Coram adopters appear on BBC1s ‘Postcode Lottery’
9th March 2012
An episode of BBC1’s ‘Postcode Lottery’ programme which looks at the differences between the availablility and quality of services that people face depending on where you live, has told how Coram adopters, Jane and Clive came to adopt two siblings.
Jane and Clive faced challenges at first when they went to their local authority to adopt Harrow, the local authority where they lived at the time did not think it was likely they could be matched with a child.
The couple instead chose to foster, and in 2005 approach Harrow again to see about adopting a baby girl they’d been looking after as foster carers. At first Harrow didn’t know if they could help, but things start to change when Harrow brought in children’s charity Coram to help develop its service to better meet the needs of local children who were waiting to be adopted.
Coram took a new approach, introducing a process they’ve used for over ten years to help children thrive, called concurrent planning. This scheme means that children are fostered by approved prospective adopters while the courts consider the best care plan for the child. This will mean that they have one, consistent home with the same parents, first as foster carers, and then as a permanant adoptive family.
The change meant that Jane and Clive were reconsidered as prospective adopters, and they went on to adopt the baby girl they had been fostering as well as her brother.
“Straight away Coram was so efficient, brilliant,” said mum, Jane .
“They assigned a social worker to us...She came regularly, helping with homework, guiding us through the procedure, really holding our hands. Without that it would probably not have gone very smooth at all.”
Coram’s committment to adopters and their children continues even after an adoption order is granted.
Jane said, “After the adoption came through (the social worker) was still there for the children, came to see us and help them get settled in.”
contact information
49 Mecklenburgh Square
London
WC1N 2QA
Tel: 020 7520 0300
Fax: 020 7520 0301
Email: chances@coram.org.uk