BAAF amalgamates some services with Coram to create CoramBAAF Adoption & Fostering Academy

The British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) has announced that it has closed and that some of its functions have transferred to children’s charity and adoption and fostering agency, Coram, and to a new entity, CoramBAAF Adoption & Fostering Academy.

CoramBAAF will continue to operate as an independent membership organisation for agencies and individuals in the UK, and the following functions will be provided by CoramBAAF: research, policy and development; membership administration; professional advice and professional development; publications; the National Adoption Register for England, the Independent Review Mechanism (England); National Adoption Week, and the Adoption Activity Days. The magazine Be My Parent has closed today.

The Scottish Government has transferred the work of Scotland’s Adoption Registerand funded a national adopter information helpline for Scotland to St Andrew’s Children’s Society today. BAAF Northern Ireland and BAAF Wales will continue to trade on a limited basis for a brief period to allow consideration of options to transfer some services and staff to an alternative provider.

Caroline Selkirk, CEO of BAAF said:

'In the face of significant changes and prevailing economic conditions, it has sadly not been possible to sustain the organisation.

We have been working hard to ensure that some of BAAF’s vital services for vulnerable children continue. The new opportunity offered by Coram will allow the legacy of BAAF to be taken forward as part of the vision for a national centre of excellence for children.

We appreciate that this is a very challenging time for our dedicated staff and are committed to giving them as much support as is possible during this period.

We are immensely grateful to all of our donors, members and partners who, for over 30 years, have enabled BAAF to provide services of the highest quality and look forward to their continued support of adoption and fostering.'

Dr Carol Homden, CBE, Coram’s CEO, said:

'Coram is the oldest children’s charity and has been delivering fostering and adoption services for 275 years. The CoramBAAF Adoption & Fostering Academy is a sustainable way forward which enables the expertise of two organisations renowned for their work with looked after children to be shared to create better chances for children.'

Useful contacts during the transfer period can found at www.baaf.org.uk