Royal
Caledonian Ball Trust, of which Princess Anne is
patron, over the past year. The Society’s SafeBase
project has been a beneficiary on two occasions.
July (date tbc)
Storytelling Session – Edinburgh
Photo credit: © Chris Watt www.chriswatt.com
August
Preparation Groups – Edinburgh
Thu 4 August
Sunshine Girls Group Summer Outing
Sat 6 August
Dads Group
Meeting in conjunction with Scottish Adoption, Barnardos, East
Lothian Council & Adoption UK. Details tbc.
Tue 27 September, 5.30-7pm
Sunshine Girls Group
October
Parent and Toddler Theraplay® Group – Edinburgh
Please contact your social worker if you would like to attend.
Sat 1 October
Dads Group
Meeting in conjunction with Scottish Adoption, Barnardos, East
Lothian Council & Adoption UK. Details tbc.
Tue 4 October, 7-9pm
Adopters Support Group
2 Reflections14
www.standrews-children.org.uk
Visit our website or find us on Facebook (search
SACS Adopt), for all our latest news.
Loretta McKechnie: Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother,
Foster Carer and Friend to so many.
Born 11th May 1946 Died 18th March 2016
It is with great sadness, following
Loretta’s recent death, that I
would like to formally recognise
the immense contribution Loretta
McKechnie has made to the
lives of so many children over
the 24 years of her foster care
career.
She and Ronnie started their
fostering career with Lothian Regional Council in
1988 and following local government reorganisation
continued with Midlothian Council in the 1990s. They
transferred to the Society in 2000 where they cared
for 7 young people on our behalf. They showed
particular skill in caring for adolescents. Ronnie was
the organiser and excelled at the practical and
Loretta had a warmth and intuition about feelings
and emotions that meant that she could connect with
young people.
I have the utmost respect for the work she has done
to improve the life chances of the over 30 children
she and Ronnie cared for. Loretta had a remarkable
rapport with the young people that came into her
home and enjoyed the challenges as well as the
rewards that these young people presented.
I worked with Loretta and Ronnie, as their Liaison
Social Worker for most of their career apart for the
period of about 5 years when I left Midlothian Council
for the Society. I have always enjoyed a close,
professional working relationship with them and over
the years I believe developed a friendship based on
the mutual goal of giving children who have not
enjoyed happy family lives the chance to experience
a safe and supportive family environment for as long
as they needed it.
She was always a strong advocate for the children in
her care and this made her sometimes a formidable
person to deal with. My view is that she always
listened to others but was determined that what she
felt was best for a child should be the goal to
achieve.
There were at least at least 5 previously fostered
young people at her funeral on 4th April 2016 and I
spoke to one man, now in his late 30s, who said that
he would miss knowing that Loretta was on the end
of a phone if he really needed to talk through a
problem he was facing.
Loretta was all about family and she shared a special
closeness with all her children, grandchildren and
great grandchildren who were daily visitors to her
home. She had many health challenges through
much of her adult life and she faced them with
courage and determination with Ronnie by her side
every step of the way during their 52 year marriage.
She will be sadly missed by everyone whose life she
touched but will be fondly remembered for her
listening ear, compassion and humour.
Stephen Small, director & friend
Calling SafeBase Graduates
from 2011 to 2015!
For all of the parents who attended SafeBase
over the past five years – we are having a call
back day on Wednesday 22nd June 2016, from
10am to 2.30pm (coffee and registration from
9.30am).
The day will give you the opportunity to see
faces familiar and new, and to revisit some of the
SafeBase material with a Theraplay™ emphasis.
We also plan to have an input from a narrative
storytelling expert, which will be both enjoyable
and informative.
It would be great to see as many of you who can
make it. Please can you let us know if you can
come by 13th May, so that we can cater for
refreshments and lunch.
Rita, Marie, Angie, Sylvia and Ruth.
Reflections14 3
Four Nations Partnership Research & Collaboration
2013–2016
The study, ‘A Child’s Journey to Permanence through Adoption Across the Four UK
Nations’, emerged from Four Nations Partnership.
This close working partnership of four voluntary
adoption agencies consists of the St Andrew’s
Children’s Society in Scotland, CCS Adoption in
England, St David’s Children Society in Wales, and
Family Care Society in Northern Ireland. Funding from
the Department for Education in England was
received to commission the research.
