Ready to become your adopting friend's absolute best supporter?
Introducing...
Grow in understanding - become empowered to support!
"I just had to say I’m SO happy and excited about this course. We brought two boys home last year and - wow! We have been desperate for resources we can share with friends and our church family. We have really benefited from all your resources so far!"
C, Adoptive mum of two
Hello, wonderful friend-of-adopters!
I know how hard it can be to parent adopted children.
I also know how hard it can be to sit on the sidelines, watching helplessly, as your adopting friend copes with HUGE challenges in their family life.
You want to:
* know more, but don't want to put your foot in it
* understand more, but aren't sure what to ask
* help more, but have no idea what would be welcome or appropriate
You don't have time to:
* read piles of books
* do hours of Internet research
...but you know you want to support your friend as they support a vulnerable child.
Friend, this is exactly why I put together Adoption Cheerleaders:
* To give you confidence when interacting with adopters and adoptees
* To give you a solid grounding in loss, trauma, attachment and so much more
* To give you practical ideas for how to support
* To spread good-quality adoption education further
...and all this without having to move from the comfort of your own home!
Here's what you get:
- 20 training videos, each under 10min (because we're all busy, right?)
- 5 bonus videos (for those more niche questions)
- Dedicated course platform & support email (it's nice to know where you are and who you can go to)
- Lifetime access (so you can take your time and return as many times as you need to)
The solid understanding of loss, trauma, birth family and attachment issues you'll develop on this course will enable you to chat to your adopter and their child with a relaxed ease, confident of not 'putting your foot in it'.
I'll teach you the basics of trauma-informed parenting, so you can become one of your adopter's trusted babysitting friends. Many adopters find occasional childcare a huge challenge so believe me, they'll be SO grateful!
With conversation starters littered throughout the course, you'll open up helpful communication with your adopter which will assure them of your support, and give them opportunities to ask for what they need.
By the time you've finished, you'll not only understand adoption better, but you'll become a proud advocate for your adopter and their child. We are stronger when we use our collective voice!
"I am so excited by this course. My cousin has just adopted; I'm going to be more of an auntie figure, so the timing of this course is perfect."
Steph, Adoptive auntie
What's inside?
1. Understanding adoption
- The adoption process
- The sad truth of adoption
- Understanding a child's life story
- Six things not to say to an adopter
2. Loss, Trauma and Attachment
- Overview of loss
- Overview of trauma
- Overview of attachment
- The four attachment styles
3. Parent the parent
- Preparing to come home
- Early weeks and months
- Beyond the first few months
4. Care for the child
- Funnelling and social media
- Trauma-informed parenting
- Consistency and routine
- Discipline
- Birth family relationships
Plus you get the following bonus videos:
- When you don't think they should be adopting
- A Biblical view of adoption
- Supporting your adopter's birth children
- Speaking to your kids about adoption
- Supporting a single adopter
Hi, I'm Lucy!
I've created Adoption Cheerleaders from my experience as an adoptive mum since 2015, and as an adoption writer since 2017 for websites like Home for Good and the Kitchen Table Project, as well as my own website The Hope-Filled Family. I also have a background in teaching at secondary and postgraduate level.
My husband Al and I parent a blended family of birth and adopted children; we have four kids aged 7-12. The six of us live in a noisy, often chaotic home in beautiful York, UK.
This course came about because I realised there was often a huge gap between what adopters needed and what their supporting friends and family understood with regards to adoption. I was concerned that many adopters were at risk of suffering social isolation, compassion fatigue, marital/relational breakdown, and declining mental health - but that it didn't have to be this way.
In order for us adopters to give our children the absolute best chance of healing from past trauma and succeeding in life, we need to have strong support networks of friends and family who 'get it'. Those who can be a shoulder to cry on, those who we don't have to explain everything to, those who'll take our kids out when we need some self-care time, or who will drop round a meal when we're at the end of ourselves.
Ultimately, caring for an adopter improves outcomes for their vulnerable child - and that is surely something we all want! THANK YOU for the role you play in supporting your adopter. I hope this course is a helpful resource as you seek to do that well, and can't wait for you to join us!
"As godparents to an adopted little one and references to friends who have just been approved for adoption, this course will be so helpful to us! We love championing our friends who are adopters, it’s such a challenging but vital route to parenthood - and we’re so grateful that we get to be a part of their journeys. We are SO excited about this new course."
Hannah and Rob, supportive friends of adopters
Can I buy this for my family and friends?
