Training & events programme

The 9th International Conference on Adoption Research (ICAR) was held at the University of Porto in July 2026. This was an opportunity for researchers, professionals, adopted people and adopters from across the globe to discuss ideas, innovation and information, together with best-practice and contemporary evidence in adoption. In this session, we are delighted to be joined by a diverse team of specialists and academics who attended and presented at ICAR9, to discuss some of the learning and consider how this can apply to the children and families here in the UK.

A specialist briefing for case management systems specialists, practice leads, data and performance leads, social work practitioners and CoramBAAF forms contacts

In this session, Sarah Lloyd, Author of the Building Underdeveloped Sensorimotor Systems (BUSS®) will give a brief overview of the model. Dr Helen Close, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University will talk about the evaluation they undertook, examining outcomes for 468 families who went through the model. We’ll also hear from a parent who has been through the model with their daughter, and the impact this has had on their lives. Information will be given about what the intervention involves and how local authorities, regional adoption agencies and other services can provide or help families to access it.

CoramBAAF and the Archives and Records Association (ARA), with funding from the Department for Education, are developing a new online platform designed to help adopted and care-experienced people locate records relating to their adoption and time in care. Join this short briefing session for an introduction to the platform. We'll provide an overview of its key features, demonstrate how it works, outline plans for further development, and explain how stakeholders can help shape the final resource ahead of its full launch.