The aim of the research was to analyse the
characteristics of children placed by four voluntary
adoption agencies across the four UK nations linked to
the timeliness of permanency outcomes. The
Consortium for Voluntary Adoption Agencies, (CVAA),
viewed the collaboration of the four agencies as a
learning opportunity and proposed the research.
Characteristics of children placed by nation (averages)
Sample Average
CCS Adoption
St David’s Children
Society
St Andrew’s
Children’s Society
Family Care
England
Wales
Scotland
N Ireland
No. of children
30
44
25
9
108
Age on entry to care
1 yr 10 mths
1 yr 5 mths
6 mths
1 yr 10 mths
1 yr 4 mths
2 yrs 2 mths
10 mths
1 yr 2 mths
11 mths
1 yr 10 mths 2 wks 1 yr 6 mths*
2 yrs 2 wks
1 yr 8 mths
3 yrs 4 mths
2 yrs
3 yrs 10 mths 2 wks 3 yrs
64
36
48
52
55
45
55
45
86.5
9
88
12
89
11
88
10
Av. length of time from:
Entry into care and 7 mths 2 wks
adoption decision
Entry into care and 1 yr 6 mths
start of placement
Av. age of child on
3 yrs 4 mths
placement with adopters
Gender of child placed %
M
F
46
54
Ethnicity of child
placed %
White British 90
Non-White British 10
*NB: 8 children were direct placements.
4 Reflections14
Data about all the 108 children placed for adoption
by the four agencies between 1st April 2013 and
31st March 2014 was compared in terms of age,
ethnicity, sibling status, complexity of needs, against
the time taken to reach different stages within the care
and adoption process. The main finding were as
follows:
• The sample of children from the Society was just
under a quarter of the total in the sample.
• The Society placed children who were, on average,
10 months younger on entry to care than anywhere
else in the UK.
• The length of time from entry into care to a decision
being made that the child should be adopted was
a month less than the UK average and was only
beaten in timeliness by England where there has
been a national focus on cutting timescales.
• Perhaps most surprisingly, children in Scotland
were placed with adopters a whole year sooner
than the UK average and the quickest of all the
nations. This may somewhat be explained by the
widespread practice of placing children with
adopters before a permanency order has been
made which does not happen routinely in any other
legal jurisdiction in the UK.
• Again, the length of time between entry into care
and placements with the Society were 2 months
quicker than the UK average and the same as in
England with its more proscriptive timescales.
It is true to say that this is a relatively small sample of
children placed by only four voluntary agencies and so
is unlikely to be an accurate representation of the UK
picture as a whole. However, I think it is helpful for us in
Scotland to look at a snapshot of our permanency and
adoption placement practices and compare it with
other legal jurisdictions. Perhaps our system is not as
inadequate as we often believe it to be?
It is also worth noting that what came out of the
research across the four nations was a sense that it is
timeliness of social work decision making and practice
that is the main driver to achieve speedy permanency
plans for children and not how ‘tight’ we try to make our
legal decision making.
What’s in a name?
St Andrew’s Children’s Society Ltd is a well-known name loved by those of us who
have benefitted from its services and by our dedicated staff.
However, for those who do not know of us, and who
are interested in finding out more about adoption
and fostering, it may not always be obvious from our
name that these services are the focus of our work.
Nowadays, most people go to the internet to find
information on the topics in which they are
interested, and we are not always easily found in an
internet search for adoption and fostering services.
The Trustees, therefore, would like to hear from as
many people as possible of their thoughts on the
subject of changing our name to make it easier for
other people to find us.
with your name and contact information plus what
your connection is with us, e.g. adoptee, adopter,
foster carer, relative of any of these people, etc.
We are starting a survey on Facebook to get some
idea of the opinions of our followers, but we are
aware that not all our supporters use Facebook. If
you would like to give us your thoughts, please
phone, write or email us with your ideas, together
Phone: 0131 454 3370
If you want an idea of what early responses are,
here is a couple of suggestions: SACSadopt,
St Andrew’s Adoption & Fostering.
We would love to hear from you, so please
get in touch with your suggestions:
Email: ddocwra@gmail.com
Find us on Facebook: SACS Adoption
Reflections14 5
Sunshine Girls Group
The Sunshine Girls Group is made up of funny, happy
and energetic girls aged seven to ten years old.
