@ThePOTATOgroup @CommunityCare Amazing work by the team, Gillian Elam, and the POTATO Group members. Your bravery and honesty make a real difference. Congratulations on this important publication! 🙌
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Ruth Diver
413 posts
Today our research article was published in @CommunityCare.
Thanks to our Research Manager, Gillian Elam, and to all of those POTATO Group members who revisited some of the most traumatising times of their lives to share their experiences.
communitycare.co.uk/2025/11/12/we-…
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@euanpreston @JenniferJ432 The ASGSF cuts aren’t just numbers—they’re real children struggling. 81% report worsened mental health, with some facing suicidal thoughts. This must be reversed. #SupportFamilies #ChildMentalHealth
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“81% of respondents stated the cuts to the ASGSF had a very negative or negative affect on their child’s mental health. 85% of respondents stated the cuts had a negative or very negative impact on their child’s emotion wellbeing.”
#NationalAdoptionWeek
ASGSF_protest@ASGSF_Protest
The stark reality of the cuts to the ASGSF from: “Assessing the impact on families following the April 2025 changes to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund ‘’. Key Finding 3 Families have seen a deterioration in their Children’s mental health. 81% of respondents stated that the cuts to the ASGSF had a very negative or negative impact on their child's mental health. There are children experiencing suicidal ideation who have no, or inadequate, support as a result of the cuts. asgsfprotest.com/pcsurveyapril2… Summary link: asgsfprotest.com/pcsurveyapril2… #fundnoworpaylater #ACutTooFar #asgsf #carenotcuts
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@euanpreston @ThePOTATOgroup @PeterStefanovi2 @ASGSF_Protest Absolutely! Without robust funding, adopted families are being left to struggle. Children who’ve already experienced trauma need proper support packages to thrive. These shocking cuts will have a devastating impact on the most vulnerable children - we must fight this!
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Incredibly grateful to @PeterStefanovi2 for standing with our children and backing our campaign. @ASGSF_Protest
Peter Stefanovic@PeterStefanovi2
🚨SHOCKING cuts to a vital lifeline - Adoption & Special Guardianship Support Fund - is having devastating consequences for some of the most vulnerable children & young adults in England Cuts are staggering - a 60% reduction from £7.5K to just £3K per child WE MUST FIGHT THIS!
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@LewisMoody7 Over the years, you’ve transformed so many lives and mindsets - overcoming adversity with adventure, and championing children with additional needs.
We stand with you and your family, following the powerful example you’ve set. #extremeclassrooms
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@ThePOTATOgroup Thank you for the update. But hand-to-mouth support year by year isn’t good enough. Families need guaranteed, long-term support from the point of Adoption or Kinship Order—not uncertainty and delay. Stability shouldn’t be a luxury. #AdoptionSupport #KinshipCare
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The #ASGSF is being extended for another year. Welcome news, but it’s not enough. Adoptive and kinship families deserve appropriately funded, stable, effective support, not short-term extensions and vague promises.
questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statem…
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@ThePOTATOgroup @AdoptionUK So many families wouldn’t survive the tough journey of adoption without the kind, empathetic, and knowledgeable support of @ThePotatoGroup. Your peer support and solidarity are a lifeline — thank you for walking alongside us. 💛 #AdoptionSupport #ThePotatoGroup
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Hundreds of dedicated parents. Peer support, solidarity, and a drive for change. Chair of The Potato Group, Euan Preston, introduces who we are, and why we exist.
A clip from the Family Matters podcast. Thanks again to @AdoptionUK for inviting us on to discuss our research.
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@Keir_Starmer Not just families—care leavers deserve security too. You backed them in Sept, but councils aren’t listening. Where’s the enforcement? Audit it. Build for everyone. Empty land won’t fix a crisis without accountability.
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We're facing a housing crisis — it's ridiculous to let land we could build on sit empty and disused.
I said I would get Britain building. I am.
We're unlocking brownfield railway sites across Britain to build 40,000 new homes.
Giving more families the security they deserve.
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@ThePOTATOgroup A vital and eye-opening report. Every professional involved in adoption should take the time to read this. Thank you, @potato, for highlighting the voices of families and shedding light on the realities of modern adoption and the lasting impact of early trauma.
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Our research reveals the realities of modern adoption.
