CoramBAAF Conversations

Episode 38 | The AFDiT Framework

Dr Tam Cane joins Jane Poore, CoramBAAF Adoption Consultant, to talk about the Adoption Framework for Diversity and Inclusion in Transracial adoption, also known as the AFDiT Framework The framework is an initiative by Adoption England, in collaboration with the University of Sussex and The British Academy.
It aims to improve positive identity outcomes for children in transracial adoption. It was developed through a process of co-creation involving social work practitioners, individuals with lived experiences of transracial adoption, and organisations including CoramBAAF and Adoption South East. The AFDiT Framework is seen as a groundbreaking publication that underscores the commitment to enhancing the adoption experience and ensuring better support for children and families involved in transracial adoption.
Dr Tam Cane is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Education and Social Work at the University of Sussex. Dr Tam Cane's research interests centre around HIV reproductive health and adoption. Over the past few years, she has researched and published peer-reviewed articles around HIV-related reproductive health, adoption, problematic and unhealthy alcohol misuse and contextual safeguarding.
Find out more at corambaaf.org.uk!
Intro and outro music by MoodMode - Groovy Ambient Music: https://pixabay.com/music/funk-groovy-ambient-funk-201745/

Episode 37 | My adoption journey with Al Coates

In celebration of National Adoption Week, Jane Poore is joined by Al Coates. They talk about a range of elements that were a part of Al’s journey as a parent, adopter, foster carer, and social worker. In 1999, Al and his wife Paula adopted a sibling group of three, later expanding their family by adopting two children they had fostered, followed by their sibling in 2013
Al became a qualified social worker in 2013 and, two years later, advanced to the role of a social work practice educator. With over 20 years of experience working with adoptive families and foster carers, he has dedicated his career to training and advising parents and carers on managing challenging behaviours in children.
Drawing on both his personal and professional experiences, Al is also a qualified advanced non-violent resistance practitioner, specialising in supporting families facing difficult dynamics. Beyond his hands-on work, Al is a passionate advocate for adoption-related issues, lobbying for change and raising awareness. He hosts the weekly Adoption & Fostering Podcast and contributes articles on topics such as childhood challenging, violent, and aggressive behaviour.
Find out more at corambaaf.org.uk!
Intro and outro music by MoodMode - Groovy Ambient Music: https://pixabay.com/music/funk-groovy-ambient-funk-201745/

Episode 36 | FRG’s Lifelong Link and Build Not Break campaign

Join us as we explore the Build Not Break campaign with our guests. In this episode hosted by James Bury, Head of Policy, Research and Development, we delve into the inspiring work of the Family Rights Group (FRG) and their mission to support children and young people in care.  
Special guests Andrew, Saima, and Sandra will share their experiences with the innovative Build Not Break campaign, which aims to ensure care-experienced individuals have enduring, positive relationships. We’ll discuss initiatives like Lifelong Links, connecting children with relatives, former carers, and other significant individuals to foster a stronger sense of identity and stability. Tune in for powerful stories, expert insights, and practical advice on building supportive relationships for those in care. 
Andrew is a family group conference and Lifelong Links practice adviser at Family Rights Group, with years of experience in education and child welfare. He specialises in training practitioners to support the relationships of children, young people, and families; strategic development; and system change. Andrew is committed to improving the lives of people who experience the sharp end of children’s social care. 
Saima is a young care care-experienced person with lived experience of Lifelong Links. Saima and her sister were in care and had limited time with their family. Lifelong Links increased the number of connections and the quality of their relationships while helping them understand their rights. 
Sandra is a Lifelong Links coordinator and a Life Story facilitator. She exemplifies the importance and the connection that Life Story work has in relation to Lifelong Links. Sandra endorses the importance of connection vicariously through young people. 
At the end of the episode, we have included a jingle about Lifelong links created by the Lifelong Links team at Brighton and Hove Council. The song features a fantastically talented care experienced young person Maddie Hughes. 
Find out more at corambaaf.org.uk!

Episode 35 | The kinship assessment process: listening to carers

For Kinship Care Week, Ann Horne interviewed Clare Seth about their work on the new Form K (previously known as Form C) due to be launched in January 2025. Clare shares the feedback from focus groups, including the voices of kinship carers, and how they used this to inform the development of Form K. Form K is currently being piloted within 10 local authorities across the UK. CoramBAAF hopes the revised form will improve the assessment experience for kinship carers.  We hope it will enable relationship-based assessment practice that captures their strengths and vulnerabilities, and what is important to them as a family.  
To find out more about accessing CoramBAAF forms, and forms licensing, click here.
Ann Horne, our Kinship Care Consultant, has 20 years' experience as a social worker in children's services, with 14 years focused on kinship care. She co-managed a kinship care team in Brighton & Hove, contributed to best practice models, and helped shape national kinship assessment policies. Ann also developed comprehensive support services for kinship carers. 
Clare Seth, also our Kinship Care Consultant, is a qualified social worker with over 20 years' experience in children’s services, specialising in kinship care and adoption assessment and support. She has managed teams in Brighton & Hove and worked as a freelance social worker for the last four years, focusing on kinship. Clare is also a qualified trainer with experience delivering support programmes in Sussex.
 

Access and support rights to children's social care files: in conversation with Leonie Sheedy

Leonie is the CEO and co-founder of Care Leavers Australasia Network (CLAN). She is an advocate for the rights of care leavers and people who are victims of institutional abuse. Leonie has given several major presentations including at the UN in Geneva and received a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2007.
 
Find out more: https://corambaaf.org.uk/resources/access-records/childrens-social-care-files/access-and-support-rights-childrens-social

Access and support rights to children's social care files: in conversation with Frank Golding

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

Access and support rights to children's social care files: in conversation with Barbara Reed

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

Episode 34 | Examples of direct work with children

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.

Episode 32 | Support available for children and families about school exclusions

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

Episode 33 | Bringing social workers and teachers together

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