Today, I’m talking to Yoni Ejo, a registered social worker and adoption coach with personal experience of the system from all sides: professionally, as an adopted person herself, and as the adopted mum of two now teenage girls. Yoni is a passionate advocate of adoption as a solution when children can not remain with their birth parents but she also knows that adopters do not get the full range of support that they need.

Yoni believes that the key to the success for trans-racial adoptions is listening to the voices from your child's community. On this episode, we discuss...

- which children are being missed by the UK adoption system (6:00)

- strategies to support your child in a trans-racial adoption (12:50)

- navigating a relationship with birth families (17:40)

- why you need to understand your own "triggers" (18:00)

- how wider family members can support adopters (23:05)

- using a diary to "tune into the everyday joy of your child" (32:30)

- "confirmation bias" and how to move through it (35:45)

If you're interested in learning more about Yoni's work, you can find her online at diversityadopt.com. Adopters and foster carers can also join the Aspiring Adopters Facebook Group to access the resources she shares Https://www.facebook.com/groups/ambitiousadopters

If what you heard today resonated with you, I’m always up for a chat. If you've got problems right now, book yourself in and we'll turn them into possibilities. If you're looking for a network of lovely and loving people to support you, our Facebook community Port in the Storm is your new safe harbour. Whatever you need, we've got your back.