A FAIR CHANCE
Securing access to justice and legal advice for children and young people has never been more important as the availability of legal advice and representation has been challenged with the limitation of legal aid and contraction in access as aresult.
There has been a substantial increase in school exclusion and a substantial shortfall in the assessment and fulfilment of Education, Health and Care Plans for children with special educational needsanddisabilities(SEND).
Coram Children’s Legal Centre (CCLC) has continued to be the country’s leading provider of specialist legal support for children and young people across education, community care, family and immigration law with sustained national recognitionofitsachievementsinauditandawards despite the profound pressures placed upon legal aidproviders.
Legal advice and information
The Child Law Advice Service is a digital first service providing legal advice and information on areas of child, family and education law. Advice is provided via email, webchat, two advice lines and a paid call back service. This year direct advice was provided to 13,477 telephone and email enquirers, and the legally assured digital information at childlawadvice.org.ukhad1.2millionusers.
Whilst this is a small decrease from last year affected by the changes in reporting methodology, it is a remarkably high level given the reduction in value of funding from the Department for Education – static over many years - as a result of inflation which has placed strain on both recruitmentandretentionofadvisers.
The value of support to those who can have nowhereelsetoturnforreliableadviceistangible:
“The advice given was clear and attentive. Despite my slightly chaotic order of what I was asking and how I asked it, the advisor was able todeterminewhatIwasreallyaskingandwhatI needed to know. I really appreciated the clarity of advice as so often advice is vague and indirect.”
ChildLawAdviceServiceclient
Theyearwasdistinctiveforthejudgementinan importantstrategicjudicialreviewcasebroughtby ourseniorsolicitor,SabrinaSimpson(pictured below,left),tochallengethelackoflegalaidfor familiesappealingpermanentexclusions.
Thejudicialreviewarguedthatthelegalaidsafety net(ExceptionalCaseFunding)shouldbeavailable inappealstotheIndependentReviewPanelwhere thereisanallegationthatpermanentexclusionis discriminatoryorengagedhumanrights. The partialsuccessmarksaparticularlyimportant developmentinaccesstojusticegiventhe complexityofthelegalprinciplesinvolvedwith school exclusions cases, the disproportionate numbersofchildrenwithSENDandthosefrom particularethnicbackgroundsaffectedandthelife changingimpactofschoolexclusions.Itisfitting thereforethatSabinawasnominatedintheLegal AidLawyeroftheYearAwards.
“Ihavetearsinmyeyes,Thiscasehasopened doors–thisismusictomyears.Ithasbeena longtimecoming.Youtookonthiscasesothat childrencannowhaveachanceandfeel listenedto.I’mjustthinkingaboutallthe familiesthatcannowgetlegalaid.Ifeelso good–wehaveliterallymadehistory.”
The School Exclusions Hub now contains an enhanced a range of resources for families and professionals concerned by school exclusion with the experience of young people informing policy throughtheCoramVoicesinActionprogrammeand newfilmstobelaunchedinthecomingyear.
Thecombinationofdelaysinthecourtsandgrowth in the Practice means careful management continues to be required to manage the Work in Progress cash flow requirements which constrain furtherdevelopment.
We are particularly grateful to Paul Hamlyn Foundation, BBC Children in Need, Oak Foundation, National Lottery Community Fund, Mission 44, A&O Shearman and pro bono partners in helping us to ensure that young people in crisis get their legal adviceandrepresentationtheyneed.
Children’s rights policy and practice
CCLC has continued to be a leading policy voice on the rights of children to access justice, including refugee and migrant children, and has continued to co-chairthesectorconsortiumcoordinatingworkon these issues, the Refugee and Migrant Children’s Consortium,andtosupportthevoiceandimpactof ouryoungambassadors,theYoungCitizens.
We have continued to engage with policymaking through Civil Service stakeholder groups and commentary on legislation, including detailed engagement with the Review of Civil Legal Aid and the Illegal Migration Act, through which CCLC led responsesonchilddetention.
In September, Coram was named as a Core Participant in Module 8 of the Covid Inquiry and –with the outstanding pro bono support of Jenner & Block LLP – provided full written evidence compiled from across the group’s direct delivery, policy and researchwork.
