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CoramBAAF hosts National Adoption Strategy Webinar
On Tuesday 8 February, CoramBAAF hosted a webinar on ‘The National Adoption Strategy – Why, Where and When’ for members and partners from across the adoption sector. Read the overview or watch the webinar in full.
Issues in cases linked to Somerset ruling found to be more widespread
Linked cases to the Somerset judgement have been delayed by the discovery that the issues are common in several local authorities and it is not yet clear how many children may be affected. While the President of the Family Division considers how they can be dealt with, the following recommendations have been made.
CoramBAAF’s Locating Adoption Records Database now accessible to all
We are pleased to announce that our Locating Adoption Records database is now fully accessible to adoption agencies, members of the public and researchers via our Adoption Search Reunion (ASR) website. The database can be searched using historic information about a home (maternity, mother & baby, shelter etc.), organisation or local authority involved in the birth or adoption, or even a staff member who worked in one of these homes or organisations. The results show the most likely current holder of the adoption records, and include full contact details so that further enquiries can be made.
Somerset judgement continuing to cause issues for local authorities
The recent Somerset legal case continues to trouble local authorities across England. In Somerset County Council v NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group & Anor [2021] EWHC 3004(Fam), the court was told that the issues in the case were not confined to Somerset County Council, and this seems to be being borne out by a high level of queries being received on the CoramBAAF Advice Line.
CoramBAAF publishes submission to the Care Review's Call for Ideas
CoramBAAF submits eight ideas to the Care Review's Call for Ideas.
Court ruling impacts placement orders
On 24 November the High Court handed down a judgement in Somerset County Council v NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group & Anor [2021] EWHC 3004(Fam) dealing with the lawfulness of placement orders made in ten separate cases. The court found that the Agency Decision Maker (ADM) had not made the decision that the child should be placed for adoption in accordance with the Adoption Agencies Regulations (AAR) 2005.
Working with separated migrant children - the new normal
CoramBAAF members, partner agencies and other stakeholders are invited to attend this webinar discussing findings from the study ‘Supporting separated migrant children to thrive during COVID-19’ which will take place on Friday 17 December.
Adoption & Fostering journal goes online only
A big thank you to all readers who responded to our recent journal survey. We were delighted to find how much the journal is valued, with 94 per cent stating that they would recommend it. The survey responses, along with economic and environmental concerns, have contributed to our decision to publish the journal online only from March 2022.