What are the EAP and EIS Programmes?
Enhancing Adoptive Parenting (EAP) is a parenting programme designed for new adoptive parents whose children are aged between 3 and 9, and who have been in placement for 12 months or less. The programme is also suitable for special guardians, as well as prospective adoptive parents/special guardians, and it may be suitable for families whose children are older than 9 years, or who have been in placement for longer than 12 months.
The EAP programme was devised by Professor Alan Rushton OBE and Dr. Helen Upright. Professor Rushton is a former PAC-UK Chair of Trustees and Dr Upright is Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Cambridgeshire Fostering and Adoption Clinical Psychology Service. Unlike some other parenting resources, the EAP programme was rigorously tested for effectiveness in a Randomised Controlled Trial as part of the Adoption Research Initiative (funded by the Department for Education and the Nuffield Foundation).
In addition we offer Early Intervention Support (EIS), which consists of 4 sessions for families whose early placement support needs are to be clarified. The EAP programme may be advised to follow EIS.
The EAP programme, as well as EIS is usually delivered within the home or via Teams/Zoom by a specially trained counsellor or therapist.
If you are a social worker or professional who would like to commission the EAP or EIS for a family, please contact us at [email protected]
We found each session extremely beneficial, we put in practice the various strategies over the past 10 weeks with the girls, learned a lot about how to approach various difficulties (which we are already using) and the homework brought it all together.
EAP video resources
To support EAP delivery, we have created an ONLINE resource of 10 short VIDEO sessions which cover the programmes’ core content. The average length of each session is around 10 minutes. These video sessions are now an integral part of the face-to face or Teams/Zoom delivery of the EAP programme (and possibly EIS).
The 10 video sessions can also be purchased directly by parents and carers for £35 (plus VAT). Please contact us by email [email protected] or phone 0300 1800 090 to order a licence. Once payment is made you will receive instant access.
The 10 video sessions can be purchased directly by social workers too, e.g. for individual prospective adopters/special guardians, or group trainings, for £99 (plus VAT). You can order your license/s using the form below.
EAP programme aims
The Enhancing Adoptive Parenting (EAP) programme has two main aims:
- To help adopters and special guardians understand their child’s problems and how they may be related to their previous experiences, with particular reference to early trauma and lack of secure attachments
- To provide practical parenting strategies to help adopters and special guardians manage a range of problems, with particular reference to:
- Understanding Attachment Insecurity
- Regulation Difficulties
- Fears and Anxieties
- Positive Attention, Verbal praise, Rewards and Ignoring
- Special Play
- Clear Commands and Boundaries
- Effective Discipline and Use of Consequences
- Problem-Solving
- Managing Siblings and Peer Relationships (as needed)
- Wetting and Soiling (as needed)
- Sexualised Behaviour (as needed)
Funding: the Adoption & Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) will fund the EAP programme. An Adoption Support Assessment will need to be undertaken by the family’s Local Authority first (as for all ASGSF funded interventions).
Please feel welcome to contact us to find out more.
EAP review by Adoption UK
Adoption UK published a review of the online 10 video sessions in their Adoption Today magazine, which you can read in full here.
This series of video clips is a great addition to any adoptive parent’s toolkit. They provide a good backdrop to a support network of people who ‘get it’. A good resource to watch, consider then return to and dip in to over time.
In our tenth year as adoptive parents, we wonder what we might have done differently if this kind of resource and information had been available when we started out.
Ruth, Adoptive Parent.
Read a review of the online 10 video sessions published in Adoption Today here.
EAP online video resource booking form
This booking form should be used by professionals to register for a licence for our online video resource of 10 short sessions, which cover the core content of our Enhancing Adoptive Parenting (EAP) parenting programme, and further support its delivery.
If you are a parent or carer, you can purchase a licence for the discounted price of £35 (plus VAT). Please contact us by email [email protected] or phone 0300 1800 090 to order a licence.
Please include as much detail as possible on the booking form to avoid delays. All information processed in relation to your booking adheres to PAC-UK’s Privacy Statement.
Some fields are mandatory and are labeled as ‘Required’, these must be completed in order for you to submit the form.
Once you have pressed submit, your form will automatically be sent to our team, who will process your booking at the earliest opportunity. They will then contact you to arrange payment.
Once your booking has been processed, you will be sent an email with all the information you need to access EAP online video resource content.
If you have any questions or need to make any changes to your booking form after it has been submitted, please contact us by email [email protected] or phone 0300 1800 090.
IMPORTANT: Only complete this booking form if you are a social worker or professional purchasing access for individual prospective adopters/special guardians, or group trainings, the price for each license is £99 (plus VAT).
PAC-UK Advice Line
Staffed by qualified and experienced PAC-UK counsellors/social workers who can provide advice and information on all aspects of adoption and other forms of permanent care.
Telephone: 0300 1800 090
Email: [email protected]
Open: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday: 10.00am-4.00pm; Thursday: 10.00am-7.30pm
