Archive: News

Building trauma-informed leadership together

Family Futures is excited to be partnering with the Global Foundation for Care Fellows by Experience to co-create and deliver a bespoke trauma-informed training module for the organisation’s 2026 cohort of Care Fellows.

Founded and led by Emmanuel Sherwin (Mani), the Global Foundation for Care Fellows by Experience is an international NGO dedicated to amplifying the voices and leadership of people with lived experience of alternative care. By bringing together care-experienced advocates and changemakers from around the world, the foundation creates opportunities for learning, collaboration and systems change.

Over the past six months, Family Futures has worked closely with Mani and members of the 2025 cohort to develop a training workshop that reflects the realities, strengths and aspirations of care-experienced leaders. Drawing on our expertise in trauma, attachment and therapeutic practice, the bespoke module we’ve developed explores the impact of trauma on the body, relationships and emotional wellbeing, while providing practical approaches to resilience, emotional regulation and healing.

The training has been shaped through ongoing collaboration with the fellows themselves, ensuring that lived experience remains at the heart of its design. This co-production reflects the shared values of both organisations: recognising the expertise that comes from lived experience and creating opportunities for individuals and communities to thrive.

In July 2026, Jay Vaughan MBE from Family Futures will co-deliver the training with Mani in Bangkok, supporting the next group of Care Fellows as they develop their leadership skills and continue to drive positive change across the globe.

This partnership reflects an approach rooted in collaboration and responsiveness, where training is developed in close dialogue with the organisations and communities it is intended to support, and shaped by their specific contexts and needs. Whether working with charities, local authorities, schools, healthcare providers or international organisations, Family Futures supports the development of tailored, trauma-informed learning that is grounded in evidence and practice.

For organisations exploring this kind of work, we are always open to conversation about how such approaches might be developed together. Please contact Tamsyn, our Learning and Development Partner, if you’d like to discuss an idea with us.

Why a multidisciplinary approach matters

Blog by Maria Kondratchik, Senior Psychological Therapist (Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, BACP registered), 30 June 2026

Over the past two decades, research has increasingly shown that children’s emotional wellbeing, relationships, neurodevelopment, sensory processing, communication and learning are closely interconnected. As a result, multidisciplinary approaches are now widely recognised as best practice for supporting children with complex developmental, emotional and behavioural needs.

For many years, Family Futures has pioneered this approach in its work with adopted children and families affected by developmental trauma. Through decades of clinical experience, we have developed a model that does not simply provide individual therapies but brings together expertise from different disciplines to understand the whole child and design the support that is right for them.

Our multidisciplinary team includes psychotherapists, psychologists, occupational therapists, educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, psychiatrists and other specialists. Depending on the child’s needs, different professionals contribute to a shared clinical formulation, allowing us to understand not only the child’s difficulties but also their strengths, developmental profile and potential.

This shared understanding enables us to develop a truly individual programme of support. Rather than following a standard pathway, we carefully combine different interventions according to each child’s needs.

For one child, psychotherapy may be central. For another, sensory integration may provide the foundation that allows emotional regulation and learning to develop. Others may benefit from play therapy, educational support, speech and language therapy, parent work or a combination of these approaches. The programme is always built around the child, never the other way around.

Today, we are bringing this expertise beyond the field of adoption. While our work now supports a much wider range of children and families, the philosophy remains the same: every child deserves an individualised programme of care, developed through the combined knowledge and experience of a multidisciplinary team.

Family Futures offers a range of assessments, therapy and support for children and young people. Find out more here or book a free discovery call.

Family Futures statement on the murder of Preston Davey

As an organisation dedicated to protecting children from abuse and neglect, we are deeply distressed by the horrific abuse and murder of Preston Davey. Our profound condolences and thoughts are with Preston’s loved ones, and we hope that the guilty verdicts bring some measure of comfort and justice during this devastating time.

The safeguarding of children must always be the paramount priority for every institution, organisation, and professional entrusted with their care. When systemic safeguarding failures occur, the impact is catastrophic for the very children, families, and communities those systems were established to protect.

We all share a collective responsibility to rigorously examine and learn from these failures. Family Futures stands in solidarity with the adoption community and the diverse families within the sector who have, without a doubt, been deeply affected by this tragic case. We remain committed to supporting all adoptive families and care experienced children – ensuring that the safety, wellbeing, and protection of children remain at the heart of everything we do.

You can review our comprehensive safeguarding procedures at www.familyfutures.co.uk/about/policies

#TeamFF raised over £4,000 at the 2026 Hackney Half

Our amazing runners and their supporters raised over £4,000 for the Family Futures Crisis Fund. It was a great day full of community spirit, support and good vibes. It was great to have a mix of parents, staff and supporters running for us. You can find out more about our runners and why they chose to run for Family Futures here.