Constance, Lorna and Sarah really enjoy seeing
them every month during term time for a mixture of
fun activities. In the group we have enjoyed many
crafty projects, including creating a wishing tree,
stone painting, pebble creature building and making
fairy keyrings. The girls also enjoy some fun games
and a bit of calming meditation at the end. We are
planning our summer outing which will be in August.
The girls keep the workers on their toes and it is
always noisy but great fun when the girls are here. If
your daughter would like to join our group then
please get in touch with your social worker.
Please see the Events Diary for the dates of the
group and the summer outing.
(left) The Wishing Tree; (right) Some of the delightful
painted pebbles.
Top Ten Tips for anxiety-free and stress-free holidays
repare, prepare, prepare! Preparation is key
P
and needs to start as soon as possible after the
holiday is booked. Show photos of where you are
going and give as much detail about the place as
you can.
Talk before Talk about what you are all going to
do once you arrive there. For example, say how you
are all going to have fun in the pool, or you are all
going to enjoy playing at the campsite.
alk about after Talk bout what you are all going
T
to do once you get home. Your child may still
believe they are not living with you forever so it’s
vital to reinforce this message. Plan an activity for a
few days after you get home and talk about it
before you go and whilst you are on holiday.
lying!? If you are flying talk about the journey to
F
the airport, check-in, boarding, on the plane,
explain that the luggage doesn’t stay with us but
goes elsewhere on the plane to be collected at the
other end, talk about the cabin crew, that seatbelts
that must be worn.
Food High on the anxiety list for many children is
food – wondering when, what or even if they will get
fed. We are talking about breakfast, what we will do
for lunch, where we might eat out in the evening.
6 Reflections14
Packing Pack familiar things that remind them of
home. In addition to a favourite toy, books and
colouring book, pack a favourite pillowcase so that
they has familiar smells around them.
Clothes Pack clothes together. Mix your clothes
and your child’s clothes together in the cases, so
they know you are all going away together.
Paperwork Ensure you have all the necessary
paperwork. If you are pre-adoption order, ensure
you have all necessary paperwork and ensure your
child goes through passport control with the parent
who has the paperwork in their bag!
Stick to routine Ok, you’re on holiday so routine
is going to change slightly and children will be
going to bed a lot later. Nevertheless, try to stick to
a routine as much as possible – aim for meals at
roughly the same time each day, same time for
bedtime, and limit the amount of activities you do!
Relax You’re on holiday, you’re allowed to. If
you’re not relaxed, children will pick up on this. So
relax as much as you can, have a great time
wherever you go.
Sue du Porto
The 31st March was not just the end of another month for
the Society, it was also the day that we said an ‘official’
fond farewell to Sue du Porto, as she embarked on yet
another expedition into the unknown – retirement!
Happily, it was only a week later that colleagues were able to join Sue at
Duddingston’s Sheep Heid Inn for an hour of skittles and a wonderful
dinner to celebrate with Sue.
I then met up with Sue for a very pleasant Q & A lunch.
When did you join St Andrew’s Children’s
Society?
I joined in 1993, following a year out from social
work, when I attended an art foundation course at
Leith School of Art. Before that I worked at Deaf
Action for two years.
My post at the Society was to develop the respite
care scheme, which provided weekend breaks for
adopted children.
What brought you to Edinburgh?
I arrived in Edinburgh in 1977 as a Community
Service Volunteer at Garvald Centre, living and
working with young adults with learning disabilities. My contract was for four months, but I ended up
staying for nine years, working both residentially
and in daycare.
Before that I worked in a children’s home in Watford for
two years. At the time Hertfordshire Council had been
recruiting in the Netherlands for residential social
workers. My English mum helped with the application.
Was your father Dutch?
Yes, I was brought up in the Netherlands. My father,
who was a pilot with the RAF during the war, met my
mum in a milk bar in Grantham. My mum’s claim to
fame was that she was in the same class as Maggie
Thatcher during primary school! (I tend to keep this
fairly quiet normally)
When did you become a Social Worker?
After Garvald, I attended the Certificate of
Qualification in Social Work (CQSW) at Moray House. My first job after qualifying was in a generic social
work team in Airdrie. Although I really enjoyed the
work, the daily commute proved too much and after
two years I decided to look for work nearer home.
Have you seen many changes?
