CoramBAAF Annual Health Conference 2026 : Understanding and Improving the Mental Health of Care experienced children and young people
We are delighted to invite you to this year’s CoramBAAF Annual Health Conference. Book now to join us on 22 June 2026 at Conference Aston, Aston Street, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET
Do you work with children in care, adopted children, care leavers, or their carers and parents?
Come along to find out more about how services can provide better mental health support for care experienced children and young people. We will consider some key challenges in practice, and examine the complexities and potential solutions.
Children and young people often describe routes to appropriate support and care as a "maze", or a "roulette wheel of chance"; we will explore why this happens and remedies to this situation. We will consider themes such as the co-occurrence of neurodivergence and trauma.
The day will also consider why an understanding of the mental health of prospective foster and kinship carers/adopters is important in their assessment pathways.
The annual health conference is a key event in the calendar of medical advisers, doctors and nurses working with care experienced and adopted children. It is a conference that brings together practice and ideas that are current, relevant to you, and which matter. Join us for an engaging event designed to inform and connect health professionals from across the country.
Join us for an engaging event designed to inform and connect health and social work professionals from across the country. You'll have the opportunity to get up to date on critical topics, gain valuable insight, share your perspective and be part of the conversation.
Aston Conferences is a leafy campus for our summer conference. It is within an easy 15 minute walk of Birmingham New Street station. Next to the station is The Bull Ring shopping centre including a Selfridges store.
PRESENTERS
The programme includes confirmed speakers and workshop leads from Anna Freud Centre/UK trauma council, the "Collage "study/ Birmingham University and Adoption England. Sessions will include what recent research tells us about providing mental health support, suicide prevention, care-experienced young people's help seeking behaviours as well as multi-disciplinary team support and therapeutic interventions for adopted children.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- To recognise and identify when a child young person would benefit from mental health support, assessment and treatment
- To be able to deploy mental health first aid when children are distressed including responding when they express thoughts of self-harm
- Choose from a range of options to enable children and young people to access appropriate mental health support services
- How to help carers, parents and other professionals to support children and young people with their mental health and well-being
PROGRAMME
Keynote address - Dr Rachel Hiller, Professor in Child & Adolescent Mental Health, University College London and Co-Director, UK Trauma Council
Bridging research and practice to meet the mental health and wellbeing needs of care-experienced young people
Speakers
Dr Sophie Esnouf and Dr Maria Marcolin, AEGIS Project
Psychological wellbeing and mental health support needs of CYPSAR: Findings from the AEGIS project
(Speaker tbc)
Online harms and preventing suicide
Ellie Johnson, Health Consultant CoramBAAF and invited guests
40 years of getting to grips with the Maze of A's
Other topics during the day will include
The needs of adopted children and the model for adoption support
How the IHA standards can help us identify appropriate mental health support
Mental health information on prospective carers
Posters
Confirmed to date
- Barbara Stewart, Consultant Paediatrician, Community Paediatrics, Musselburgh Primary Care Centre - Evidence of recognition, realisation and restriction of children's rights within adoption medical advisers' practice: scoping review protocol
- Dr. Naila Nazi, MBCHB, MRCPCH, MSc (Public Health), Consultant Paediatrician and Clinical Lead for Paediatrics in Barking and Dagenham
- Emma Johnson and Mairead Farrell, Designated Nurse Children Looked After and Care Leavers NHS Somerset - Somerset Health Offer to Adoption Strategy
- Dr Chaitra Singh-Mahadeo, Deputy Named Doctor CLA Lambeth, Evelina London
Early bird sale until 23 April 2026 23.59pm
Full or associate CoramBAAF member £184.00 + £36.80 VAT - £220.80
Individual CoramBAAF member £156 + £31.20 VAT - £187.20
Non-member £256 + £51.20 VAT - £307.20
Prices from 24 April 2026 00.00am
Full or associate CoramBAAF member £230 + £46.00 VAT - Total £276.00
Individual CoramBAAF member £195.00 + £39.00 VAT - Total £234.00
Non-member £320+ £64 VAT - Total £384.00
TESTIMONIALS FROM ANNUAL HEALTH CONFERENCE 2025
"Great opportunity to meet with other health professional involved in improving the lives of children and young people in care"
"Informative and enjoyable, with food for thought and good networking opportunities"
"Panel of care experienced young people was moving and hugely impactful, this has inspired me to aim to make changes within my organisation"
"Always a good day, represents excellent value"
WHY ATTEND?
- Grow your network: Connect with social care professionals who share your passion for improving outcomes for children and families.
- Improve your skills: Gain fresh insights to take your practice to the next level in supporting stability, mental health and well-being.
- Stay informed: Keep up with the latest research and developments in the child health sector.
CONTACT
Telephone: 0207 520 7520 / 0310
Email: events@corambaaf.org.uk
£320.00