coram.org.uk

Coram's research position, as set out on its website, is that the UK government's target of creating 10,000 new foster care places over the current Parliament looks "realistic and attainable" — but only if it is matched by a serious focus on keeping the foster carers already in place. The finding comes from the Coram Institute for Children, Coram's research arm, and was published alongside the government's campaign launch.

The core finding

The Coram Institute for Children's assessment has two parts, and they need to be read together:

• Recruitment target: Creating 10,000 additional foster care places across the Parliament is judged achievable. Coram does not dismiss the ambition as unrealistic.
• Retention condition: The target "must be accompanied by a focus on retaining existing foster carers." Recruitment alone, in Coram's framing, is not a sufficient strategy.

The practical implication is that a campaign measured only in new places could miss the bigger problem: the supply of foster carers depends as much on people staying as on people starting.

Why retention is the sticking point

Coram's public materials do not publish the full methodology or carer-turnover figures behind this conclusion on the pages reviewed. What the site does make clear is the logic of the warning: if experienced carers leave at a similar rate to new ones being recruited, net capacity grows far more slowly than headline recruitment numbers suggest. That is why Coram frames retention as a condition of the target being met, not an optional extra.

For anyone using this research — a local authority planning recruitment, a journalist covering the campaign, or a prospective carer trying to understand the system — the takeaway is to track both numbers: new carers approved and existing carers retained.

Where this sits in Coram's wider work

The foster care research is one part of Coram's broader children's charity work, which the site describes as changing "lives, laws and systems to support children from infancy to independence." Related material on coram.org.uk includes:

• Adoption research: Coram's Adoption Propensity Report analyses trends in adopter recruitment and finds the number of families available to adopt is substantially below the number needed for children still waiting — while public willingness to consider adoption remains comparatively high.
• Adoption resources: Coram Adoption and a downloadable Adoption Toolkit, which the site says reflects the lived experiences of Coram ambassadors and offers adoptees a tool for reflection, guidance and support.
• Care-experienced voices: the Speaking for Ourselves programme, funded by a £954,650 National Heritage Lottery Fund grant, to preserve stories of the UK's care-experienced movement from the 1970s onward.
• Group news: Potential Plus UK transferring into the Coram Group.

How to use this if you need more detail

The summary above reflects what Coram has published publicly. If you need the underlying evidence — sample sizes, definitions of a "foster care place," or the retention data — the next step is to look for the full Coram Institute for Children report rather than the news summary. When reading it, check:

1. How "places" are defined — new households approved versus total capacity.
2. The retention baseline — what carer turnover rate the 10,000 figure is set against.
3. Timeframe — the target is tied to the current Parliament, so the assessment is sensitive to when the clock starts.

Coram's own framing gives you the headline conclusion and the condition attached to it; the detailed numbers sit in the research publication itself.

Coram is a group of children's charities, established as the Foundling Hospital in 1739, that works to create better chances for young people and families. Its website, coram.org.uk, covers the group's adoption work, research and policy analysis, fundraising, and news about its member organisations. If you want to understand what Coram does today or follow its recent activity, the site is organised around those themes rather than as a single service portal.

What the Coram website covers

The site presents Coram's work under the framing "Better chances for children, now and forever," describing how the organisation "changes lives, laws and systems to support children from infancy to independence." The main areas visible on the homepage are:

• Adoption — Coram Adoption is featured prominently, including National Adoption Week activity and a portrait series with photographer Richard Ansett, launched to mark the centenary of the 1926 Adoption Act.
• Research and reports — including an Adoption Propensity Report analysing trends in the recruitment of adopters, and a downloadable Adoption Toolkit that reflects the lived experiences of Coram ambassadors.
• News — updates from across the group, including research from the Coram Institute for Children and announcements about member organisations.
• Donation and learning about the work — the homepage offers "Donate" and "Learn about our work" as entry points.

The site also includes a checkout/cart path, which indicates an online transaction facility, but the available material does not specify what is sold, prices, or whether any content requires login.

Which organisations are part of the Coram group

The available page evidence names several parts of the group:

The list above reflects only what appears in the supplied page content; the site may describe additional member organisations elsewhere.

Recent news featured on the site

Foster care research. Coram Institute for Children published research responding to the government's campaign to create 10,000 new foster care places over the current Parliament. The research describes the target as "realistic and attainable" but argues it must be accompanied by a focus on retaining existing foster carers.

Anti-bullying documentary. A documentary inspired by a Mount Kilimanjaro fundraising challenge for Coram Kidscape premiered in London on Monday 28 September, highlighting the lasting impact bullying can have on children and the importance of support and prevention.

Speaking for Ourselves. Coram announced a three-year programme, funded by a £954,650 grant from The National Heritage Lottery Fund, to preserve and share the stories of the UK's care-experienced movement from the 1970s to the present day.

Potential Plus UK. The site notes that Potential Plus UK is transferring into Coram Group.

