Helen Costa: ‘We don’t prepare people for the huge challenge of adoption’

Shocked at how ill-equipped she felt as an adoptive parent, the social entrepreneur started to make VR films from the child’s perspective

Like many people, Helen Costa found the process of adopting a child challenging, but once she’d got through it, she thought the hard part was over.

She soon realised she was wrong. “I was completely ill-equipped, and as a result of that really didn’t manage things very well,” she says. “With a child who’s come into the world hardwired for bad things to happen, their response to you and their ability to trust you is incredibly limited, and the behaviours that go with that are completely the opposite to what you expect as a new mum.”

Related: 'Hard truths told in a gentle way': how life story books help adopted children

Related: Local authorities told to focus on adoption for children in care

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2OtcQqB