In the coming year, we shall provide evidence, make opening and closing statements at the hearing, propose lines of questioning and give oral evidence on areas identified as of particular interest to the Inquiry.
International children’s rights
During the financial year 2024/25, Coram International provided professional support to 20 nationalgovernmentsandinternationalorganisations seeking to improve their commitment to upholding children’srights.
We continue to hold long-term agreements with UNICEF Headquarters in New York as preferred providers for both child protection services and evaluation services, and as technical support for results-based management consultancies with UNICEF East Asia & the Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO). This year, the team also became preferred evaluation consultants to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA).
Highlights during the year included conducting a meta-synthesis and meta-analysis of evidence on child marriage in South Asia for UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA). The combined metasynthesis and meta-analysis identified, critically appraised, synthesized and compiled all available evidence on what works to prevent child marriage in the South Asian Region, including in humanitarian and fragile contexts and for minority or extremely vulnerablepopulations.
This year also saw the completion of a multi-country evaluation on national childcare reform initiatives in Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia,Serbia,andTajikistan,withastrongfocus on deinstitutionalisation (DI), including in particular for children with disabilities and other “difficult to place” children, for UNICEF Europe and Central Asia RegionalOffice(ECARO).
A LOVING HOME
Coram continues to play a key role at local, regional and national level in adoption, fostering and kinship family support through the delivery of domestic and intercountry adoption agency functions, policy contributionanddeliveryofnationalinfrastructure.
We convened the national Big Adoption Day with other voluntary adoption agencies and partnered with the National Theatre’s production of Noel Streatfield’sclassicstoryBalletShoes.
2024/2025 also saw the completion of Coram International’sconsultancywithUNICEFPhilippines and the Government of the Philippines. The team completed a comprehensive mapping and assessment of the country’s child protection system and produced a critical gaps report analysing the gaps in the system, as well as a stakeholder analysis detailing the stakeholders involved in the child protection system and their roles.
Following this, the team worked closely with UNICEF Philippines, the Government of the Philippines,andaYouthAdvisoryBoard(comprised of young people with lived experience of the child protection system), to produce a vision and strategyforimprovingthechildprotectionsystem. Inaddition,regulationsonfosteringweredrafted.
The team also made significant progress on its project to strengthen the foster care system in Türkiye. The project, which has been implemented in partnership with UNICEF Türkiye, the Government of Türkiye, national research partner TandansDataScienceConsulting,andCoramBAAF, has seen the team produce a baseline assessment of the current foster care model in the country, develop a new temporary foster care model, support with the planning of piloting the model in select provinces in Türkiye, develop a monitoring andevaluationframeworktoassessthenewmodel, and develop comprehensive training packages for socialworkersandfostercarers.Inthecomingyear we will complete a baseline evaluation of Ukraine’s SocialCarereform.
LBC presenter James O’Brien led a panel discussion and there were behind the scenes tours and activities before hundreds of adopted children and families were able to attend the magical performance.
This came as the number of adoption placement orders and availability of adopters reached an alltime low nationally, adversely affecting the waiting times of children and the financial viability of the voluntaryadoptionsector.
“We got to know Archie’s foster carers really well, they were incredible. We feel so lucky that Archie was so loved by them and we stay in touchtodayandvisitthemwhenwecan…Archie brings us so much love and joy. He is very affectionate – he tells us he loves us every day, and we him. He is tenacious, curious and very sociable. We feel privileged to have him in our livesandhehasgrownintoabeautifullittleboy. Ittooktimetofindoursonbutitwasworththe wait. We are so happy; he is the best thing that haseverhappenedtous.”
Coramadopter
Coram Adoption was again found to be Outstanding byOfstedanditsreportpublishedinSeptember2024 featured multiple tributes by adopters to the quality of support by Coram and its pioneering work in developmentofpractice.
“Children and adults benefit from an exceptionally high-quality service that is innovative and insightful. The service is continually evaluated by leaders and managers and is delivered by social workers who are exceptionally passionate about their work. This ethos permeates all aspects of the agency and is highly effective in securing positive experiences andoutcomesforchildren.”
