Thomas Coram Foundation for Children Ofsted report

Coram is an independent adoption agency, registered to provide domestic adoption services and adoption support services. The London office support team is serving adopters within a 35 mile radius of central London north of the river Thames, as well as 10 mile radius of central London south of the river Thames

Last year the London office placed 34 children with their approved adopters. The team provides a range of post adoption support to adoptive families, and others affected by adoption, where the agency was originally involved in the adoption. This includes access to information, intermediary services, and counselling to adopted adults and birth relatives seeking information about, or contact with, their adopted relative.

Key Achievements

  • Supported early decisions to place children for adoption and reduced the time children wait for adoptive placements. As a result, we managed to avoid the unsettling experience of moving and re-attaching children to permanent carers.
  • Improved practice through evaluating the views of adopters over the last 10 years, giving us the opportunity to provide an adoption service of exemplary quality.
  • Identified four young people to meet with the Children’s Minister, who gave their views on adoption and thus influenced national policy.
  • Been commissioned by the Department for Education to provide consultation, along with another independent organisation, to look at how 13 local authorities could improve their adoption services.