The heart of The Adoption Companion is to champion, strengthen and journey with every person and family that we connect with.

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About Us

As your personal adoption companion, we will walk alongside you throughout the course of your adoption journey. We will be your helper, your friend, your guide, your supporter, your coach, your educator and most importantly your partner.

We begin with thorough pre-adoption preparation. Individuals and families are exposed to what adoption means for any individual, family or child and how the distinctive challenges of our unique context can play out over time in terms of trauma, development, identity, empowerment and culture. Armed with this knowledge, our clients are equipped to navigate the journey well, to parent adoptively and to empathise deeply with their child.

We have a particular passion for post-adoption support for families and adopted people. The Adoption Companion is a safe space where families and adopted people are seen, heard and loved and can receive world-class adoption specific education, and referrals to the best resources and therapeutic assistance available.

We also aim to flip the adoption narrative to that of the adopted person and their lived experience of adoption in South Africa. When we take heed, listen and seek to understand the adoptee’s lived experience – positive and negative – we can develop strategies that will respect, acknowledge and adequately express the long-term, adoption specific challenges adopted people face throughout their lives.

Workshops, Education and Support

Adoption 101 – An Introduction to Adoption in South Africa (pre-Adoption Workshop)

We offer 3 Adoption 101 workshops throughout the year. These workshops are aimed at anyone who is interested in adoption and would like to know more about what it entails, what to expect from the process and a look at personal motivations for adopting.

Learn About Adoption 101

Adoption 201 – In-depth preparation and education for prospective adopters (pre-adoption preparation course)

We offer 3 rounds of Adoption 201 courses throughout the year. Each course runs over 3 months and includes 3 in-person workshops covering specific adoption topics to educate and prepare families for the journey of adoption and adoptive parenting prior to the screening process.

Learn About Adoption 201

Adoption 301 – A look at the specifics of adoptive parenting and the journey of the adopted person (post-adoption preparation)

We run 6 individual post-adoption workshops throughout the year. Each workshop deals with a specific topic that is unique to adoption, adoptive parenting, and navigating the journey of being an adopted person.

Learn About Adoption 301

Upcoming Workshops

Adoption 101 - Session One

Saturday, 04 March 2023

Adoption 201 - Round 1

Session ONE: 18 March 2023

Adoption 201 - Round 1

Session TWO: 15 April 2023

Adoption 201 - Round 1

Session THREE: 13 May 2023

Adoption 201 - Round 1

Session FOUR: 16 May 2023

Adoption 301 - Workshop ONE

Saturday, 03 June 2023

Adoption 101

Adoption 201

Adoption 301

THE COMPANIONSHIP

Our service is based on a companionship. Once you’re signed up, the relationship will last as long as you need it to, at whatever intervals you require. A family of ours remains in our family forever. Whenever you need us, we’re here for you!

Adoption coaching pre-, during and post-adoption, provides a safe space where families can get the information, assistance and support they need with our qualified social worker.

During our coaching sessions we assess your needs to make sure that you are equipped with the necessary resources and tools. Our coaching includes follow up sessions and support.

The Adoption Companion Resource Centre provides up to date, relevant and targeted help, resources and support for families and adopted people. Our Resource Centre is continually evolving and growing to provide the latest information from all over the world on best practices in adoptive parenting.

This is what we offer in our companionship

Pre-adoption coaching & personalised needs assessment
Adoption process coaching
Post-adoption coaching & personalised needs assessment

Referrals for therapeutic assistance & family support
Adopted person support and education
Assistance with Home Affairs and Registrar of Adoptions

Enquire Here

Join the Companionship

About US

Who We Are

The Adoption Companion is a beautiful partnership between two women who have an enduring passion to see families and children in South Africa thrive and flourish.

An excellent course, loved and appreciated all of it, very insightful, sensitive to the adoptees and educational and imparting wisdom. Highly recommend and so enlightening and love the impartation of knowledge, shared values and experiences.

– Lisa Borland

I would like to start this testimonial off by thanking you and Pam for this incredible initiative and all the hard work that went into putting this program together.

As Danie and I had already started our screening processes we came into this course a little different to everyone else in the group as we already had made the commitment to start the adoption process. Much to my embarrassment we believed we had the upper hand to the rest of the group as we were further along than the others and had done what we believed to be “our homework”. Wow, could we not have been further from the truth

This course has opened up our eyes to the fact that adopting a child has actually nothing to do with our wants but rather to do with the child’s needs. We have learnt that Adoption is only due to a family going through a trauma and that we, as adoptive parents, need to be part of the healing from that trauma. It is an incredible privilege to be in the position to be able to adopt and thanks to this course we feel that we are going into the rest of our journey with more tools and information than we ever knew we actually needed.

I fully believe that before anyone starts their adoption journey that they need to do this course as it gives a more hollistic view of what it truly means to be adoptive parents. It answered questions we never knew we had. And as daunting as adoption is, we do feel better prepared as to what to expect. It has also been great to be part of a group that shares the same fears as us and that we could have the freedom to be open with each other and to get the support needed.

– Natalie and Danie de Villiers

The Adoption Companion worked tirelessly to create a course that excited, encourages, and educated People who are looking to adopt. Adoption 201 is a great start to the adoption journey.

Adoption 201 has been an amazing experience. We were excited about the adoption journey but really did not know what to expect. Adoption 201 provided a space where we could chat to experts and we now have a much better understanding of what this journey may entail.

Adoption 201 has also made us feel more confident that we will be able to tackle the complex issues that may arise once we get matched with our child.

Adoption is an exciting and scary process and the team at the Adoption Companion have created a non-judgmental space where adoption and all it’s complexities can be discussed, where your fears and excitement can be shared with people going through the same journey as you.

We highly recommend Adoption 201 for anyone considering adoption.

– Michael and Sarah Stone

From Our Blog

Welcome to The Adoption Companion!

by Ruth dos Santos | Mar 11, 2022

Address

39 Inanda Road, Hillcrest,
Albany, 3610

Contact

hello@adoptioncompanion.org
(076) 513-1078 | (079) 276-1077

Workshops, Education and Support

Adoption 101 – An Introduction to Adoption in South Africa (pre-Adoption Workshop)

Adoption 201 – In-depth preparation and education for prospective adopters (pre-adoption preparation course)

Adoption 301 – A look at the specifics of adoptive parenting and the journey of the adopted person (post-adoption preparation)

Upcoming Workshops

Adoption 101 - Session One

Adoption 201 - Round 1

Adoption 201 - Round 1

Adoption 201 - Round 1

Adoption 201 - Round 1

Adoption 301 - Workshop ONE

THE COMPANIONSHIP

This is what we offer in our companionship

Join the Companionship

Success!

Who We Are

An excellent course, loved and appreciated all of it, very insightful, sensitive to the adoptees and educational and imparting wisdom. Highly recommend and so enlightening and love the impartation of knowledge, shared values and experiences.

From Our Blog

Welcome to The Adoption Companion!

Address

Contact