Keeping in Touch
Information exchanges for adopted children and families
Adoption East Midlands has a Letterbox so that adoptive parents and birth relatives could exchange news in a safe, confidential and controlled way on behalf of children who had been adopted.
Guidance
Letterbox Guidance for Adoptive Parents and Birth Relatives [PDF]
What Shall I Write? Tips & Ideas for Adoptive Parents [PDF]
Experiences of Letterbox from those who have used it
Two Views [PDF] :
This is an article produced by Adoption East Midlands which considers some of the difficulties of Letterbox contact, but also some of the potential benefits.
Letterbox from a birth mum's perspective [PDF] :
Here a birth mother whose child was removed when she was very young and was not able to protect her from others, speak of her feelings. Mary talks of:
- How important Letterbox was to her
- How difficult it was to wrote the letters
- The complexities of a reunion
- Her relationship with her birth daughter's adoptive mother.
Interview between an adopter and a birth mother [PDF] :
Here an adopter reflects on the opportunity to interview a birth mother about her experience with Letterbox, why sometimes the contact may be one-sided and why she feels it's important to maintain contact so that the child can create a better judgement later on down the line.
Contacting Letterbox
Letterbox is currently coordinated by teams depending on the Local Authority that arranged your child's adoption. You contact your Letterbox Team directly on the email address below:
Derby City: LetterboxDerby@adoptioneastmidlands.nottscc.gov.uk
Derbyshire: LetterboxDerbyshire@adoptioneastmidlands.nottscc.gov.uk
Nottingham City: LetterboxNottingham@adoptioneastmidlands.nottscc.gov.uk
Nottinghamshire: LetterboxNottinghamshire@adoptioneastmidlands.nottscc.gov.uk