Yes! There are several different licence options for Adoption Cheerleaders:
- Single licence - perfect if you want to take the course yourself
- 3, 5 or 10-user licence - perfect if you want to buy this course as a gift for your friends and family
- Unlimited access licence - perfect if you're wanting to use Adoption Cheerleaders with a larger group or team
Adoption Cheerleaders is:
So who is Adoption Cheerleaders for?
- A grandparent, aunt, uncle or other family member to an adopted child
- A friend, work colleague or neighbour to an adopter
- A teacher, children's leader or youth leader with an adopted or fostered child in your care
- Wanting to be the best possible support to the adoptive family in your life!
"My husband and I are just about to start stage 2 of the adoption process; Adoption Cheerleaders will be great as we prepare our church, small group, family and friends for anything adoption related. I know our local authority will only offer two people a place on the support course so Adoption Cheerleaders will be amazing for all those who we can't invite on the LA course."
Emily, prospective adopter
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
When does the course start and how long does it take?
Adoption Cheerleaders is a self-paced online course. Once enrolled, you can start when you like, take as long as you like, and re-watch it as many times as you like! Binge it all in one go, or watch gradually - the choice is yours!
What is your professional qualification for providing this course?
I am not an adoption social worker or psychologist. This disclaimer is made very clear at the start of the course, and hopefully it has been clear on this sales page too. What I am is an adoptive mum; I speak from experience, as well as from the wide reading and writing I've done around the subject of adoption. What you will learn in this course is not only the basics of trauma, loss etc but - crucially - how to support your adopter.
Is it just for supporters of new adopters?
Adoption Cheerleaders would be brilliant for the family and friends of new (or even prospective) adopters, but it also has much to offer to those who have been supporting an adopter for several years. If you feel like you would benefit from some education around what adopted children have been through, and the challenges they might continue to face (as well as what their families battle with), then this course is for you.
Is the course suitable for friends of those who foster?
Whilst Adoption Cheerleaders has been created with permanent adoptive families in mind, much of the content is highly relevant to children in foster care. As long as you're able to ignore the occasional comments directed at supporters of adopters, you will find much value in the content surrounding loss, trauma, attachment, trauma-informed parenting, social media - and, most importantly, the ways you can support. These things are every bit as relevant to supporters of foster carers!
Will you be covering autism and learning difficulties?
Sadly not. Yes, adopted children are more likely to be diagnosed with a learning difficulty or additional health need (physical or mental) - but it would be impossible to cover all the very many possible diagnoses in one (reasonably short) course. And even if it were possible, these subjects would be best taught by education and healthcare specialists.
How many videos are there?
25, including the five bonus videos. No video is more than 10 minutes in length. 12 of the videos are under 5 minutes!
Is it suitable for all faiths and none?
Yes! Although there is a bonus video specifically for Christian adopters or those supporting them, the course is complete without it. I've deliberately made this course accessible to those of all belief systems.
Is it suitable for my church children's team?
Yes absolutely! While the main bulk of the course is appropriate for everybody, there is a bonus video on the Biblical view of adoption, which would be particularly relevant here.
How do I recommend this course to others?
Simply copy and paste the URL of this page then send it to those who may be interested. Thank you so much for your recommendation! Word of mouth is always the best way to get news out, and I truly appreciate any sharing you are able to do.
I'm an adopter. Can I buy this for my friends and family?
Yes, I'd love you to do that! So much so that I've set a lower price per person if you purchase a multi-licence. Upon purchasing the course, you will receive an email inviting you to submit the email addresses of those you would like to gift the course to. There is no rush to reply, so take your time telling everyone about the course, then when you're ready let me know who you want enrolled
Can I buy this course and then show it to a group of people?
Technically, you could. But I would politely like to request that you don't. This is my livelihood, and I've tried to keep the price as low as possible so that it's accessible to all. If everyone were to take advantage of this by buying one course and sharing it around, then sadly I'd have to raise the price considerably, which wouldn't be in anyone's interest!
My solution is to offer various different licences so that you can pick the right one for the number of people who will be accessing the course. My unlimited access licence is great value, as it offers up to 10 user log-ins, each of whom can show the course to a group of people.
I'm on a low income. Do you offer bursaries?
I do! I never want money to stand in the way of those who genuinely want to take my courses, so if you fall into this category, please email me in complete confidence at lucy@lucyrycroft.com. Full and half bursaries are available.
Is there a money-back guarantee if I don't find the course helpful?
I think you'll get a lot from this course, but in the unexpected event that you don't, please do get in touch. As long as you've completed the whole course, I'd be more than happy to refund your purchase, in exchange for some feedback on what could be improved for future students.