Author: Joanne Alper, CEO 
Author title: Adoptionplus, UK
Description: Sadly, a large percentage of children in the UK who need adoptive/foster/kinship families have experienced intra-family abuse and trauma. This relational trauma is complex and extremely difficult for children who have experienced it. Being hurt by the very people who are supposed to protect and care for them has a profound impact on how they see themselves and how they view others around them. Even babies placed with new families straight from hospital may have experienced harm whilst in the womb. All of these experiences impact children and mean those parenting them have to think differently about how they parent. Providing children with consistent safe nurturing relationships can provide multiple benefits for young people throughout their life; however this is not straightforward and often requires support. 

---