If you feel inspired by #TeamFF and want to get involved next year, you can register your interest here and as soon as the Run for Charity registration page opens, we’ll send you a link so you can secure your official spot.

Hackney resident and Family Futures CEO, Jay Vaughan MBE, cheered our runners on from the Dalston sidelines:
“Thank you to our amazing #TeamFF runners and everyone who has donated. An incredible amount has been raised for the Family Futures Crisis Fund! It is so appreciated and will make such a difference to so many families who suddenly find they are in difficulties and need urgent help. You are incredible to run and you are incredible to give so generously. It is hugely appreciated by the children and their families and by the whole team at FF with thanks and a happy heart Jay and the FF team!”

Looking for a challenge and a good cause to support? This June, we are asking our supporters to take to the paths of Finsbury Park for their annual community runs.

Join us in making a difference, right here in our local community. Sign up to run the 5k, 10k, or Junior race and help us continue to provide support when families need it most.

You can sign up to run via the links below, or donate and share our story here.

Register for the Junior run (800m) open to any children under the age of 11
Registration fee: £10 | Fundraising target: As much as you can!

All donations go towards our Crisis Fund. The Family Futures Crisis Fund provides urgent, practical support to families when they need it most. Donations help remove everyday barriers to essential care; whether that’s funding emergency home visits, covering travel costs, or providing therapeutic resources like art supplies. In a time when funding is increasingly limited, even the smallest contribution can make a life-changing difference. Sometimes, something as simple as a train fare to therapy can be the key to keeping a family supported and connected.

#TeamFF run the Hackney Half 2026

Show your support for our fantastic #TeamFF runners as they get ready for the Hackney Half on 17th May. All donations will go towards the Family Futures Crisis Fund to help children and young people who are struggling.

Donate here and show your support!

Meet Team FF

Alex, Michaela, Anna, Liv, Ana, Jorge and Josh are running the #HackneyHalf2026 to support Family Futures.

“I came into running later in life, it was a part of me deciding in my 20s to prioritise my health, both mentally and physically. Now I’m a dad in my late 30s and it’s even more important to me than ever to show my son to do the same. That’s why I want to run the Hackney Half and help Family Futures; they helped me become a dad in the first place, and that’s the best prize.” Alex, Family Futures parent

“The children we work with have faced challenges that are difficult to imagine and they should be able to access therapy based on need, not funding. I want to do as much as I can to support the families we work with, even if that means running 21.1km!” Michaela, Occupational Therapist at Family Futures

“I’m thrilled to be running the Hackney Half for Family Futures to raise awareness and funds for the brilliant parents and children we support! The work we do at Family Futures is both vital and deeply meaningful. By raising funds, I hope to help more families access the right kind of support when they need it most. Every mile I run is for stronger, closer, and supported families.” Anna, Assistant Psychologist at Family Futures

“I heard about Family Futures through a friend and was really touched by the work they do, I’m relatively new to running and the Hackney Half feels like a great opportunity to challenge myself and support an incredible organisation who make a real, meaningful difference to the lives of so many children” Liv, Family Futures Supporter

“I’m not a runner by any stretch of the imagination & running for this long feels terrifying right now! But what motivates me is knowing that the more children and families Family Futures can support, the more people will be motivated to adopt knowing that they will be receiving important specialist support along the way, which means more children in safe homes and less pressure on the care system, all of which I care a lot about.” Ana, iAdopt Service Coordinator

“I’m Josh, I’m 27, one of my best friends works at Family Futures, she has told me about all the amazing work they do for families and Children. I’m incredibly happy and proud to be running the Hackney Half in support of Family Futures. The work they do to support and transform the lives of families really resonates with me, and it means a lot to be part of something that creates such a positive impact. Being able to combine a personal challenge with a cause I genuinely believe in makes this experience even more special.” Josh, Family Futures Supporter

All donations will go towards our Crisis Fund. The Family Futures Crisis Fund provides urgent, practical support to families when they need it most. Donations help remove everyday barriers to essential care; whether that’s funding emergency home visits, covering travel costs, or providing therapeutic resources like art supplies. In a time when funding is increasingly limited, even the smallest contribution can make a life-changing difference. Sometimes, something as simple as a train fare to therapy can be the key to keeping a family supported and connected.

Looking for a challenge and a good cause to support? Finsbury Park Runs – Our Forever Home, Their Forever Future

This June, we are asking our supporters to take to the paths of Finsbury Park for their annual community runs. Join us in making a difference, right here in our local community. Sign up to run the 5k, 10k, or Junior race and help us continue to provide support when families need it most.

