Let’s begin by acknowledging a fundamental truth: there are no bad children. Each child exhibits behaviours as a means of survival within their unique environment. In the case of foster or adopted children, many have endured profoundly traumatic pasts, resulting in complex behavioural issues. However, at their core, they are children who, like any other child, simply need to feel loved, safe, and valued.
In this week’s episode, Alison Knowles joins Dale to discuss ‘Parenting foster/adopted children’. We explore the specific challenges facing foster or adoption families including; transitions, attachment, the importance of establishing boundaries, and effectively dealing with challenging behaviours. Alison brings her wealth of expertise as an Emotional Therapist and real-life examples.
Each child’s journey is unique, therefore it’s crucial that no assumptions are made. Alison highlights that a lot of the focus is on the foster or adopted child, however, there needs to be more support for the parents. These families need extensive guidance and resources to navigate the complexities of their roles and empower these parents to enable them to provide the best possible care.
“You’ve got to try and find a way to reframe the fact that there isn’t that biological bond, but there’s a more powerful, beautiful one. This is quite magical; they found you.”
Alison Knowles
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About Alison Knowles
Ali is a practising emotional therapist, author of the Ollie and his Super Powers series of books, public speaker, NLP trainer and creator of the Ollie Model. Ali’s strength is the unique way she views the world and her instinctive ability to empower you or your child to find the solutions from within.
Contact Ali
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