CoramBAAF Conversations

Adoption & Fostering journal #1 | March introduction with Dr Dennis Golm and Vicky Walker

In the first episode of the Adoption & Fostering podcast, Dr Dennis Golm and Vicky Walker introduce the Volume 47 Issue 1 of our journal. They talk us through Dennis' first editorial, along with the table of contents for the issue.
Our Adoption & Fostering journal podcast is dedicated to sharing the research, findings and developments of academics that focus on adoption, fostering, kinship and the children's social care sector. We have designed this podcast series to explore the articles that we publish in our online journal in a new format, and to make the content readily available and more accessible.
Our presenters, Vicky Walker (Production Editor) and Dr Dennis Golm (Journal editor) regularly meet to give you an overview of each edition of our journal, talking you through the table of contents of the quarterly issues as well as picking key points from our articles. They also meet with authors to interview them about their research, discuss their key findings and any questions that they have following the publication of their articles.
If you would like to take part in our podcast series or would like to write an article for the Adoption & Fostering journal please contact ellyse.partington@corambaaf.org.uk. If you want to listen to our podcast, browse our episodes below.
 
Find out more at corambaaf.org.uk

Episode 23 | LIVE Annual Health Conference: Hot topics and a step into the past

Live from this year's Annual Health Conference, Michelle Bell interviewed our poster presenters about the work that they are currently undertaking in the health sector.
These conversations include:
A joint Doctor and Nurse model for initial health assessments for children in care - Dr Michelle Bond, Named Doctor for Children in Care for  Brighton and Hove, and  Sue Donald,  Specialist Nurse for Children in Care for NHS Sussex.
The mental health aspect of adult assessments for prospective carers - Matilda Roberts, a medical student at Cardiff University.
Supporting the completion of health recommendations following IHA through improved patient/carer information - Kathryn Tolson, Named Nurse, and Dr Anne-Marie Chick, Specialty Doctor for Looked After Children in Oxfordshire.
Find out more: https://corambaaf.org.uk/episode-23-hot-topics-and-step-past

Episode 22 | PRIDE special: The experiences of an LGBTQ+ foster carer

Emma and Matt come together to explore Matt’s experiences as a gay man and a foster carer. Matt and his partner began their journey as foster carers in 2019 and had their first placement during lockdown. Matt is often faced with stigma and stereotypes, he works to challenge these stigmas and dismantle traditional gender roles whilst also providing a supportive and loving care for his young people and community.  
They talk about the positives and the fun that comes with celebrate PRIDE month as a family and why it is important to talk about the meaning and significance of being part of something bigger. He mentions how he encourages the children he cares for to authentically be themselves. Emma and Matt also discuss advice for prospective foster carers,  
Matt Taylor-Roberts (he/him) is a passionate advocate and a prominent figure in the realm of supporting LGBT+ parents/carers and their children. As the founder and Managing Director of Proud 2 b Parents.  
Emma Fincham (she/her) Emma started working at CoramBAAF in October 2021. She is a qualified social worker, with over 25 years of experience in children and young people’s services. She most recently led a fostering team in Brighton and Hove City Council for five years.
Find out more on the CoramBAAF website.

Episode 21 | The impact of the online world on the mental health of care-experienced children

We are excited to share the latest addition to our resources aimed at supporting practitioners to work with children and young people and their online life. Developed by Dr. Vicki Walker from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and Jane Poore, our Adoption Consultant, these materials will be released over the next 12-18 months. Dive into the latest podcast episode, where they explore the impact of the online world on the mental health of care-experienced children and young people.
Dr. Vicki Walker shares her belief that everyone working in education, the police, social care, and the third sector has a role in setting an example and taking action. Vicki and Jane’s work is creating tools for social workers and children’s social care professionals to start conversations with children and young people about the online world and their mental health. 
Please note that this episode contains discussions about anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide. The views in this episode belong to the participants.
Visit our website for the episode transcript and more information: The impact of the online world on the mental health of care-experienced children | CoramBAAF

Episode 20 | Where did my dinosaur go? Foster Care Fortnight #FosteringMoments

Emma Fincham, CoramBAAF’s Fostering Consultant, is joined by Paul Calder and Eva Sprecher to talk about their new children’s book, Where did my dinosaur go?. This is a charming picture book about moving to live somewhere new, and learning to trust new people – ideal for children in foster care, kinship care, private fostering, and many other situations.
Paul Calder has been a foster carer for 11 years, and got involved in the book after being on an eight-week Reflective Fostering programme.
Dr Eva A Sprecher is a researcher at UCL, who works with care experienced young people and foster carers to understand how we can support young people who have lived in care with their mental health, especially through thinking about relationships.

