SWAN

South West Adoption Network

Advice
Counselling
Groups
Workshops

for everyone involved in adoption.

Our phone lines are open :

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
10 am - 12 noon, 1:30 - 3: 30 pm
also
Monday evening : 6 - 8 pm

Tel : 0845 6012459

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Who Can SWAN Help?

- Adopted adults and their families.

- Adopted young people and children.

- Birth parents and other relatives of someone who has been adopted.

- Adoptive parents and other relatives by adoption.

Many people in our area will be able to use our services free of charge.
At present Bristol, Gloucestershire and Swindon local authorities are
subscribing to SWAN and many others in the South West region are
expected to join. It is therefore worth checking with us or your local
authority to see if they have become subscribers.

Even if you do not qualify for a free service please contact us and we
will try to negotiate for our fees to be paid so that you can receive
the help you need from SWAN. Do let us know what help you need.

SWAN aims to offer a service based on equality for all regardless of
age, disability, gender, race, religion or sexuality.

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Why Might You Need Us?

Adoption is a life-long experience for everyone involved. It can mean
different things at different times.

Over the years, many things have changed - adopted people now have
access to their birth records; older children and children with
disabilities, as well as healthy babies, now join ne families by
adoption; attitudes to transracial adoption have moved. more changes
will come in the next few years with new adoption legislation.

So you may welcome help and advice from SWAN if:

- You had a child who was adopted and you want to talk about how this
has affected your life and what this may involve in future.

- You were adopted and want to talk about this, or have some questions
answered.

- You adopted a child or children and want to work out the part that
adoption plays in your life.

- You would like some guidance about talking with your children about
adoption.

- The children and parents in your family are of different races and
cultures and you would like to talk about the questions or issues that
arise.

- Your family relationships have been changed by adoption: perhaps by a
step-parent adoption, or as the result of your brother or sister having
been adopted.

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What Can SWAN Offer You?

Confidential and prompt response to your enquiry. You do not need to be
referred by anyone - just contact us.

Counselling on the telephone or face to face.

Family work and links to specialists who understand the adoption
dimensions of your life.

Supported Searching events.

Intermediary services to assist in renewing contacts and to offer
support to everyone involved.

A place for meetings and contact visits.

Opportunities to meet informally with other people who have similar
experiences of adoption.

Groups which meet regularly for aperiod to deal with specific issues.

Aditionally, specific advice and counselling will, where possible, be
made availabel to meet the needs of Black adopters, Black adopted
people, Black birth parents and people involved in transracial adoption.

Workshop days focusing on special issues, e.g. tracing birth parents,
talking about my child who was adopted, explaining adoption to our
growing children.

An understanding attitude from SWAN staff who will have time to listen
to you.

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Description

As SWAN is a new independent post adoption service for the South West
region of England. We are seeking our own central premises but will also
be offering 'surgery' type accomodation throughout the area.

We are grateful to Bristol, Swindon, and Gloucestershire local
authorities and Lloyds TSB for their financial support as wella s West
Midlands Post Adoption Service (WMPAS) for their guidance in setting up
a similar venture in this area.

As we are a rapidly growing organisation at an early stage of our
development, please feel free to contact us about our current situation
and the services we can offer.

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Launch

get details and enter here.

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Appeal

If SWAN is going to offer help to people who need it we will need your
help.

All donations, whether large or small, will be gratefully received.

For a yearly donation of £10 or more you can become a 'Friend of SWAN'
therby demonstrating your support for this service. In return you will
receive newsletters and information about events.

To become a friend of SWAN please contacts us.

SWAN is a company limited by guarantee, no: 3367627

SWAN is a registered charity, no: 1063282