Barnardos Find-a-Family specialises in 'hard to place' children who have been removed from their families by the Children's Court, have experienced abuse and neglect and have had multiple placements. It is widely accepted that, for normal development as adults, children need a secure attachment to their primary carer in infancy and early childhood (Bowlby and Ainsworth). Find-a- Family has found that it is possible to enhance resilience in children who have had very poor early attachment by providing them with secure, loving, accepting relationships, even in the middle childhood years. In 2003, Find-a-Family undertook a survey of families who had adopted and the results are discussed. The survey focused on families' understanding of, and involvement in, the processes of decision-making and adoption; perceptions of decisions made and whether these had changed over time; experiences that children and families had with the agency and workers and their experiences of parenting or being parented.