Ofsted,2024
In conjunction with our regional adoption agency partners of Bromley, City of London, Harrow, Hillingdon, Kensington & Chelsea, Redbridge, Slough, Waltham Forest and Westminster we pioneered the Step Up targeted matching approach to find loving homes for children by improved profiling and dedicatedsearchingforthefamilytheyneed.
Around60childreneachyearfromothercountries aresupportedtojointhelovingfamilytheyneedin theUKandCoramIntercountryAdoptionCentreis theonlyspecialistadoptioncharityofitskind, workingastheaccreditedpartnertoseveral countriestofindlovinghomesforchildrenwhoneed them.
Theagencysupportedsome1,399enquiriesfromUK basedfamilieswith41adoptivehouseholdsapproved choosingtoadoptfromtheircountryoforiginor Parents’originand28placementsweremade.
Inaddition,144localauthoritieshadservicelevel agreementswithCoramIACtoruntheirfull
intercountry adoption service and the local authorities in Wales subscribe with Coram IAC to runtheirenquiryandinformationservice.
This year Coram IAC hosted the EurAdopt conferencetakingplaceintheUKforthefirsttime andwasagainfoundOutstandingbyOfstedandits report,publishedinJuly2024,describedCoramIAC as“abeaconofgoodpractice.”
Creative therapy and family support
Our support for adoptive parents features specialist approaches for the adoptive parents at the different stages of a child’s development including the STOP programme for the teenage years and the Incredible Years programme for childrenaged5+.
Further support is provided by our Centre for Creative Therapies to special guardianship carers with case formulation and direct art, music and systemic family therapy for children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences in the community including through the Adoption and SpecialGuardianshipSupportFund.
We sustained the reach of therapeutic support for children through work in Camden Schools and 199 professionals were trained in various aspects of therapeutic support with the publication of the Family Harmony toolkit for professionals working with families to reduce parental conflict, which has seenalmost1,000downloadstodate.
A VOICE THAT’S HEARD
Coram Voice was formed as A Voice of the Child in Care 50 years ago and pioneered the creation of advocacy. The landmark anniversary was marked by a Parliamentary reception hosted by Baroness Butler Sloss and Helen Hayes MP, Chair of the Education Select Committee and addressed by youngambassadorsincludingRose(picturedright).
Thecaresystemexiststoimprovelivesandshouldbe a positive experience. For many it is, but for an increasing number the very system that is there to protect them lets them down. As noted by the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care (2022).
“Childrenincarearepowerless,areofteninvisibleand theyfacesomeofthegreatestinequalitiesthatexist inEnglandtoday”(p12)
Coram Voice remains dedicated to listening to children and young people’s individual and collective experiences and working alongside them to address theissuesthatareimportanttothem.
Over the year we have worked with 7,982 (increased from 7,737 since 2023/24) children and youngpeopleacrossEngland.
Attheheartofourworkisembeddingthevoiceof care experienced children and young people in what we do. To achieve this, we have established our Youth Advisory Board recruiting 12 young peopleaged16-25fromacrossEngland. TheBoard advises on our service delivery and development workingcloselywithourtrustees.
We provided intensive 1-1 advocacy support to 2,599 children and young people in the community, residential, secure, and mental health settings (increased from 2,063 in 2023/24) and we continued to deliver the only specialist nonstatutoryadvocacyserviceprovidingvitalsupport to children and young people who, without it, wouldnotreceivethesupporttheyneeded.
This year our homelessness advocacy supported 262youngpeopleensuringtheyhadasafeplaceto live(increasedfrom200in2023/24).
This case work informed the production of the report – The Door Is Still Closed – produced to shine a light on the ways local authorities are failing to meet their obligations to homeless youngpeoplewithrecommendationsco-produced withouryoungambassadors.
We worked with more than 600 young people with disabilities and shone a light on their experiences through Disability, Disparity and Demand, a report featuring the gap between young people’s own identified needs and those recordedbylocalauthoritiesandreportedundera freedomofinformationrequest.