After 22 years there have been many changes,
mostly positive. These range from the introduction
of computers and not having to handwrite Form Fs,
to changes in attitudes including the acceptance
that adoptive families should have access to
ongoing support and training. Having read many
files from the 1940/50/60s in adoption counselling, I
have been struck by some of the judgemental
attitudes prevalent in those days towards young
pregnant women.
Do you have any specific memories of your
work at The Society?
Two very memorable experiences come to mind.
The first was an unmarried mother who had decided
to place her child for adoption. After the birth, the
strong attachment of the mother to her new child
brought about a change of mind. I felt privileged to
be closely involved with that mother and child,
giving the support that was necessary to ensure the
best possible outcome of that decision.
Then a couple of years ago, I facilitated a reunion
between an adult adoptee and her birth mother. Both
had been in contact independently with the Society
for many years, before finally taking the next big step
of meeting up and finding out how much they had in
common. The initial meeting was very emotional,
lasting well over three hours and I felt privileged being
part of it in a small way.
These memories are of course in addition to all the
other special moments too numerous to mention,
when children have found their adoptive families.
We wish Sue well for a long and happy retirement.
What was the Society like in 1993?
Much smaller! I joined Denise Burgess, Stephen
Small, Shona Easton and Thelma Dewar, working at
the Gillis Centre.
Reflections14 7
Trustee’s Appeal: We need you!
The Society’s Trustees come from a wide range of backgrounds, and that is what
gives it strength. However, this strength needs regular reinforcement.
Most adopters and their families are aware of the huge
contribution our social workers make to the success
we have in building new families and also some idea
of how important our administrative staff are in support
of our work of adoption and fostering. Far fewer people
realise that we have a dedicated Board of Trustees
who have the responsibility of running the Society in
accordance with company law, and adoption and
fostering law.
At present we have eight Trustees with a variety of
backgrounds and skills:
3 adopters, 2 lawyers, 1 accountant, 2 teachers, 3
people with social work experience, 3 people with
commercial experience.
As you can see, many Trustees have one or more hats!
Trustees need to act solely in the interests of the charity,
be financially prudent and able to contribute to
strategic planning for the future. In recent years, the
Trustees have overseen the opening up of adoption to
couples of the same sex, the addition of an Aberdeen
office and the introduction of the SafeBase programme
for supporting adoptive and foster families.
Who knows what new challenges and
opportunities our Board of Trustees will rise to in
the future?
A Trustee’s story
Would you like to be involved?
We are particularly looking for Trustees with
financial expertise, knowledge of internet
business opportunities, and people who have
been adopted. There is an induction programme
to help new Trustees learn of their responsibilities,
with existing members providing support too. A
past Trustee wrote:
The time I spent with the Society was most
enjoyable and I found my co-board members
truly special individuals. I also have nothing but
praise and admiration for Stephen and the staff
team of their dedication and commitment to the
children and families referred to the Society.
If you are not able to help, especially if still receiving
support from us, is there anyone in your circle of
family and friends who might be able to join us and
enable more children to find a happy and secure
home? If so, please contact Claire McMahon, our
Office Manager, with your details, who will pass the
information to me. I look forward to hearing from you.
Maureen McEvoy, chair of the board of trustees
I was appointed a Trustee in late 2014, shortly after
early retirement. I had enjoyed a long career as a
quantity surveyor. For the previous five years I had
owned and run a company providing specialist
services to the petrochemicals industry.
After retiring I asked the Society if there were any little
tasks I could help with now that I had some time
available. I was surprised at the mention of becoming
a Trustee. However, I was delighted to become
involved in this way
My connection with the Society goes back to the late
1980s when my wife and I asked to be considered as
adopters. At that time it was great to meet others who
were going through the same process, as well as
getting to know some of the social workers.
In my professional career I used to enjoy contributing
to the successful outcome of construction projects.
Now as a Trustee of the Society I am hopefully making
some contribution in new but similar ways. This has
included being a member of a small
working group resulting in a change
to a specific aspect of the Society’s
working procedures.
Brian O’Callahan, trustee
We adopted a sibling group of three little girls. The
Society were fantastic in helping us through this
tremendous change in our lives. Our daughters are
now adults, and we have five grandchildren.
www.standrews-children.org.uk
info@standrews-children.org.uk
7 John’s Place, Edinburgh EH6 7EL
St Andrew’s Children’s Society
West Lodge, Greenwell Road, Aberdeen AB12 3AX
T: 0131 454 3370
Scottish Charity No. SC005754
T: 01224 878158