You can sign up to run via the links below, or donate and share our story here.

Register for the Junior run (800m) open to any children under the age of 11
Registration fee: £10 | Fundraising target: As much as you can!

Are we seeing more autism – or more need for support?

Blog by Maria Kondratchik, Senior Psychological Therapist (Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, BACP registered), 28 April 2026

Over the past two decades, the number of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has risen sharply. For many families, this shift has been helpful. A diagnosis can bring relief, offer an explanation for a child’s difficulties, and open access to support. It can also reduce the sense of confusion or self-blame that so often accompanies parenting a child who struggles.

At the same time, recent research invites us to look more closely at what this increase might actually represent.

A large longitudinal study by Sebastian Lundström and colleagues, following more than 27,000 children in Sweden, explored not only the presence of autistic traits, but how much these traits were experienced as impairing over time. What they found is both subtle and important. At similar levels of autistic traits, parents in more recent years reported significantly greater levels of difficulty and distress than parents did 15 to 20 years earlier. At clinically significant levels, perceived impairment increased by around 23%, and at milder levels the increase was even more pronounced.

In other words, the behaviours themselves may not have changed as much as we might assume. What appears to have shifted is the way those behaviours are experienced, understood, and responded to.

There are several possible reasons for this. The world children are growing up in has become more complex and demanding. Schools increasingly expect independence, flexibility, and sophisticated social communication. Children who find these areas difficult may struggle more visibly than they would have in the past. At the same time, awareness of autism has grown. Children who might once have been described as shy, sensitive, or simply “different” are now more likely to be recognised as needing support.

Another important factor is the role of diagnosis itself. In many systems, access to help depends on having a recognised diagnosis. This can place families and professionals in a position where seeking a diagnosis becomes not just a matter of understanding, but also a necessary step in securing support. Over time, this can contribute to a widening of diagnostic boundaries.

What this research highlights is not that autism is “overdiagnosed” in a simplistic sense, but that the boundary between difference and disorder is becoming more fluid. A diagnosis, while often useful, does not fully capture how a child experiences the world. Two children may show similar traits, yet one may feel relatively secure and able to cope, while another may feel overwhelmed, anxious, or disconnected.

For parents, this can be both challenging and freeing. It suggests that while a diagnosis can be an important starting point, it is not the whole story.

What matters most is understanding how a child experiences relationships, what situations feel difficult or confusing, how they manage strong feelings, and what helps them feel safe and supported.

Seen in this way, the increase in autism diagnoses reflects not only changes in children, but also changes in the environments they live in and the ways we, as adults, interpret and respond to their needs. The most helpful question may not simply be whether a child meets criteria for autism, but what kind of support will allow them to feel more secure, more understood, and more able to engage with the world around them.

Reference

Lundström, S., Taylor, M. J., Larsson, H., et al. (2022). Perceived child impairment and the ‘autism epidemic’. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13497

Family Futures now offers autism assessments, as well as a range of assessments for neurodivergence, sensory and trauma related conditions. Find out more here.

Jay’s blog – a critical moment for adoption support

We were delighted to start the year by receiving our fifth Ofsted Outstanding rating. The inspectors talked to children, families and staff at Family Futures and reported that “Children feel safe and secure in their adoptive families…The team provides consistent support that is highly individualised to reflect individual needs.” We were especially pleased to hear that the children who spoke with inspectors rated the support they receive as 10 out of 10 and said they felt able to contact the team whenever they needed help or reassurance. This is a tribute to our dedicated team at Family Futures and to the children and families in our care who make us what we are. You can read the full Ofsted report here.

This recognition of outstanding support for adopted and kinship families comes at a critical time. We have recently had the government announcement that the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will continue until March 2028. However, the reduced £3,000 annual cap remains, with no separate assessment fund and no match funding option. For care experienced children living with complex trauma, this level of funding does not provide sufficient support for them to thrive in their daily lives, while the uncertainty over funding for lifelong or longer term support is a source of anxiety and stress among the adoptive and kinship families we speak to.

The government has opened a consultation called ‘Adoption support that works for all’ about the future of adoption and kinship support which runs until 5th May. Everyone with an interest in adoption and kinship – adoptees, parents, carers, and professionals – are invited to complete the survey here.

