Event overview
This panel seeks to explore the experience of mothers who lost a child to adoption in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and the long-term impact this loss has had on their lives.
The panel will comprise two women who are members of the Natural Parents Network and who support the Movement for an Adoption Apology, one of whom lost her child to adoption in the 1960s and the other later on, and a social worker who provides specialist intermediary services to adults affected by adoption, both to adopted adults and first/birth relatives.
The panel will provide an opportunity to learn about the lifelong impact of losing a child to adoption, to hear about the demands of the UK Movement for an Adoption Apology, and to highlight key issues for for social work practitioners, community workers, counsellors and therapists to consider in their direct work with this group of mothers.
Speaker: Helen Jeffreys
In 1966, at age 18, Helen Jeffreys lost her 2-month-old son to adoption in due to homelessness and a lack of practical support. She sought out and was re-united with her son in 1992. Helen has always been completely open about the loss of her first son, refusing to subscribe to the attitudes of shame and enforced secrecy that prevailed in the 1960s and successive decades. She has appeared in various newspaper articles and on national tv. She also gives talks to adoption preparation training groups. For the past 15 years, Helen has worked as a counsellor.
Speaker: Jane Reid
Jane is a mother who lost a baby to adoption in the 1970s. She will be speaking about her experience of losing her baby and the long-term impact this has had on her life.
Speaker: Jean Milted
Jean Milsted has been working with adults affected by adoption for over thirty years. Since 2013, Jean has been registered with Ofsted as Adoption Services for Adults, a registered Adoption Suport Agency that provides intermediary services for adults affected by adoption in both adopted adult-initiated and birth relative-initiated contact, and support services for adoptive parents of adult adoptees. Jean will draw upon her work as an intermediary, to speak about what she has learned about the experience of mothers who lost a child to adoption in the 1960s and the long-term impact of that loss. In doing so, she will highlight key issues for social work practitioners, community workers, counsellors and therapists to consider in their direct work with this group of mothers and she will identify what best practice might look like.
Chair: Dr. Perlita Harris
Dr. Perlita Harris is Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her research interests include adoption, transracal adoption and child welfare, with a particular interest in Black and seldom heard voices.
This event is supported by the Goldsmiths Annual Fund.
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 30 May 2017 | 2:00pm - 4:00pm |
Accessibility
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