Babies under two: concurrent planning
The care system can be the start of a disruptive and difficult journey for babies and young children who may be moved between foster carers while a decision is being reached about their long term future.
Coram offers an alternative, through a process called concurrent planning, which we have been pioneering since 2001.
Through Coram's concurrent planning service, a baby or child in care under the age of two is found suitable foster carers who are ready and willing to adopt them later, if adoption is decided to be the best option for their long term future.
Through concurrent planning, young children are given a greater chance of finding stability and forming secure relationships with permanent adoptive parents. It provides consistency and prevents a child from the upheaval of being moved between families while a decision is being reached about their future.
What we offer
Our Concurrent Planning team offers:
- specialist preparation, with tailored workshops which supplement that given at adoption preparation groups
- intensive, high quality support throughout
- fostering allowances
- supervised visits with birth families at a neutral location.
"We felt incredibly well supported: at every stage the project worker will ring or have a conversation face to face. I've heard from others who adopted how good they are with supporting you way down the line when the child is older." Keith, concurrent planning adoptive dad
Our Concurrent Planning service is run in conjunction with local authorities in and around London and in Cambridgeshire. It is validated by C4EO, a best practice hub for 'what works' in children's services used by local authorities across England. The service received Outstanding in its latest Ofsted fostering service inspection.
Could you offer a child a loving home?
We are looking for people who are emotionally resourceful and can put the needs of very young children first.
Concurrent carers need to be able to respect and work with children's birth families.
If a concurrent carer goes on to adopt the children they have cared for, they will be in the very special position of having established a relationship with the child's parent/s so they can understand the difficulties their child's birth parents faced. They will have also helped their child through the early, unsettling months when plans are still uncertain and got to know and love them from a very young age.
We are currently looking for people who are interested in becoming concurrent carers for a baby or toddler under the age of two, who live within:
- 20 miles of Coram's Concurrent Planning service in Central London (based at Coram's head office in WC1N)
- the county of Cambridgeshire.
To find out more: please download our leaflet (right) and get in touch with our Concurrent Planning Team who would be happy to talk to you (see Find out More....)
Hear about the experience of a concurrent carer > Click here to listen to a parent talk about what it's like to foster a child through concurrent planning and hear from our Head of Adoption
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Find out more...
If you are interested in Concurrent Planning and would like to talk with one of our social workers to find out more, please contact us:
Coram Concurrent Planning
49 Mecklenburgh Sq. WC1N 2QA
T: 020 7278 1432
E: concurrentplanning@coram.org.uk