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Walk Together
Walk Together focuses entirely on adoption in the UK, supporting mothers, fathers, children, and anyone connected to the adoption journey. We understand that adoption can be emotional, complex, rewarding, and challenging all at once, and our aim is to create a space where every part of that experience is acknowledged.
We publish weekly blogs covering everything and anything to do with adoption: family life, identity, attachment, school, trauma, birth family contact, and the realities of parenting before, during, and after adoption. If there’s a topic you’d love us to explore or an area where you feel more guidance is needed, please get in touch. We’d be very happy to add your ideas to our content plan.
The nervous system after early loss: Why safety can feel unfamiliar
When the nervous system remains on high alert, behaviour often becomes the most visible expression of internal dysregulation. This is particularly true for children, whose capacity to articulate internal states is still developing. What is observed externally as behaviour is often the body’s attempt to manage overwhelming sensation, uncertainty, or perceived threat.
3 days ago10 min read
From effort to ease: How regulation changes across development
A young child might become dysregulated by background noise, hunger, waiting their turn, or moving between activities. Transitions that seem minor to adults can require significant effort from a child whose regulatory systems are still developing. When that effort builds without enough support, the child’s capacity is quickly exceeded, and distress shows itself in ways that can look disproportionate to the situation.
Feb 138 min read
When trauma shows up in the body: Physical symptoms in adopted children
When parents understand this, the question shifts. Instead of asking why a child keeps feeling unwell, they begin to ask what the body has learned to expect. For many families, that shift changes everything. It replaces frustration with curiosity, and urgency with patience. The body is not broken. It's doing exactly what it learned to do.
Feb 65 min read
Intergenerational trauma and adoption: How trauma travels through bodies, brains and relationships
Intergenerational trauma is often spoken about as something emotional or symbolic, as though it's carried through stories, attitudes, or family dynamics alone. In reality, trauma travels far more quietly and far more deeply than that. It moves through the body, through stress-response systems, and through patterns of connection formed before language, memory, or conscious thought.
Jan 306 min read
Autism in adopted children: Understanding the sensory, social and emotional layers
Autism sits within the broader concept of neurodiversity, which recognises that all brains develop and function differently. Just as there is diversity in culture, personality, and learning style, there is diversity in neurology. Neurodiversity includes autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and more - all reflecting natural variation in human cognition.
Nov 14, 202510 min read
Understanding ADHD in adopted children: When attention and attachment intertwine
ADHD often has a genetic component, which means that many birth families share the condition across generations. In adoptive families, however, this pattern is different. While a child’s ADHD will not be inherited from their adoptive parents, it is possible that both a parent and a child may live with ADHD independently.
Nov 7, 20257 min read
Why adopted children may be more vulnerable to exploitation - and how we reduce the risks
We use “exploitation” broadly to include criminal exploitation (for example county lines), sexual exploitation, online grooming, financial coercion, labour exploitation, and manipulation linked to substances or radicalisation. We draw on UK and international research and translate it into practical steps for parents and carers, schools, and support networks.
Oct 24, 202511 min read
Understanding attachment styles in children: What every parent should know
This blog explores the four main attachment styles: secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure-ambivalent (sometimes called resistant), and disorganised. For each one, we look at where it comes from, the science behind it, how it may present in children’s daily lives, and examples of why it might develop - not only through trauma but also through ordinary family circumstances.
Oct 3, 202511 min read
When their body says no: Understanding shutdowns, freeze responses and emotional numbing in adopted children
Imagine a child in school being asked to read aloud in front of the class. The task feels overwhelming, and the body reacts instantly. The child stares at the page, unable to move or respond, their system frozen in a protective state. This is not a conscious decision. It is the body’s way of saying, “This is too much."
Sep 26, 20258 min read
What regulation really means for adopted children: A neuroscience -informed guide for parents
egulation, or the ability to manage our emotions and body states, is not just a behavioural skill. It is deeply biological, shaped by the brain, nervous system, and critically our earliest relationships. For adopted children, especially those who have experienced early adversity, regulation can look and feel different. This blog explores why.
Aug 8, 20255 min read
Adoption disruption...what it is and how to navigate it
Adoption disruption occurs when an adoptive placement ends before it is legally finalised.
Nov 22, 20244 min read
Managing trauma: how to help your adopted child heal after difficult beginnings
To help your child heal, it’s crucial to first recognise how deeply trauma can run.
Oct 30, 20248 min read
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