Frank Golding is an author, researcher, activist and historian. His childhood as a Ward of the State of Victoria in Australia in the ‘care’ of three foster mothers and three institutions underpins his active involvement in Care Leaver issues as an advocate and lobbyist.

Find out more: https://corambaaf.org.uk/resources/access-records/childrens-social-care-files/access-and-support-rights-childrens-social

Barbara Reed is a consultant in the field of records, archives and information management with more than 25 years of industry experience in in all levels of Australian government, private sector and not-for-profits. She been active as a trainer and recordkeeping professional, and has played a major role in the development of Australian and international standards for records management, digitisation, recordkeeping metadata and whole-of-government initiatives.

Find out more: https://corambaaf.org.uk/resources/access-records/childrens-social-care-files/access-and-support-rights-childrens-social

Helen Little, Training, Consultancy, and Events Manager, sat down with Marrianne Palin, Associate Trainer at CoramBAAF, to discuss effective ways to engage with children and truly understand their thoughts and feelings.

During the conversation, Marrianne shared various techniques for direct work with children, offering insights into what these approaches look like in practice, along with practical tools that can be implemented in everyday work with young people.

Marrianne Palin qualified as a social worker in 2002, and with a wealth of experience in child protection and family placement social work. She holds a degree in social work, along with a PGCE. Since 2016, she has been working as a trainer while simultaneously practicing in the field. Apart from her role at CoramBAAF, Marianne serves as an associate trainer for AFKA Cymru and works part-time in adoption. During her tenure with AFKA Cymru, she contributed to a number of National Adoption Service Wales' good practice guides. Marianne's primary areas of expertise encompass fostering, adoption, permanency planning, and life story work.

Helen Little joined CoramBAAF in 2023. Latterly, she was Learning and Development Manager for almost 8 years at Langley House Trust. The learning and development function she developed for Langley now offers an extensive programme for staff and managers whether that be face to face, virtual, e-learning or coaching. Reflecting on her career to date, she can see that this new role for CoramBAAF draws on the many parts of it from the beginning in the hospitality and conferences industry to running her own learning and development consultancy for over 18 years, designing and delivering a range of programmes for clients across many sectors.

In this discussion on school exclusions, Augusta Itua, Legal Consultant at CoramBAAF, is joined by Richard to highlight the support and resources available for children and their families.

The conversation focuses on the pressing issue of school exclusions, covering recent research, the legal framework, and offering practical guidance for parents, carers, and guardians navigating this complex area.

School exclusion occurs when a school removes a pupil from the educational setting, either temporarily or permanently. This can include suspensions (also known as fixed-term or fixed-period exclusions) or permanent removal from the school roll.

Exclusions can have serious, long-term consequences on a child's education, mental health, and future opportunities. Research from the Institute for Public Policy Research and the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory indicates that excluded children are more likely to leave school without qualifications and are at increased risk of becoming involved in the criminal justice system.

Richard is part of Coram Children’s Legal Centre (CCLC), which promotes and protects the rights of children in the UK and internationally in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Augusta Itua joined CoramBAAF in April 2023 and job-shares with Alexandra Conroy-Harris, assisting with our advice line and service delivery for our members. Augusta qualified as a Youth Justice Lawyer and previously worked at Just for Kids Law. There, she provided specialist legal advice and representation on criminal justice issues and gained experience in community care, education, and strategic litigation law.

Find out more: https://corambaaf.org.uk/membership/members-week-2024-listening-child/working-schools/episode-32-support-available-children

Looked-after children face significant challenges in school, often due to poor collaboration between teachers and social workers, which can hinder their progress. Effective teamwork between these professionals can greatly benefit these children by providing more consistent support for their educational and emotional needs.

Clear communication, sharing information about the child's development, and understanding each other's roles are essential for improving outcomes. Policy changes and successful models from other countries offer valuable insights, while families and communities can also play a key role in fostering better collaboration.

Listen to Ellyse Hinder, Senior Marketing and Engagement Officer for CoramBAAF, talk with Sylvia Ikomi and Lorna Stabler about how social workers and teachers, or those working in education, can come together to help looked after children and young people.

Sylvia Ikomi is a lecturer and qualified teacher. She delivers Continuous Professional Development training that is aimed at raising professionals’ awareness of the adultification of Black girls within the education and social care sectors.

