Barnardos to help more adoptees

Barnardos revealed this week that it had expanded its post adoption services and said that the new development will allow the agency to reach more adopted children and young people across Ireland. It will also allow the organisation to be available to both internationally and domestically adopted children and teenagers, including those adopted from foster care.

Barnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly said: “This new expansion has allowed Barnardos to open new post adoption centres in Cork and in Galway as well as expanding our existing Dublin centre.

“We are very happy to see the needs of these children acknowledged by Tusla and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and we thank Minister Zappone for officially launching the service. I am thrilled to see more adopted children and teenagers in Ireland getting support through individual or group therapeutic work, new staff have been recruited with backgrounds in child psychotherapy, play therapy and social work, and they are ready to start meeting the children.”

Barnardos Post Adoption Service supports more than 150 adopted children every year through individual and group interventions. Support and training is provided to adoptive parents to help them raise children who have had significant early trauma in their lives.

The new centre was possible because of increased funding from Tusla.

Tusla CEO Pat Smyth said: “Tusla is dedicated to the safety and wellbeing of children and families across Ireland. We are committed to providing permanency to all children who require the care of the state and recognise that children need lifelong connections, and supports to foster those relationships, in order to be given the best opportunity to grown up happy, safe and connected to the world around them. Today marks another step in that commitment to ensure children post adoption, still receive robust support to ensure that those essential relationships are strengthened and our commitment to support parents and children is steadfast.”