Lifelong Links news

Lifelong Links for adopted young people

In collaboration with Adoption England, Family Rights Group is exploring how Lifelong Links could benefit adopted young people who are living with their adopted family.

Consultation

Over the last few months, we have consulted those with lived experience of adoption, including young people and members of birth and adoptive families, and identified elements of the Lifelong Links approach that will need additional consideration in this context. The legal framework is complex, and our legal advisers have devoted significant time to considering the possible challenges and implications of offering Lifelong Links to adopted young people. Our ongoing discussions with young people, families and practitioners have confirmed how important it is that this work is approached with care and understanding about the ways in which the work will differentiate from Lifelong Links with young people in the care system. This initial consultation phase has provided ample insight and clarity, while being extremely positive about the potential for Lifelong Links to support adopted young people to safely connect with, or learn more about, members of their birth family and others who cared about them. We are grateful for the time and energy of those who have participated so far, as they have enabled us to understand the knowledge and skills that practitioners will need and the processes that will need to be navigated.

Collaboration

Work is underway in collaboration with Regional Adoption Agencies and Lifelong Links services to hone and implement the offer. Practitioners in Coventry, North East Lincolnshire, Hertfordshire and Tower Hamlets have worked alongside us to refine our ideas. A trial phase began in September 2024, which aims to see 10 adopted young people receive Lifelong Links within a year. This work will be independently evaluated by the University of Sussex and will inform our practice guidance and recommendations when offering Lifelong Links to adopted young people. We know from our discussions that many services are keen to explore this area of work. We look forward to sharing our findings and practice guidance once published.

National Lottery Community Fund: children and young people in children’s homes

In 2023, Family Rights Group successfully applied to the Big Lottery’s Reaching Communities fund. The funding will help support the expansion of Lifelong Links, with a particular focus on increasing the number of children and young people in living in children’s homes who are able to benefit from the approach.

Work is now underway that involves the following:

• Engaging with existing Lifelong Links services to expand their current referral criteria to include children and young people in residential care. Some of these children live within the local authority area and some outside the local authority area.
• Supporting local authorities without Lifelong Links services to implement and sustain one by providing consultancy and training at no cost.
• Developing bespoke practice guidance for Lifelong Links with children and young people living in children’s homes within or outside of the local authority boundaries.
• Collaborating with the University of Sussex to conduct an independent evaluation.

Over the next three years, our aim is to support services to offer Lifelong Links to over 100 children and young people up to the age of 18 who are living within residential children’s homes within or outside of the local authority boundaries.

Lifelong Links: London

Lifelong Links: London is a London focused project supported by a renowned musician and producer. His generous support will allow Family Rights Group to work with a number of local authorities in London to implement Lifelong Links and make it available to all care leavers in their local authority. We hope that this movement spreads. We want all care leavers in London to have the opportunity to connect with family, friends and others who are important to them, as well as to find out more about their personal history and identity.

Family Rights Group will work closely with the Care Leaver Covenant and the Care Leaver Compact to add an additional element to the work. The Care Leaver Covenant is a national charity which helps support care leavers to live independently, providing employment and training opportunities and help on issues ranging from mental and physical health, to financial.

The Pan London Care Leavers Compact provides a framework for developing consistency, breadth and quality in the support offered to London’s care leavers. Their key delivery partners include the London Children in Care Council, Partnership for Young London, and the Greater London Authority (GLA).