Family Futures, with other adoption agencies and campaigners, was instrumental in collectively campaigning for this public consultation. We believe this should be a significant opportunity to bring positive change for adoptive families. However, we have concerns about how the data from this consultation will ultimately be used, as this is not clearly explained. We encourage you to read the helpful guidance produced by Adoption UK before responding, as it summarises potential benefits and drawbacks of the proposals. The POTATO group have also published an open letter to the Minister for Children and Families setting out serious concerns among many adoptive families that the proposals shift emphasis away from access to specialist provision, risking ‘misalignment with the government’s own research findings,’ and not taking account of the complexity of developmental trauma among care experienced children.

Family Futures, along with many other service providers and families, is very concerned that the consultation questions are framed in a way that is difficult to disagree with. For example, the proposal to strengthen peer and community support gives a range of agree/disagree options but does not give crucial context. If funding for this type of support is increased under the proposals, it could be replacing funding for specialist therapeutic support. This is not made clear.

If you feel some of the questions in the consultation are unclear or lacking important details, it may be worth selecting ‘disagree’ rather than ‘agree’, and using the comment box to share what has or hasn’t worked in your experience. We think it likely that data from the tick boxes will be used as evidence once the consultation closes and we cannot assume our further comments will be listened to. However, it is still an important opportunity for us all to respond thoughtfully in the hope that the future of adoption and kinship support will be centred around evidence of what works best for children.

Family Futures is delighted to have recently joined CASA (The Consortium of Adoption Support Agencies) and we are looking forward to working collaboratively with other therapeutic providers to promote best practice, share expertise and influence change at this crucial time for the adoption support sector.

It is also vital that adoptee voices are embedded in policy and practice design. The recent report ‘Adoptee Voices’ published by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Adoption and Permanence, powerfully reflects young people’s lived experience and the lifelong impact of trauma. It is shocking to read in the report that “82% of respondents told us that adopted young people are not properly understood or supported by society or government.” Accessible and reliable ASGSF funding will be a vital part of supporting and understanding the needs of adoptees, and their voices need to be front and centre if the government are to get this right.

If you are a professional working with care experienced children or families, we have a range of training courses, resources and webinars (see current discounts here) to support parents, carers, colleagues and the wider community, all developed by our specialist team.

Family Futures is here to support you and our advice line is open every weekday morning if you are worried about your family or have a question about getting support. To speak to one of our therapists, call us on 020 7354 4161.

Jay Vaughan MBE and the Family Futures team

27 February 2026

How early stress affects adopted children: what new research shows

Blog by Maria Kondratchik, Senior Psychological Therapist (Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, BACP registered), 27 February 2026

In 2025, a major review called ‘The Evolving Neurobiology of Early-Life Stress’ was published in one of the leading neuroscience journals, Neuron. This paper, written by Birnie & Baram*, brings together recent research on how early experiences shape the developing nervous system and why the effects of early stress can persist over time.

The authors emphasise that early stress matters not because a child consciously “remembers” specific events, but because the capacity of the nervous system to regulate stress is being formed in early life. Infancy and early childhood are periods when regulatory systems are still developing. During this time, children cannot calm themselves independently or manage states of arousal and distress; they rely entirely on their environment and on adults around them.

A central distinction in the review is between acute stress and what researchers describe as chronic activation. Acute stress refers to a short-term response in which the body becomes aroused and then returns to a calmer state. This kind of stress, in itself, is not harmful. In fact, it can support healthy development by allowing the nervous system to learn that arousal can be tolerated and resolved.

Chronic activation, however, is different. It refers to a state in which arousal does not come to an end. The body remains on high alert, recovery is limited, and tension becomes the background state. The authors highlight that repeated experiences of unresolved arousal in early life can have a lasting impact on how regulatory systems develop. As they note, early experience “does not simply influence stress responses, but shapes the architecture of developing regulatory systems, determining their later sensitivity” (Birnie & Baram, 2025).

This is particularly relevant for adopted children. Many have not necessarily experienced single, dramatic traumatic events, but rather loss, instability, unpredictability, or the absence of a consistent caregiving adult early in life. From the perspective of the developing nervous system, these experiences can register as ongoing stress without sufficient opportunities for recovery. In such conditions, the body adapts: it learns to function in a state of heightened activation because no alternative pattern has been established.

Importantly, the authors stress that infants and young children do not interpret experiences in the same way adults do. What matters most to the developing brain is not how “serious” an event appears, but whether arousal is followed by comfort, calming, and restoration. When this does not happen consistently, regulatory systems are shaped in a way that leaves them more sensitive and less flexible later on.

The article does not describe this process as irreversible damage. On the contrary, it highlights the ongoing plasticity of the developing brain. At the same time, it makes clear that when early stress affects the formation of regulation, its impact is seen not in memories of events but in how the nervous system functions—how quickly it becomes activated, how difficult it is to settle, and how intense emotional and bodily reactions can be.