Episode 19 | Where did my dinosaur go? | Author interview

Where did my dinosaur go? is a charming children's book about two meerkats, Mia and Kit, who do not like their new home. They don’t like their new routine, their new bedroom, or new foods for dinner – and most of all, they definitely do not like their new carer, Becky the capybara. But when the meerkats (along with their very special cuddly dinosaur toys) stay with Becky, they discover that a new home can be OK, and sometimes it’s alright to trust new people. 
Jo Francis, CoramBAAF's Publishing Manager, sat down with three members of the authorial team that worked on Where did my dinosaur go? to talk about where the idea came from, their research findings and how that impacted the story that they told.
Amelia Goswell graduated with a degree in geography from Durham University and currently works as a transport planner in London. 
Meryl Westlake is a researcher at University College London (UCL) studying mental health and risk-taking among children living in residential care. She hopes that the book can share understanding from research in a way that helps children and their foster carers have important conversations about trust. 
Dr Eva A Sprecher is a researcher at UCL, who works with care experienced young people and foster carers to understand how we can support young people who have lived in care with their mental health, especially through thinking about relationships. 
Find out more or watch the interview here: https://corambaaf.org.uk/where-did-my-dinosaur-go-author-interview

Episode 18 part two | ‘Adoption by foster carers’ - interview with author Elaine Dibben

Discover firsthand insights on adoption by foster carers in our exclusive podcast interviews featuring Isla, a foster carer turned adopter, and author Elaine Dibben. Joined by Jo Francis, CoramBAAF’s Publication Manager, they delve into both the personal and practical aspects of this journey.
Elaine Dibben started her social work career in residential social work and qualified in 1988. She has over 30 years’ experience of working in adoption and fostering in local authority and voluntary adoption agency settings and is a strong advocate for the importance of securing permanence in family settings for children who cannot return to their parents’ care. She joined BAAF (now CoramBAAF) in 2004 to become manager of the Independent Review Mechanism, which she set up and ran until 2009, when she moved to take on a wider role in BAAF as a trainer/consultant, most recently as the Adoption Development Consultant for CoramBAAF until March 2021. Since April 2021, she has been working as an independent social work consultant, including chairing an RAA adoption panel and fostering panels. She is the author or co-author of a number of popular Good Practice Guides for CoramBAAF, including Adoption by Foster Carers, Fostering for Adoption and Undertaking an Adoption Assessment. 

Episode 18 part one | ‘Adoption by foster carers’ - interview with Isla, foster carer and adopter

Discover firsthand insights on adoption by foster carers in our exclusive podcast interviews featuring Isla, a foster carer turned adopter, and author Elaine Dibben. Joined by Jo Francis, CoramBAAF’s Publication Manager, they delve into both the personal and practical aspects of this journey.
Isla is a Foster Carer for a Local Authority with previous professional experiences in education and safeguarding. Her family have been on a journey for the last three years in Fostering and Adoption. The journey has been significantly longer than that of most people who apply to adopt having made their initial intention known well over two years ago (in early 2022) and they are still awaiting the final adoption order. Isla is, unsurprisingly, passionate about seeing the systems improve for all those involved in adoption.

Episode 17 | What is a sibling assessment?

Listen to Joan Hunt and Helen Little talk about sibling assessment and the impact they have on children and their sibling relationships. They discuss how sibling assessments have been conducted in the past and the variables this generated. As well as covering, what sibling assessments have looked like since the introduction of CoramBAAF's Sibling Assessment Report (SAR) and how it promotes consistency across reports, and the encouragement of a multi-disciplinary approach to capture multiple voices.
Find out more and explore relevant resources on our website: https://corambaaf.org.uk/resources/co...

Episode 16 | Post adoption depression

Post adoption depression: What is it? Who does it affect? What are we doing about it? These questions and more form part of Doctor Lynn Snow's Churchill Fellowship research. In this conversation, Jane Poore, Adoption Consultant, is joined by Doctor Lynn Snow to answer some of these questions.
Doctor Lynn Snow is a community paediatrician working as Designated Doctor for looked after children for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and has worked with looked after children for over 20 years in various roles  (including adoption adviser) in various areas of the country. She was until recently chair of the CoramBAAF National Health advisory committee and has focused on health records for children post adoption working with  DHSC and NHSE.
She has been awarded a Churchill Fellowship to look at post adoption depression. She held a Fellowship with Health Education England East Midlands for two years looking at leadership in the SAS group of doctors. She has previously worked in West Africa in community child health. She is motivated by the desire to see high quality joined up services at all levels which ensure that the child in looked after child remains the focus. If you or anyone you know is affected by this topic, please speak to your social worker or GP
Churchill Fellowship - a community of change makers – has partnered with Coram to offer travel fellowships to research ideas related to children in care. Next year it could be you!
 
Find out more: https://corambaaf.org.uk/post-adoption-depression