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The Organisation, Mission and Values
Adoption Today
- About 3000 children are adopted each year in the UK.
- PAC supported 1,850 individuals and families affected by adoption in 2004.
- One in four people in the UK knows someone with a link to the adoption process.
The Organisation
- The Post-Adoption Centre (PAC) was founded in 1986 in response to changes in institutional and social attitudes to adoption. Legislation permitting adopted adults to trace their birth parents acted as a catalyst for greater societal and professional awareness about the life-long grief, trauma and guilt experienced by all parties in the adoption process. It provides counselling and therapeutic support to all parties in the adoption process - namely birth mothers, adopted children and adoptive parents - and to professionals working with them.
- PAC has pioneered post-adoption services in England and contributed to the establishment of other post-adoption agencies.
- PAC is a leader in its field and has advised Government on legislation and other social policy measures concerning adoption.
- PAC’s seventeen professional staff consists of full and part-time employed and freelance counsellors, therapists and social workers. It also employs seven administrative staff and manages volunteer and trainee counsellors.
- PAC has a mixed funding stream, which includes grants from Trusts, Foundations and Government programmes, individual donations and fees from contracts.
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Vision
To be a centre of excellence in the provision of psychotherapeutic services to adopted adults, adopted children and their families and counselling to birth parents.
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Mission and Methods
- PAC provides comprehensive, life-long advice, information and counselling service to anyone involved in adoption and therapeutic services to adopted children and adoptive parents.
- PAC offers help through its Telephone Adviceline, and the Contact and Mediation, Child and Family, and Training Teams.
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Special Concern for Disadvantaged Groups
PAC provides services for all people regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation or religion. Within this frame of reference PAC is especially concerned that its services are accessible and available to black and minority ethnic adopted children and adoptive families.
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Why PAC is unique
- PAC was the first organisation of its type in the UK.
- PAC continues to develop services in response to new needs and to innovate.
- Contact and Mediation Team provides mediation between adoptive and birth parents and, through the use of a Child Advocate, represents the wishes and feelings of the child about contact. This remains a unique service.
- PAC is the only agency in the UK to provide an ethnically sensitive therapeutic service to black and minority ethnic children and families.
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