Family Business, The

I thought long and hard before deciding to write this story. We’re just an ordinary family of six, who, like thousands of others, happen to have a child with disabilities. And he just happens to be adopted. There are thousands of children in the UK waiting for adoption, and many will never be placed with families. I hope that by sharing our experience we may be able to offer a bit of practical advice and insight to others who might be thinking of adoption, and in particular if they are thinking of adopting a child with disabilities.

The Family Business is the true story of the adoption of William, a little boy with cerebral palsy, by a middle-aged couple with three birth children. It tells of the journey William and the other members of the family made to get to the point where they felt they were a whole family. The story describes the doubts of the parents in the early days, the confused feelings of William, and some of the frustrations and humorous adventures the family has had in the “disability world”.

Narrated by the adoptive father, this is an honest and realistic account of adopting a child with a disability and the impact of adoption on the whole family. It explores the challenges of day-to-day family life and the importance of focusing on the child’s personality rather than his disability. Above all The Family Business provides a positive, upbeat account of the growth of love and the cementing of family bonds.

Published as part of the successful Our Story series this book will appeal to adopters and prospective adopters, social workers, members of children’s disability teams and all childcare professionals.