The Coram-i Network

No local authority can solve placement sufficiency, digital transformation, workforce pressures and reform implementation alone.

The Coram-i Network brings together those shaping, building, and enabling change across children’s social care – uniting practice insights, innovation and investment to create real, system-wide impact.

By connecting leaders, practitioners, researchers, innovators, funders and partners, we create opportunities to share learning, explore solutions and accelerate improvement across the sector. Through collaboration, insight and action, we help turn shared challenges into collective solutions.

Our model for system improvement

Learning from across the Network continually informs future priorities, helping us remain responsive to the evolving needs of children’s services and ensuring that insight, innovation and improvement are connected rather than operating in isolation.

Our work is organised around six connected stages. However, these stages are not always linear:

1. Network, community and insight

Everything starts with listening to and connecting the sector. By bringing together diverse perspectives and synthesising learning from across the system, we help focus collective action on the challenges that matter most.

Through the Coram-i Network, events, partnerships and engagement activities, we convene leaders and partners from across children’s social care to gather insight, understand emerging priorities and identify opportunities for collaboration and innovation.

2. Focus collective action

We bring together leaders, practitioners, innovators and partners around shared challenges that no organisation can solve alone.

By creating opportunities for collaboration, discussion and peer learning, we help the sector move from identifying challenges to developing a shared understanding of priorities and potential solutions.

3. Build capacity

We support leaders and organisations to develop the capability, confidence and skills needed to drive improvement.

This includes leadership development, learning opportunities, practical application and access to expertise that helps organisations respond to emerging challenges and opportunities.

4. Amplify and sustain

Through our flagship programmes, partnerships and innovation activity, we help organisations explore and adopt new approaches in practice.

Current areas of focus include Responsible AI and Digital Practice and Placement Sufficiency and Market Innovation. By bringing together evidence, innovation and practical experience, we help the sector test, adapt and apply promising ideas.

5. Enable change

We share learning, communicate emerging insights and build the partnerships, funding and support needed to sustain long-term change.

Through knowledge sharing, Innovation Forums, cross-sector collaboration and strategic partnerships, we help successful approaches reach more organisations, strengthen collective learning and create wider impact across children’s social care.

Our research, reports and resources

6. Generate impact

The ultimate purpose of the Coram-i Network is to improve outcomes for children and young people.

By connecting insight, collaboration, leadership development and innovation, we help strengthen leadership, accelerate learning and support the development of more effective and scalable solutions. Together, these contribute to more responsive services and better outcomes for children, young people and families.

System Leaders

Join a community of leaders shaping the future of children’s social care.

System Leaders are local authority leaders responsible for improving outcomes for children and families. They are looking for practical insight, trusted peers, emerging ideas and opportunities to tackle complex challenges collectively.

Through the Coram-i Network, System Leaders can:

  • Connect with peers facing similar challenges
  • Access insight, evidence and learning from across the sector
  • Participate in Innovation Forums and collaborative learning activities
  • Engage with flagship programmes on priority themes
  • Influence future Network priorities and areas of focus
  • Build relationships with researchers, innovators and strategic partners

The Network is designed to help leaders learn from one another, reduce duplication and accelerate progress across children’s social care.

Innovation Builders

Collaborate with the sector.

Innovation Builders are organisations developing ideas, products, services or approaches that have the potential to improve outcomes for children and families.

This includes:

  • Technology providers
  • Social enterprises
  • Research organisations
  • Universities
  • Specialist consultancies
  • Innovation partners

The Coram-i Network provides opportunities to:

  • Develop a deeper understanding of sector priorities
  • Engage with children’s services leaders
  • Contribute expertise and insight
  • Explore collaborative innovation opportunities
  • Participate in learning and discussion forums
  • Support responsible and ethical innovation

We believe innovation is most effective when it is grounded in evidence, informed by practice and developed in partnership with those delivering and receiving services.

Other ways to work with us

Research and evaluation partnerships

We welcome opportunities to collaborate with universities, research organisations and evaluation partners to generate evidence, explore emerging issues and strengthen understanding of what works.

Speak at an event or innovation forum

We are always interested in hearing from leaders, practitioners, researchers, innovators and people with lived experience who can contribute valuable perspectives to our events, roundtables and learning activities.

Collaborate on a project or programme

We work with organisations from across the public, voluntary, academic and private sectors to develop and deliver projects, pilots, learning initiatives and innovation programmes.

Share insight and learning

We are committed to identifying, amplifying and sharing learning from across the sector. If you have a case study, project, piece of research or innovative practice that could benefit others, we’d like to hear from you.

Media and communications enquiries

We welcome opportunities to contribute to sector discussions, publications, events and media activity relating to innovation, improvement and children’s social care.

Interested in getting involved?

Get in touch with us using the enquiry form below or find out more about our flagship programmes and events.

Contact us Programmes and events

Get in touch

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