438 families shared experiences of parenting children living with the impact of early-life trauma.
Read the full report: thepotatogroup.org.uk/research
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@ThePOTATOgroup An essential and impactful read. This should be mandatory for all professionals involved in adoption and those considering adoption. The lived experiences shared here highlight the urgent need for informed, trauma-aware support.
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Published today: Our research report, Far, Far Beyond the Adoption Order: Lessons from lives Impacted by Trauma.
Based on the experiences of 438 adoptive families, it reveals long-term impact of early trauma and urgent need for better support.
Read here:
thepotatogroup.org.uk/research
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Ruth Diver retweetledi
On Monday, we'll publish our full research report Far, Far Beyond the Adoption Order: Lessons from Lives Impacted by Trauma. This is more than a report; it’s a testament to love, courage and commitment from families. Register to receive it: research@thepotatogroup.org.uk
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@EdNixon2 @ResCareTo21 @KirkbrideHannah Support for care leavers shouldn’t stop at local authority lines. Housing, financial help, and wider support must follow the young person, not stay tied to where they were in care. Mobility shouldn’t mean losing your safety net.
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@KirkbrideHannah Yet another inequality for care leavers to face. Almost certainly it was their LA who decided where they should live, so why then punish them for living there #ECLCM @rescareto21
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Want to have your say on #CouncilTax and support for care leavers? Did you know that if a young person settles outside their original local authority where they were in care that they may be refused exemption of council tax?
Have your say 👇
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Gov@mhclg
Want to have your say? Find our consultation here: consult.communities.gov.uk/local-governme…
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@AngelaRayner @mhclg Absolutely support this — care leavers deserve more than promises. No local authority will act until these rules are enforced. The PM’s statement in September was welcome, but implementation can’t come soon enough. Let’s turn words into real change.
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We’re rewriting the rules so people leaving the care system or fleeing an abusive relationship do not face unfair barriers to safe and secure housing.
Our changes will help get them a roof over their heads and the security they deserve.
mirror.co.uk/news/politics/…
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@VenturersAc @trystanpw_ @era_resources Massive congratulations, Mr. Williams! 🎉 With the right support and unwavering dedication, you’ve shown what’s truly possible. A hugely deserved win that shines a light on the whole school community — inspirational! 👏🙌 #Leadership #EverythingsPossible #ERAwards2025
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He did it! 🎉🎉 @trystanpw_ is the proud and well deserving winner of the Leadership in Education @era_resources Award 2025, which he accepted last night on behalf of our awesome school community 🫶 🤩 Congratulations Mr Williams! #weareEACT #everythingspossible #Autism
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Ruth Diver retweetledi
Clare Solomons and I were guests on an emergency episode of @TheAandFPodcast discussing the @ASGSF_Protest. Thanks for having us, @GayAdoptionDad and @MrAlCoates.
open.spotify.com/episode/2TiOFp…
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Ruth Diver retweetledi
@BurnleyOfficial
BACK WHERE WE BELONG!
The Clarets are heading to the Premier League!
What a journey. What a team. What a club.
#UTC #BurnleyFC #PremierLeague
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Ruth Diver retweetledi
We're publishing research on the challenges faced by families raising traumatised adopted teens & young adults. Based on insights from 438 parents caring for 690 young people, it highlights urgent needs in mental health, education, and social care. tinyurl.com/2kufswe8
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Ruth Diver retweetledi
Statement following changes to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.
thepotatogroup.org.uk/post/response-…
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@Kelly_Grehan @Keir_Starmer This isn’t hope until it’s enforced. Councils are still turning away care leavers under current guidance. Medway Council denied a care leavers housing application because they hadn’t lived there for 2 years. Policy change needs to happen — and fast — or nothing will change.
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This morning I chaired an event on care and care experience. This afternoon @Keir_Starmer has announced care leavers to be guaranteed housing. I've genuinely got a tear in my eye.
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@mhclg @AngelaRayner Care leavers aren’t concerned about stigma – housing applications are being denied due to the “no local connection” rule. No action will be taken until the government’s amended regulations are received. @HelenGrantMP @maidstonebc
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"We must remove the shackles of stigma too often associated with social housing."
The Deputy Prime Minister, @AngelaRayner, speaking to the Social Housing Annual Conference yesterday.
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