Part of Family Action since 2018, PAC-UK supports people through the realities of adoption and special guardianship. Formerly ‘Post Adoption Centre’, our PAC-UK team provides specialist, trauma-informed support for all parties affected by adoption and special guardianship.
Dealing with the impact of adoption is a life-long journey for first families, guardians, adopters and adopted people, and we know how hard it can be. Many of the services we offer, including our training for professionals are co-designed, co-produced and co-delivered, so that they best reflect and meet the needs of those with lived experience.
Through our helplines, specialist counselling, group support and training we’re here for that journey. A dedicated, experienced, Ofsted-Outstanding rated team of professionals, skilled at creative problem solving, we don’t give up on people. If we can’t support you, we’ll help you find someone who can.
Being adopted or placed in another family as a child can bring challenges that last into adulthood. We support adopted young people to understand and process their emotions and make their voices heard. We’re here to help adoptive families with the often tough realities of adopting that are too little spoken of – whether it’s the challenge of transition and settling or the crisis of child to parent violence.
We believe that no-one should have to be alone to face the grief and loss of losing a child to adoption or losing your first family, at whatever age or stage of life. Group work, counselling and letterbox writing helps birth parents process trauma, perhaps for the first time, and we support special contact meetings between adopters and special guardians to enable parents to understand who will be looking after their child. We support everyone involved in managing what can be a difficult and emotional process, with children at its heart.
PAC-UK services
Adopted adults & young people support
Specialist, impartial support for those adopted as children or otherwise permanently placed.
Services for Adopted Adults & Young People
Birth parents & relatives support
Support for birth parents and relatives whose children have been adopted or may be.
Services for Birth Parents & Relatives
Child and Family service
Support for adoptive parents, special guardians and permanent carers or anyone thinking of adopting.
Child & Family Services
Child to parent violence support
A wide range of services to support adoptive parents and carers to reduce child to parent violence.
Child to Parent Violence Service
Special guardianship support
Specialist support, information and guidance for special guardians and the children in their care.
Special Guardianship Support Service
FamilyConnect and intermediary support
Supporting adults who were adopted to find out more about their origins and search for other birth family members.
FamilyConnect & Intermediary Service
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, Wednesday & Friday: 10.00am-4.00pm; Thursday: 10.00am-7.30pm
FamilyConnect Advice Line
Specialist advice and support for adult adoptees, their descendants and birth relatives who wish to reconnect with their relatives.
Telephone: 0300 1800 205
Email: [email protected]
Open: Monday 3.00pm to 6.00pm, Tuesday 11.00am to 2.00pm, Thursday 1.00pm to 7.00pm
Our training
We offer comprehensive training focusing on adoption and permanent placement specific topics. Some of these workshops and seminars are for professionals only, and some are specifically for parents and carers. Public seminars and conferences are open to all parties affected by adoption and permanency, including professionals.
PAC-UK training and events
Who we work with
PAC-UK holds service level agreements with 77 local authorities across England. We are also an approved provider of a wide range of therapeutic services eligible for funding through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF). Overall, more than 120 local authorities benefit from our expertise each year.
PAC-UK’s 2026 ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted was our fifth in a row.
In their January 2026 report, Ofsted inspectors said: “The actions of the adoption support agency contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for service users.”
Adopt London East
Barking & Dagenham
Havering
Newham
Tower Hamlets
Adopt London North
Barnet
Camden
Enfield
Hackney
Haringey
Islington
Adopt London South
Croydon
Greenwich
Kingston
Lambeth
Lewisham
Merton
Richmond
Southwark
Sutton
Wandsworth
Adopt London West
Brent
Ealing
Hammersmith & Fulham
Hounslow
Coram – Ambitious for Adoption
Harrow
Hillingdon
Kensington & Chelsea
Redbridge
Waltham Forest
Westminster
Adoption South East
(Adoptee Support Group)
Brighton & Hove
East Sussex
Surrey
West Sussex
Special Guardianship Contracts
Cumbria – Cumberland
Cumbria – Westmorland and Furness
Lambeth
Waltham Forest
Adoption Counts
Cheshire East
Manchester
Salford
Stockport
Trafford
Adoption in Merseyside
Knowsley
Liverpool
Sefton
Wirral
Adoption Now
Bolton
Bury
Oldham
Rochdale
Tameside
One Adoption North & Humber
East Riding of Yorkshire
Hull City Council
North East Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire
North Yorkshire
York
One Adoption South
Barnsley
Doncaster
Rotherham
Sheffield
One Adoption West Yorkshire
Bradford
Calderdale
Kirklees
Leeds
Wakefield
Together for Adoption
Cheshire West & Chester
Halton
St Helen’s
Warrington
Wigan
Individual LAs
Bedford
Birmingham
Blackburn with Darwen
Hertfordshire
Lincolnshire CC
Southend-on-Sea
Sunderland
Correct as at 1 April 2026.
Our publications
PAC-UK Big Consult of Birth Parents
PAC-UK Big Consult of Adopted People
Meeting the needs of adopted and permanently placed children – a guide for school staff
Maintaining relationships with birth families after adoption: what are adopted adults views
PAC-UK was the UK representative in an international project called ‘BRIGHTER FUTURE’ aimed to directly improve the educational experience of children in care and adopted children. The resulting four publications can all be downloaded for free here.
Governance resources
Below are links to our key resources and policies designed to uphold our standards of care and our commitment to equality and inclusion. You can find all Family Action and PAC-UK statements & policies here.
- View our Family Action Adult Care Providers Handbook
- View our Family Action Children and Young People Procedures
- Download Family Action’s Equality Diversity and Inclusion Policy
- Download PAC-UK’s Statement of Purpose
- View our PAC-UK service guides for children under 8 years of age and children aged 8 years and older.
