Harrow-Coram Partnership
Coram works with the London Borough of Harrow to help improve the borough's service to children needing adoption.
The project, the first of its kind, involves Coram's experts working with the Council to provide early intervention and permanence planning for children in the borough.
Since the partnership began in 2006, every child referred has found a loving, supportive adoptive family.
In 2006, Harrow Council placed three per cent of its looked-after children with adoptive families. The partnership with Coram’s specialist team has driven this up to 20 per cent and the process has helped to prevent delays in decision making.
Today, residents interested in adopting a child will be referred to Coram if they contact Harrow.
Impact and acclaim
The project was independently evaluated by Julie Selwyn of the University of Bristol and KPMG. Their findings showed:
- All children were matched by Coram staff within the stipulated target of six months from the adoption recommendation. (The average time is four months.)
- For each child adopted, Harrow saved £24,076 per annum in foster care expenditures. This equates to an annual saving for Harrow of £440,000 per year.
Download the full Coram Harrow Partnership Evaluation Report (see right) for further details.
In a separate development, Coram's work with Harrow has aslo been validated by C4EO, the Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People's Services, as an example of promising practice.
Previously, the partnership was acclaimed by Martin Narey, the Government's Adoption Adviser. In his comprehensive adoption report for The Times in July 2011, Martin Narey said "the Coram approach is 100% successful in Harrow".
