When a child is adopted into a new family, grandparents and other family members can play a really important part in the life of the child.

This useful handbook introduces grandparents-to-be and other relatives to information about adoption today. It offers some facts about the children who need to be adopted and discusses how the wider family can support and be involved in building a family through adoption.

The book provides answers to important questions adoptive grandparents will be asking themselves, such as: can I be a grandparent to unrelated children and will I be able to love them; will an older child learn to love their new family; or how will the child fit in with existing grandchildren, nephews and nieces?

The stories of adopted children and their relatives are at the heart of this book.

Who is this book for?

This is a must-have book for close family members of new adoptive parents or those planning to adopt.

What you will find in this book

• Facts about the children needing adoption, processes and procedures
• How the wider family can support and be involved in building a family through adoption
• Quotes and snippets from family stories, including contributions from grandparents.

‘We get on well with all our grandchildren. We see them most weeks and I suppose we do spoil them. When our daughter adopted the twins – they were just four years old, the same as our youngest grandson – we got all our grandchildren together and worked out how to make the twins feel they belonged. The children had some good ideas and it made them include the twins straight away. My oldest grand-daughter was nearly 15 and she kind of took charge. I think the twins learned about grandparents from the other children. They soon expected special treats along with the rest of them but you could see that it really made them happy.’ Grandparent with nine grandchildren, two adopted

Hedi Argent:
Hedi Argent is an independent adoption consultant, trainer and freelance writer. She has written and edited many books for CoramBAAF including Adopting a brother or sister, Dealing with disruption and a guide for children about kinship care, Kinship care: what it is and what it means.