BOOK REVIEWS ON AMAZON
 

Luke Walker  Verified Purchase

5.0 out of 5 stars Real life experiences

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 June 2020

This book really helped with the initial stages of the adoption process


  MR D CRAWTE  Verified Purchase

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect starter book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 May 2021

Informative and simple. It is a nice read for those either starting or going through the process.


miky  Verified Purchase

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of information.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 January 2021

This is a really good book if you are considering to adopt with a lots of data and experience from other.


Rupert Brickwood-Budd reviewed Proud Parents: Lesbian and Gay Fostering and Adoption Experiences (Baaf)

 worth adding to your list 11 November 2017

I am in the middle of the adoption process and really enjoyed this book. To be fair, its out dated in terms of the adoption process and many of the views, but the underlying experiences, thoughts, feelings and advise has been very valuable and gives a good and honest account of other peoples experiences.

JF reviewed Proud Parents: Lesbian and Gay Fostering and Adoption Experiences (Baaf)

 Heartwarming and useful 19 October 2017

A fascinating book - gives you a chance to see what others have experienced and how they have successfully fostered or adopted. Very heartwarming and useful.

Amazon Customer reviewed The Pink Guide to Adoption for Lesbians and Gay Men

 Such a great supplement to the recommended reading if you are looking ... 15 October 2017

Just getting through this. Such a great supplement to the recommended reading if you are looking to adopt. So good to read about LGBT experiences. A great confidence boost.

JF reviewed The Pink Guide to Adoption for Lesbians and Gay Men

 Really helpful 4 January 2017

Really useful - tells you everything you need to know. Has some interesting quotes from people who've already adopted as well.

Adopt South (@adoptsouth) tweeted at 10:00 am on Thu, Mar 04, 2021:

'Proud Parents' by @nicolawadehill shares a collection of experiences from #lesbians and #gay men who have #adopted or #fostered. What motivated them? What was it like? The answers are found in this heartfelt #book that provides valuable insights #ProudToAdopt #LGBT #WorldBookDay
https://t.co/AJgC9kqOZM
(https://twitter.com/adoptsouth/status/1367414618541469699?s=03

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"Nicola is one of the sharpest observers of the voluntary sector scene and has some of the best contacts. Reliability 100%."
David Brindle, former Public Services Editor, The Guardian


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Dan Watson, Communications Manager, Paul Hamlyn Foundation


"The book is an excellent resource for social workers, carers and prospective carers. Proud Parents details the real life experiences of 16 families, a mixture of lesbian and gay, singles and couples, and adopters and foster carers.  This book is a true triumph for Nicola Hill, and I hope that this book is added to with future volumes."
Stuart Bray, Equality and Diversity Co-ordinator, Core Assets


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"Thought you'd like to know the toolkit on volunteering, Pass it On, went down really well with Volunteer Centres - a really tough group to please, so they genuinely like it. Well done!"
Mark Restall, former Head of Information, Volunteering England


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Darren Westlake, Art editor, Centurion Press


"Having Laura on our team is a great boon. She is totally reliable and I know I can always depend on her to do what it takes to meet and exceed the high standards we set for our publications. Whether in a production role or interviewing executives at the highest level in the financial world, she is thorough, accurate and personable."
Ian Welsh, co-founder of communications consultancy IWJK


"The Institute of Fundraising turned to Nicola Hill when we wanted to develop our membership communications through the expansion of our magazine Update. Nicola combined an extensive practical and academic knowledge of Fundraising with the skills and experience of an established journalist and editor. This proved to be the winning combination and the results exceeded our expectations."
Lindsay Boswell, former Chief Executive, Institute of Fundraising


"Thank you for a wonderful and insightful introduction to writing and making me feel so welcomed. I will definitely be thinking about some of your tips when writing and feel a little more confident in getting started. Thank you very much for the useful course and advice, I thoroughly enjoyed the session. A wonderful day, thank you Nicola and all the class Inspiring day, meeting a class of wonderful writers. It was really lovely to meet you all and hear your stories. Thank you Nicola for a great course. Was an enjoyable course, Nicola, thank you so much. Really lovely to meet you all. Was truly an enjoyable day. Got me motivated! Thank you, Nicola for a great introduction to writing. It has inspired me to start writing regularly. And to the group, it was lovely to meet you all and hear your stories."

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Review of Proud Parents

As a gay parent I have heard past criticism from both the gay and straight communities that LGB adoption and fostering makes children the latest must-have accessory for gay people.  Reading Proud parents by Nicola Hill gives a reassuring insight into the world of Lesbian and Gay fostering and adoptive parents, their motivations, their struggles, their successes, and the thoughts and feelings of young people placed with them. This book also demonstrates how things have changed over time, and that attitudes have definitely changed positively towards lesbian, gay, and bisexual fostering and adoption.

The book is an excellent resource for social workers, carers and prospective carers.  It is very evident that the contributors have given their frank honest experiences.  They are not trying to draw a comparison between gay and straight parenthood, they are sharing their reality, their methods, and what makes them good parents.

Proud Parents details the real life experiences of 16 families, a mixture of lesbian and gay, singles and couples, and adopters and foster carers.  Each family describes their motivations to become parents, what sacrifices they have made, difficulties and joys they have experienced, and the battles along the way.  Graham and Charlie adoptive parents of two boys state “We couldn’t love our children any more if they were our birth children”, Stephanie and Jenny also explain about their experiences of being foster parents “It is extremely rewarding seeing a child  change from the time  when they arrive at your door with a small bag  of things to becoming a confident and mature young person, contributing to society and pursuing activities with a circle of friends”. One of the best things about reading these accounts is that sexual orientation is evidently just a small part of the way these families define themselves, and their motivations are to be parents and make positive and lasting differences to the lives of young people.

For social workers reading these accounts, they all contain handling tips for social workers, this gives an excellent insight into the how families see their experiences during the assessment and matching processes.  Every social worker will put this book down having a greater understanding of the needs to LGB families and family’s needs in general, an understanding that is not taught at University. Eduardo and Colin stated “You also need to make sure you would ask a heterosexual man the same questions as you ask a homosexual man.  Don’t make us jump through more hoops than straight men or women. Be supportive of lesbian and gay adopters.”

Overall the book made me smile, sometimes feel angry about the ways these people have been treated, and feeling warm hearted about the comments that young people have made about their new parents.  It is an easy read, and is ideal to be left on your coffee table for anyone to dive in for ten minutes for inspiration and sometimes just to be a little bit nosey.  This book is a true triumph for Nicola Hill, and I hope that this book is added to with future volumes.

Reviewed by Stuart Bray, Equality and Diversity Co-ordinator, Core Assets

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