Fiona – PATCH Founder, Adopted, Adopter & Social Worker. PATCH reflects my commitment for change. The change needed is for ego, oppressive practice and blame to be replaced by trauma experts, delivering appropriate interventions, with compassion. Cat lover, lab lover, bad upcyler and dreamer of having a VW campervan.

Leanne – birth mum, adopter, New Zealander. Fiona’s valued sidekick and compass. Passionate about the failings within the Education system, and bringing the best out of children with Trauma Trained Teaching. And another cat lover.

Madeleine – Journalist, child counsellor, single adopter, SEN School Governor. Experience of battling LA’s CAMHS, MAJ, Health & Social Care and Education system for my child. Dog lover, swimmier and Tango dancer.

 Lou – Lou: Adoptive Mum of fabulous but complex 15 year old son. Broken adoption due to lack of understanding and lack of appropriate support/child to parent violence/parental blame. Parenting at a distance as positively as possible. Putting my broken soul back together by focusing change, interspersed by collecting way too many plants and making pretty things out of sea glass.

Ruth – Chartered Accountant, keen park runner and cat lover. Passionate about pre–Adoption Order breakdowns; negligence/lack of transparency at the point of matching and the lack of suitable support when new families are in crisis.

 Verity – Adopter of 2, positively parenting one from a distance, who has severe attachment disorder and developmental traumas. Live with my husband, daughter, Beagle called Molly. Love dancing, reading swimming, going for coffee with friends. Work as a School Nurse in a Special School.

Lucy – Analyst, often end up metaphorical miles from where i started, falling down internet rabbit warrens. Keen to improve adoption support and transparency by social services. A dead lifter who is venturing into the world of Strong Woman Training, but also loves photography.