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Sadie’s mum died when she was ten and she went to live with her aunt. Despite these very difficult circumstances, they had no support from social services and the relationship between Sadie and her aunt eventually broke down leaving Sadie homeless at the age of 17. Sadie approached her local authority for support and a professional mentioned that she could be taken into care. However, Sadie wasn’t given full information on her rights under The Children Act 1989, and the support she could receive if she had care status. Sadie accepted housing under the Housing Act and spent the next four years in a homeless hostel.

Throughout this time, Sadie struggled financially and got into debt while she was studying. Every month she had to make a choice about whether the pay her utility bills, buy food or pay council tax because she couldn’t afford all three. It was only when she was due to be moved to alternative accommodation four years later that a key worker mentioned that Sadie could get support to understand her rights, from the Coram Voice helpline. Sadie spoke to a Coram Voice advocate who explained her rights to her and that having care status would entitle her to practical and financial support until the age of 25.

A Coram solicitor then worked to ensure that Sadie was given retrospective care status under Section 20 of the of the Children Act 1989. This granted Sadie access to safe accommodation, financial support and support with her education.

Sadie is now living in a studio flat and is studying at university.

Ellie and Freya are siblings who were adopted by Rebecca and Andy, through Coram, when they were aged six and three. Older children often wait longer to be placed with adoptive families and especially when siblings are to be considered. Rebecca and Andy said: “We found out that sadly, many children are considered too old to be adopted once they reach the age of four or five and it is even harder if there are siblings. We felt determined that older children should be offered the same opportunities as other children to find their forever family and for siblings to be kept together.”

Rebecca says: “The first day we met Ellie and Freya was a very emotional day. Their foster carers had prepared them so well, by the time we met them they were very prepared for the adoption and couldn’t wait to meet us. We started the bonding process immediately.” Rebecca says that giving the girls boundaries and structure has been key: “They’ve gone from having no boundaries and feeling unsafe to the complete opposite and that’s made them feel settled. When Freya said “mum I don’t feel scared anymore” at the age of four, that was a big step. They know that this is their forever home.”

Ellie and Freya are going from strength to strength at home and school, and enjoy lots of different activities they’d never had the opportunity to do before. Rebecca says: “The piece of advice that has resonated most with the girls is ‘don’t let your past define your future’. We tell them ‘you can be who you want to be’. Andy says: “It feels like they have always been with us. They’re blossoming; and we can't imagine life before them now.”

Jayden’s infant years were tumultuous, and he was taken away from his birth family when he was three. After being adopted by Sarah and Mark, he struggled to settle in. The couple’s social worker referred them to Creative Therapies. Jayden started weekly music therapy sessions and Sarah and Mark were supported through regular therapeutic parenting sessions. They learned about developmental trauma and its impacts, understanding how Jayden’s brain had adapted to survive, and crucially, how his challenging behaviour signalled distress.

At home, Sarah and Mark began to see more moments of ease and connection. Jayden started curling up beside them on the sofa without being asked. Bedtimes, once a battleground, became calmer routines. He began to show an interest in his past not anxiously, but with a quiet curiosity. He was starting to believe that safe adults would stay, even when he showed them the messy parts of himself. A real milestone was Jayden’s growing ability to name and live with his feelings instead of being overtaken by them.