More than 50 children who have been adopted through Norwood were guests of honour at a special party thrown by the Charity’s adoption team. The party, which is an annual event, was held on Sunday, 6 September, at Brookland Infant and Junior School, in Hampstead Garden Suburb and was, once again, kindly donated by one of Norwood’s very generous donors.
The youngsters and their parents were kept entertained by Mr Marvel’s Magical Fun Show, and a sports session led by a coach from the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, before being treated to a slap-up tea. The Tottenham Hotspur Foundation is working with Norwood to deliver the Spurs Norwood Altogether Project (SNAP), an exciting new initiative which gives people who use the Charity’s services unprecedented access to a range of sporting activities.
Gay Saunders, Norwood’s Adoption Manager, said: “This was Norwood’s 10th adoption party and, like in previous years, it was lovely to see how much progress the children have made and how happy they are. It was a lot of fun for the children and also an opportunity for parents and children to be with others from similar backgrounds and to talk about their adoption experiences. Norwood’s adoption team greatly value the opportunity to keep in touch with the children as they grow up and look forward to many more parties in the future.”
The Norwood Jewish Adoption Society (NJAS) was established in 1990 to find permanent homes for Jewish children being looked after by local authorities in the UK. It was also set up to provide prospective Jewish adopters and birth families with a designated agency.
Over the years, NJAS has extended its services and now works with children and families from many different religions, cultures and ethnic groups, while continuing to provide services for Jewish children and families from around the country.
As part of the North London Adoption Consortium, Norwood provides adoption services to all residents in the London Boroughs of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington who wish to adopt from overseas. NJAS specialises in offering thorough preparation and high levels of support to all our domestic and inter-country adopters.
The guests included Helen and Michael Simons, who adopted their two children Danielle, seven, and her 20-month-old brother Benji, through Norwood. “We had always been very positive about adoption, and because we’re Jewish Norwood seemed the obvious place to start,” said Michael. “My wife contacted Norwood, and we met with a social worker.”
Norwood’s social workers then acted as an intermediary between the Simons and the local authority, which had approached the Charity because the children were Jewish.
“Norwood’s role was vital,” said Michael. “The support you receive once you’re matched with a child, and you’re going through the legal process of adopting, is crucial, as Norwood can speak in a language that local authorities understand. We had an extremely good experience, and had a very personal relationship with our Norwood social worker. It’s unimaginable for us to have done it with anyone else.”
The Simons now speak about their positive experience at Norwood’s preparation groups for prospective adopters. Michael said the family are also likely to take advantage of some of the post-adoption support services which Norwood offers, as the children get older and want to know more about their past.
Speaking about the party itself, he added: “It’s very positive for children to meet other adopted children. Danielle has been to three previous parties, and she understands that they are children who have been through similar experiences to her. But they are also important for us, and help us meet other couples who have adopted children.”
If you are interested in speaking to someone about adoption, please call 020 8420 6909 between Monday and Friday and ask to speak to the Duty Social Worker. Alternatively, e-mail gay.saunders@norwood.org.uk
Some of the names of the people who feature in this press release have been changed to safeguard their anonymity.
