This special episode is part of our Teens and Tweens Support Programme, funded by Adoption England, which supports adoptive parents as their children move into adolescence. It focuses on what adoption can feel like during the teenage years, drawing directly on the voices and experiences of adopted young people involved in Adopteens.

Adopteens is a peer support space for adopted teenagers, where they can meet others with shared experiences, talk openly, and build connections outside of adult-led environments.

Join Annalisa Toccara-Jones as she speaks with Sadie and Nat from Adopteens about how they understand adoption as they grow older, and how it shows up across friendships, school and identity. They reflect on what it means to connect with other adopted teens, and why peer spaces can offer a sense of recognition that is often harder to find elsewhere.

Their conversation explores how adoption is talked about at home and in education settings, including what feels supportive and where adult assumptions can miss the mark. It also considers the role of social media in shaping how adoption is seen and understood, alongside questions of control, consent and representation for young people.

This episode offers grounded, practical insight for parents looking to better understand their teenager’s experience of adoption, and how to support open, respectful conversations as their child grows.

Contact We Are Family & the Adoption Shared Team:
Tweet us @WAFadoption #AdoptionShared
Tweet Eddie @Eddielliott
Email us hello@wearefamilyadoption.org.uk

Join us www.wearefamilyadoption.org.uk

We prioritise the privacy of guests and their children. All identifying information has been changed or removed. We provide guidance to all guests about how and whether details of their adoption journey and their children’s stories are shared.

Films and documentaries can be powerful tools in helping children and young people understand their adoption story and explore questions of identity, belonging and origin. This episode focuses on how visual storytelling can support meaningful conversations about adoption, particularly as children grow and begin to make sense of their experiences in more complex ways.

Join host Eddie Elliott as he speaks with Louise Ndibwirende about how adoption is represented on screen, and what kinds of stories tend to resonate at different ages. Drawing on her work across film and storytelling, Louise reflects on how documentaries and films can open up space for reflection, recognition and discussion within families.

They explore how to approach media that may romanticise or misrepresent adoption, and how parents can support children in making sense of what they see. The conversation also considers the impact of on-screen narratives on identity and belonging, and how families can use shared viewing as a starting point for open, ongoing dialogue.

This episode offers thoughtful, practical insight for parents looking to use film and documentary as a way to support honest, age-appropriate conversations about adoption.

Contact We Are Family & the Adoption Shared Team:
Tweet us @WAFadoption #AdoptionShared
Tweet Eddie @Eddielliott
Email us hello@wearefamilyadoption.org.uk

Join us www.wearefamilyadoption.org.uk

We prioritise the privacy of guests and their children. All identifying information has been changed or removed. We provide guidance to all guests about how and whether details of their adoption journey and their children’s stories are shared.

This episode is part of our Season 6 series, Helping Your Child Understand Their Journey, where we explore practical ways to support conversations about adoption, identity and belonging.

Join host Eddie Elliott as he speaks with Sarah Naish, CEO of the Centre of Excellence in Child Trauma (COECT), about how children’s understanding of adoption shifts as they grow.

Drawing on her experience as a former social worker, adoptive parent and leader in therapeutic parenting, Sarah explores how children’s questions and emotional responses change across different life stages. From early childhood through the teenage years, she shares how parents can adapt conversations to reflect a child’s development, curiosity and sense of identity.

They discuss everyday emotional struggles at different ages, how to respond when a child doesn’t want to talk about adoption, and what signs might suggest a child needs additional support. The conversation also looks at the role of peer relationships, building confidence and self-acceptance, and approaching school-related situations such as bullying or family-based activities.

Sarah also offers guidance on supporting teenagers who begin to question their identity more deeply, and how parents can stay steady and responsive as these conversations become more complex.

This episode provides practical, experience-based insight for parents who want to keep conversations open, responsive and grounded as their child grows.

Contact We Are Family & the Adoption Shared Team:
Tweet us @WAFadoption #AdoptionShared
Tweet Eddie @Eddielliott
Email us hello@wearefamilyadoption.org.uk

Join us www.wearefamilyadoption.org.uk

We prioritise the privacy of guests and their children. All identifying information has been changed or removed. We provide guidance to all guests about how and whether details of their adoption journey and their children’s stories are shared.