Donor Conception Network - Stories
HOW TO TELL PROJECT
- Donor Conception Network Awarded Major Grant...
Donor Conception Network has been awarded a £61,000 grant to research and produce materials (including a video) supporting parents of donor conceived children in how to tell their children about their conception.
The grant is announced today by the National Family and Parenting Institute, which is managing the Parenting Fund made available by the Department of Education and Skills. www.parentingfund.org The Fund has been allocated following an open competition and the award to the Network is one of 135 successful applications out of 795.
An increasing number of parents of donor conceived children now plan to tell their children about their conception, but in the past many did not. The project aims to produce materials to support both those who want to tell very young children, and also those who originally planned not to tell, but now as their children become teenagers or young adults face the need to do so.
The forthcoming changes in the law relating to donor anonymity have stimulated many families with older donor conceived children into rethinking the issue of telling. Parents are also aware that in four years time donor conceived young people will be able to confirm information about their conception by consulting the register maintained by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.
Telling young adults about their origins after keeping them secret for so long can raise complicated identity issues. Parents need a range of supports to be in place for them to feel confident about sharing this information in ways that promote family unity.
The 18 month How To Tell project will involve research with parents, donor conceived adults and relevant professionals; 5 workshops in different regional areas; the production of a range of leaflets available in paper and web format; completion of a dedicated How To Tell website area where parents can exchange experiences, and production of a half hour video film.
For further information contact DCN
Issued 13 th October 2004