Adoption Propensity Report. Coram's analysis of adopter recruitment trends found that the number of families available to adopt is substantially below the number needed for children for whom an adoptive family has not yet been found — a contrast with public attitudes and willingness to consider adopting.

How to use the site

• To read a news item or report summary, start from the homepage sections described above; each item links to a fuller page ("Read more").
• To explore adoption, use the Coram Adoption entry point; the Adoption Toolkit is available as a download.
• To support the work, the homepage offers a Donate option.
• If you need a specific service, check whether it sits with Coram itself or with a member organisation such as Coram Kidscape or Coram Adoption, since the group structure means services are delivered by different parts of the organisation.

Coram's homepage gives you two direct routes: a Donate call-to-action and a Learn about our work link, both sitting under the headline "Better chances for children, now and forever." Use Donate if you want to give; use Learn about our work if you want to understand what the charity does before deciding. The same page also surfaces current campaigns, research and toolkits, so you can go deeper without hunting through menus.

Donating through the site

The homepage presents Donate as a primary action alongside Learn about our work. The site's page evidence also shows a checkout path at https://www.coram.org.uk/checkout/cart, which indicates an online cart/checkout flow exists on the site.

What the available information does not confirm: accepted payment methods, suggested or minimum amounts, whether one-off and regular giving are both offered, or whether any step requires an account. Treat those as things to check on the donation page itself rather than assumptions.

Practical steps

1. Open https://www.coram.org.uk and locate the Donate button in the top area of the homepage.
2. Follow it into the donation flow and read the options presented (amount, frequency, any gift-aid-style questions) before entering details.
3. If you are routed to a cart, review the item and total on the cart page before completing checkout.
4. Keep the confirmation email or receipt — it is your record of the gift.

Expected result: a completed donation and a confirmation. Common snag: if the Donate button leads somewhere unexpected, the cart URL above is a known path on the site you can compare against.

Learning about Coram's work

The Learn about our work link is the entry point for understanding the organisation. Coram describes itself as established as the Foundling Hospital in 1739 and today a group of children's charities working to create better chances for young people and families — it states that it "changes lives, laws and systems to support children from infancy to independence."

From the homepage you can branch into:

Using the news and research pages

The news section is where Coram publishes evidence-led positions. Examples visible on the homepage:

• Foster care research — Coram Institute for Children research responds to the government's campaign for 10,000 new foster care places, calling the target "realistic and attainable" but arguing it must be paired with a focus on retaining existing foster carers.
• Speaking for Ourselves — a three-year programme backed by a £954,650 National Heritage Lottery Fund grant to preserve stories of the UK's care-experienced movement from the 1970s onward.
• Anti-bullying documentary — a film inspired by a Mount Kilimanjaro fundraising challenge for Coram Kidscape premiered in London on 28 September.
• Potential Plus UK — noted as transferring into Coram Group.

If your goal is to evaluate the charity before giving, read one research item and one service page (adoption or fostering) — that pairing shows both the evidence base and the delivery side.

Choosing your path

• You already intend to give: go straight to Donate; skip the reading.
• You are deciding whether to give: start with Learn about our work, then one news/research item, then return to Donate.
• You are looking for adoption or fostering information for yourself: use Explore Coram Adoption and the Adoption Toolkit rather than the donation flow.
• You want citable evidence on UK care policy: the Adoption Propensity Report and the foster care research are the relevant pages.

Coram is a group of children's charities in the UK, established as the Foundling Hospital in 1739, that works to create better chances for children and families "from infancy to independence." Its website, coram.org.uk, is the main public entry point for learning about its work, reading its research and news, exploring its adoption services, and finding ways to support it. It is useful if you want to understand what the organisation does, follow its campaigns and reports, or look into adoption and fostering information it publishes.

What Coram is

Coram describes itself as "a group of children's charities" with a long history: it began as the Foundling Hospital in 1739 and today states that it "changes lives, laws and systems to support children from infancy to independence." That framing points to three kinds of activity:

• Direct services for children and families, including adoption support.
• Research and policy work intended to influence law and systems.
• Public campaigns and events that raise awareness of children's issues.

The organisation also operates as a group, with other organisations joining it — the site's news notes, for example, that Potential Plus UK transferred into Coram Group.

What the website covers

The homepage and linked pages organise Coram's public-facing work into a few clear areas.

Adoption

Adoption is a prominent theme on the site. During National Adoption Week, Coram ran a programme of activity including a portrait series with photographer Richard Ansett (who is adopted himself), launched on 19 October to mark the week and the centenary of the 1926 Adoption Act. The site links to an "Explore Coram Adoption" section for those interested in adoption services.

Research and reports

The site publishes analysis and reports on children's services. Two examples visible on the homepage:

• An Adoption Propensity Report, whose summary states that the number of families available to adopt is substantially below the number needed for children still waiting for an adoptive family — a contrast, it notes, with public attitudes and willingness to consider adopting.
• Coram Institute for Children research on foster care, including analysis that the government's target of 10,000 new foster care places over the current Parliament appears "realistic and attainable" but must be paired with a focus on retaining existing foster carers.