Lorna Stabler currently works with CASCADE as a Research Associate. She is a Chief Investigator on an NIHR study focused on understanding how Family Group Conferences can be embedded in statutory child and family social work. Lorna is also Principal Investigator for a Nuffield Foundation funded study focused on Special Guardianship Orders in Wales.

Find out more: https://corambaaf.org.uk/membership/members-week-2024-listening-child/working-schools/episode-33-bringing-social-workers-andv

This pre-recorded video offers a taster of the benefits of joining our course ‘Making plans for staying in touch’. No two children or their families are the same. The most critical aspect of any staying in touch plan post adoption is that it allows for individual needs and situations.

This conversation covers some of the key considerations when communicating with children and young people about their contact/staying in touch plans. Listening effectively to children and young people will help ensure that arrangements can reflect the changing needs of the child throughout childhood, teenage years and beyond.

Lindy Wootton possesses over 35 years of valuable experience working with people in the voluntary and public sectors, serving as a trainer, practitioner, manager, project leader, mediator, and restorative justice practitioner. After qualifying as a social worker, she initially worked in child protection before transitioning to adoption. In 2013, she joined CCS Adoption, where she took on diverse roles, including managing early permanence projects and the life story work service – Sharing Stories, as well as handling assessment, training, post-adoption support, and agency decision maker. In 2022, Lindy left CCS Adoption to become an independent social work consultant, undertaking work for the National Adoption Strategy Team and delivering training as an associate trainer for CoramBAAF. Lindy holds a BSc in Social Administration, MSc in Criminal Justice Policy, MSc in Social Work, and is a qualified mediator.

Find out more: https://corambaaf.org.uk/membership/members-week-2024-listening-child/staying-touch/episode-31-listening-child-staying-touch

Our Legal Consultants, Augusta Itua and Alexandra Conroy-Harris came together to talk about the structures, regimes, differences and challenges for care-experienced adults wanting to access their records.

Augusta joined CoramBAAF in April 2023 and job-shares with Alexandra, assisting with our advice line and service delivery for our members. Augusta qualified as a Youth Justice Lawyer and previously worked at Just for Kids Law. There, she provided specialist legal advice and representation on criminal justice issues and gained experience in community care, education, and strategic litigation law. Recently, she was awarded the 2023 Churchill Fellowship, which allowed her to travel to Australia to explore ways to improve access to children’s social care files for care experienced people.

Alexandra was called to the Bar in 1989, and spent nine years in private practice, representing children, families and local authorities, followed by nine years as a Senior Child Care Lawyer in a London local authority before joining BAAF as Legal Consultant in 2008. Her CoramBAAF role involves writing,advising, and training on all aspects of the adoption and fostering process, as well as advising the IRM Cymru. Until recently she was combining her part-time role at CoramBAAF with employment as a childcare lawyer in a North-East local authority, and now maintains hands-on experience with some private practice at the Bar.

Find out more: https://corambaaf.org.uk/membership/members-week-2024-listening-child/identity/episode-30-access-records-what-you-need-know

James Bury, CoramBAAF’s Head of Policy, Research and Development, is joined by Anthony Lynch to tell us more about his research study “Complex Identities: An Intersectional Framework” which delves into the intricate nature of identity by examining how various social categories—such as race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, and sexual orientation—intersect and shape individual experiences. The study highlights the importance of considering these aspects of identity simultaneously to understand the unique challenges faced by individuals with complex identities.

By incorporating insights from both academic literature and grassroots sources, Anthony’s framework sheds light on the lived experiences of mixed-heritage individuals, third culture kids, and those living in border regions or with transracial and international care backgrounds. The research aims to help organisations and policymakers better support these individuals by fostering a deeper understanding and awareness of their diverse identities.

Anthony Lynch is a researcher and mixed-heritage adoptee working in the intersection between Lived Experience and Policy. Their work in identity began when they co-founded In-Between Lines, an award-winning exhibition for individuals belonging to multiple ethnicities, cultures, and families.

James Bury is the Head of Policy, Research and Development at CoramBAAF. James joined CoramBAAF in January 2022. James has over 7 years’ experience working directly with children. He has worked as a children’s Guardian and Family Court Advisor at CAFCASS and as a social worker in London and Norfolk operating in a safeguarding role.

Find out more: https://corambaaf.org.uk/membership/members-week-2024-listening-child/identity/episode-29-complex-identity-intersectional