For adoptive parents, this research offers an important framework for understanding their child. Many difficulties—strong emotional reactions, heightened anxiety, problems with calming, or, conversely, emotional withdrawal—are not signs of personality or deliberate behaviour. Rather, they can be understood as the biological imprint of early experience on the developing nervous system, a pattern increasingly recognised and described in contemporary neuroscience.

Reference

*Birnie, M. T., & Baram, T. Z. (2025). The evolving neurobiology of early-life stress. Neuron.
https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(25)00134-5

Family Futures responds to the government’s announcement on the future of the ASGSF

Family Futures welcomes today’s announcement by Josh MacAlister MP confirming that the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will be extended until March 2028, with a budget of £55m for 2026/27. Providing longer-term certainty for adoptive and kinship families is an important step, particularly given the disruption and instability caused by recent funding reductions and delays.

Since 2015, the ASGSF has enabled many children with complex developmental trauma to access specialist therapeutic support. However, Family Futures’ experience in the past 27 years shows that short-term, fragmented funding is not sufficient to meet the support needs of children who have experienced abuse, neglect and early loss. Without timely, multidisciplinary assessment of a child’s unique needs and long-term therapy that is tailored to address those needs, we will continue to see adoptive and kinship families left struggling or in crisis.

Children who have been through trauma, loss or abuse have developmental needs that affect their sensory and nervous systems, brain development, mental and physical health. The impact of trauma also escalates without the right support, leading to placement strain, long-term harm, crisis and potentially adoption breakdown at great personal cost and financial costs to society. The current £3,000 per year Fair Access Limit on ASGSF funding per child is not enough to cover a needs assessment and the appropriate, holistic therapy these children need.

While the current funding limit per child is therefore insufficient, Family Futures welcomes the government’s recognition that reform is needed and the announcement of the launch of an Adoption Support that Works for All consultation.

We agree there is an urgent need to listen to the voices of people with experience and expertise, to plan a more coherent, evidence-based system of adoption and kinship support. The proposed focus on early intervention, support at key transition points such as adolescence, and improved integration across social care, health and education reflects what our clinical evidence and the lived experience of families has long demonstrated.

Jay Vaughan MBE, CEO of Family Futures, said:

“Our evidence shows that when support is consistent, trauma informed and holistic, children who have experienced trauma or abuse are likely to recover, families are more stable, and long-term costs to society are reduced. For children and young people, the impact of trauma is long term and needs a long term solution, with funding available for support when it is needed. This consultation is a vital opportunity to move away from families feeling in crisis towards a system that genuinely puts children’s developmental needs first.”

Family Futures will engage fully with the consultation and urges policymakers to ensure that the voices of young people, families and trauma informed specialists are central to shaping future reforms. Any new model must ensure that support is accessible, based on each child’s needs determined through a multidisciplinary assessment, and is evidence based. It is vital we listen to and learn from what adoptees are telling us. As a young person said in the recent Adoptee Voices report published by the APPG on Adoption and Permanence:

“There is no space or support for us…I don’t think we belong anywhere.” – Young Adoptee, Adoptee Voices Report

We are committed to advocating for a national, evidence and experience based framework that gives every adopted and kinship child the right support at the right time, enabling them to heal, thrive and go on to achieve a positive future.

10 February 2026

The Adoption Support that Works for All consultation will run for 12 weeks and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/adoption-support-that-works-for-all

Family Futures rated Outstanding by Ofsted for the fifth time

We are very pleased to announce that Family Futures has again been rated Outstanding in all areas in our recent Ofsted inspection.

The inspection which took place in December 2025 found that “children and adults benefit from an exceptionally high-quality service that is innovative and insightful.” The inspectors spoke to our children and parents during the inspection and reported:

“Feedback from children and parents is exceptionally positive about their experiences and how the agency has changed their lives. In particular, they appreciate the care, warmth, passion and consistency of the team and their commitment to positive outcomes for children.”

Children who spoke with inspectors rated the support they receive as 10 out of 10 and said they felt able to contact the team whenever they needed help or reassurance.

The report highlighted the thorough preparation and training offered to adopters, noting that this gives them a clear and realistic understanding of the impact of trauma and equips them to meet children’s complex needs. This preparation was seen as central to creating safe and secure placements.

Jay Vaughan MBE, CEO of Family Futures said:

“We are absolutely delighted to receive our fifth Ofsted Outstanding. This is a tribute to all the children and families in our care and the whole team at Family Futures. We are who we are because of our families and our dedicated team!”

Read the full Ofsted report here:

Family Futures Ofsted report December 2025

Children’s Summary of Family Futures Ofsted report December 2025

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