Toolkits and resources

Coram offers practical resources such as an Adoption Toolkit, which the site says reflects the lived experiences of its ambassadors and provides space for adoptees to use it for reflection, guidance and support. It is available to download from the site.

News and campaigns

The news section covers Coram's wider work, including an anti-bullying documentary premiere in support of Coram Kidscape, and the "Speaking for Ourselves" project — a three-year programme funded by a £954,650 grant from The National Heritage Lottery Fund to preserve and share stories of the UK's care-experienced movement from the 1970s to the present.

Supporting Coram

The site provides ways to get involved, including a Donate option and a Learn about our work path for visitors who want to understand the organisation before deciding whether to support it.

How to use the site

1. Start with the homepage to see current campaigns and the latest news — this is where time-sensitive items like National Adoption Week activity appear.
2. Follow "Learn about our work" if you want the broader picture of Coram's services, research and advocacy.
3. Use the adoption pages if your interest is adoption specifically; the Adoption Propensity Report and Adoption Toolkit are the most concrete resources linked from the homepage.
4. Check the news section for research findings and project announcements, which is where Coram publishes its policy-relevant analysis.
5. Use the Donate link if you have reviewed the work and want to contribute.

A practical note: the site includes a checkout/cart path, so any transaction (such as a donation) goes through an online checkout. The available material does not state prices or whether an account is required, so check the checkout page itself before completing anything.

Who the site is for

• People considering adoption or fostering, who want Coram's adoption information and toolkits.
• Researchers, journalists and policymakers looking for Coram's reports and analysis on children's services.
• Supporters and donors who want to understand the charity's work before giving.
• Anyone interested in children's charity history, given Coram's origins in the 1739 Foundling Hospital.

If your question is "what does Coram do?", the site's own summary is the shortest answer: it works to create better chances for children and families, from infancy to independence, through services, research and campaigning.

Coram's website is the public face of a group of children's charities that traces its history to the Foundling Hospital, founded in 1739. Its adoption content is aimed at people considering adoption, at professionals who work with adopted children and families, and at anyone who wants to understand the wider adoption system. The site brings together three things: a dedicated Coram Adoption section, a programme of National Adoption Week activity, and downloadable research and toolkits. It is an information and support resource, not a step-by-step application portal — the site does not set out eligibility rules, fees or a full how-to-apply process.

The Coram Adoption section and National Adoption Week

The site's adoption material is anchored in its annual National Adoption Week programme. In the year covered by the site's current content, Coram marked the week with a portrait series created with the photographer Richard Ansett, who is himself adopted. The series launched on 19 October to coincide with National Adoption Week and the centenary of the 1926 Adoption Act. The site also lists related events and research under the same banner.

For a reader, this section is most useful as a way to see how adoption is talked about publicly and to find current campaigns and events. It does not, on the evidence available, function as an enquiry or matching service.

What the Adoption Propensity Report found

Coram's analysis of trends in the recruitment of adopters reaches a clear conclusion: the number of families available to adopt a child is substantially below the number needed for the children for whom an adoptive family has not yet been found. The report notes that this shortage sits in stark contrast to public attitudes to adoption and to the proportion of the public who say they would consider adopting.

That gap between willingness and actual adopter numbers is the report's central point. It is relevant if you are trying to understand why adoption agencies campaign for adopters even when surveys suggest broad public openness to adoption.

The Adoption Toolkit

Coram offers a downloadable Adoption Toolkit. According to the site, the toolkit reflects the lived experiences of Coram's ambassadors and also provides space for adoptees to use it as a tool for reflection, guidance and support. It is therefore aimed at two audiences at once: people who want to learn from others' experience, and adoptees who want a structured way to reflect on their own.

Other adoption-adjacent content on the site

The site's news section shows the wider context in which Coram's adoption work sits. Recent items include Coram Institute for Children research arguing that the government's target of creating 10,000 new foster care places over the current Parliament is realistic but must be paired with a focus on retaining existing foster carers; the London premiere of an anti-bullying documentary in support of Coram Kidscape; a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £954,650 for Speaking for Ourselves, a three-year programme preserving the stories of the UK's care-experienced movement from the 1970s onward; and the transfer of Potential Plus UK into the Coram Group. These are not adoption services, but they show the charity's broader work with children in and around care.

How to use the site

• If you are exploring adoption as a possibility: start with the Coram Adoption section and the Adoption Propensity Report to understand the demand for adopters and how adoption is currently framed.
• If you are an adoptee or supporting one: the Adoption Toolkit is the most directly relevant download, built around lived experience and reflection.
• If you want current campaigns and events: the National Adoption Week pages and the news section carry the most up-to-date activity.
• If you need practical eligibility or process guidance: the site's adoption pages, as described here, do not provide it, so treat Coram as a starting point for context rather than a complete application guide.

One caution: the site includes a checkout cart link, but nothing in the available material indicates that adoption information or the toolkit is paid or requires login. Check the download page itself before assuming either way.