National Adoption Week 2026 activity
PAC-UK is delivering a series of free-to-attend online events during National Adoption Week 2026, which takes place from Monday 19 to Sunday 25 October. All online events will be recorded and uploaded to our PAC-UK YouTube channel for those who are unable to attend live.
Our events, which bring together people with a range of experiences and perspectives, including birth parents, adopted people, adoptive parents and carers and professionals. Speakers will share their personal views and lived experience, and we recognise that there are often different perspectives and opinions on adoption.
We encourage everyone attending to listen with respect and openness to the experiences and views of others. Some of the topics discussed may be emotive or triggering. Our National PAC-UK Advice Line and FamilyConnect Advice Line are available for anyone who needs support, details below.
If you have any questions about our events or need help booking, please email [email protected] and a member of our team will be in touch as soon as possible.
All information processed in relation to your booking adheres to PAC-UK’s Privacy Statement.
Register for a National Adoption Week event
Monday 19th October – Online via Zoom:
100 Years of Adoption: What Can We Learn from the Past, What Has Changed, and What Does the Future Hold?
A live roundtable discussion chaired by Mike Hancock (PAC-UK), bringing together adoptees, birth parents and adopters to reflect on 100 years of adoption and consider what the future might look like.
Event start time: 1.00pm | Event end time: 2.00pm | Price: Free to attend
Tuesday 20th October – Online via Zoom:
Working Therapeutically with Adopted Adults
An online discussion with Gilli Bruce, Mike Hancock and Tanya Killick (all PAC-UK), exploring the experiences and therapeutic needs of adopted adults.
Drawing on their professional and lived experience of adoption, our speakers will consider what may bring adopted adults to counselling or therapy and will explore approaches to working therapeutically with some of the complex and lifelong experiences associated with adoption.
Event start time: 1.00pm | Event end time: 2.00pm | Price: Free to attend
Wednesday 21st October – Online via Zoom:
Annalisa Toccara-Jones: Media Narratives, Loss and Adoptee Sense-Making in the UK
Annalisa Toccara-Jones is a PhD researcher, adoptee and digital strategist specialising in communication, adoption and cultural identity. Her work explores how narratives are constructed, circulated and challenged across media, public discourse and digital spaces, particularly in relation to adoption, race, care and belonging.
In this online event, Annalisa will present findings from her research into adoption and social media, including an analysis of social media posts relating to National Adoption Week. She will also share findings from interviews with adult adoptees, drawing on the Adoptee Consciousness Model to explore how adult adoptees make sense of their experiences and the narratives surrounding adoption.
Event start time: 1.00pm | Event end time: 2.00pm | Price: Free to attend
Thursday 22nd October – Online via Zoom:
Birth Parents Stepping Out of the Shadows: Who We Are and How We Are Represented
A conversation with birth parents about their lived experiences of adoption and how they are represented within the adoption system.
Hosted by Angela Frazer Wicks MBE, the event will give birth parents an opportunity to share their perspectives on how they are described and represented in court proceedings, social work records and adoption files, and to explore the difference between these representations and their own experiences and identities.
Event start time: 1.00pm | Event end time: 2.30pm | Price: Free to attend
Friday 23rd October – Online via Zoom:
Listen Up! How Teenage and Young Adult Adoptees Are Informing Adoption Practice
This National Adoption Week, we’re sharing a sneak peek of Adopt a Change, our lived experience training programme, which has already reached more than 600 professionals across the UK.
Join Mike Hancock, Jo Mitchell (PAC-UK) and young people from Adopt a Change for a special pre-recorded Q&A panel. Hear how they co-produce and deliver training, what they’ve learned from sharing their experiences, and the changes they hope to see across the adoption sector.
You’ll gain a unique insight into what it’s like for our young people to stand in front of professionals, have their voice heard, and help shape adoption practice.
Event start time: 1.00pm | Event end time: 2.00pm | Price: Free to attend
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 and Wednesday: 10.00am-4.00pm; Thursday: 10.00am-7.00pm; Friday: 10.00am-1.00pm