Both reports received a high level of media coverage and are now being followed up through meetings with key agencies and leaders including Ofsted and the Office of the Children’s Commissioner to seek improvements to inspectionandpracticeguidance.
Volunteer support
During 2024/25, 398 volunteers including young people, independent visitors, helpline workers, trustees, and judges, organisers, and contributors to our Voices creative writing competition, donated some 7,854 hours. We are very grateful fortheirvitalsupport.
Independentvisitors(IV)provideaunique1-1adult friendship with children and young people. In 2024-25weprovidedthisinvaluablesupportto285 young people through our work across 13 local authorities. This work has lasting positive impacts for children, as one child put it: “meeting [my IV] has changed everything I have fun and get to do thingsIwouldhaveneverdonebefore”.
For many young people this vital role ends at 18 and we were delighted, thanks to grant funding to be able to work in partnership with a London Borough and their young care leavers to develop a reimaginedIVserviceforcareleaverspost18. The learning from this will be used to pilot a new befriendingschemeinserviceinLondonwhichwill providecareleaverswithoutasupportivenetwork the opportunity to form an enduring connection withanoldermemberoftheircommunity.
Independent visitors from in and around London, withCoramVoicestaffin2025
Voices of young people in policy and practice
We have increased our reach amplifying the voices of 1,215 children and young people (648 in 2023/24) in our work with government, policy and practice developments and developing our services through researchreportsandyouth-ledcampaigns.
A National Voice
A National Voice is the National Children in Care Council for care experienced young people working toensurethatlocalauthorities,professionals,policy makers and government know and act on the experiences of care experienced young people to improvethesystem.
Following the election in the summer, A National Voice (ANV), the National Children in Care Council, worked with 325 care experienced children and young people aged 4-26 from 45 local authorities nationally, to get their view on what 3 priorities they want the new Children’s Minister to focus on to make care better being - mental health, listening to children and young people when making decisions about their lives and building relationships.
This year young people of ANV launched the Grand Campaign to champion the application by all local authoritiesoftheminimumlevelof£3,000required by government of the Setting up Home Allowance forcareleavers.
After sharing the Grand Campaign report with both the Children’s Minister and Department for Education and meeting with the DFE care leaver team about the findings, The Department for Education has updated the ‘Children Act 1989' Guidance for supporting care leavers, a clear exampleofthestrategicimpactofourwork.
JanetDabyMP,MinisterforChildren,Familiesand Wellbeing; Jack and Kiron, ANV Ambassadors; Shelly Reed, Participation Coordinator, Coram Voice;DrCarolHomdenCBE,CoramCEO
In October we held our third A National Voice, Amplify event for children in care councils across England. 67 young people (including two young ambassadors who were hosting the event) and 17 professionals from 16 different local authorities attended to contribute to the awards recognising localimprovementsmade.
Promoting Bright Spots
The Bright Spots programme, designed with care experienced children and young people and supported by the Hadley Trust, measures what they think are the important areas of improving whatmakeslifegoodfortheminandleavingcare.
This year the programme reached 748 professionals and 12 young people with the 21 workshops webinars and events across the year. Highlights included keynote speeches at NCB’s Conference ‘Raising the bar: Improving quality, stability and opportunity for care experienced young people’, Making Research Count, the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation Learning Programme, Association of Child Protection Professionals and CoramBAAF’s conference for Fostering Panel Advisors and Panel Chairs, as well as delivering a lunchtime seminar for the DFE’s children’s social care department on our disability report. In addition,weworkedwithCoramBAAFtointegrate Bright Spots messages into 60 courses reaching around900professionalsovertheyear.
With more than 30,000 responses to date, from children and young people aged 4-25 in England it is the largest survey of its kind, providing exceptional insight into the often-unheard voices of young care experienced children. In the coming year,wewillanalyseallofthecommentsmadeby young people over the first 10 years of the programme as part of the 50th anniversary of CoramVoiceasAVoicefortheChildinCare.
EchoesthroughTime
A CHANCE TO SHINE
ThankstothesupportoftheNationalLottery HeritageFund,Coramcompletedthefinalyearofa majorfour-yearprogrammetodigitiseasubstantial partofourhistoricFoundlingHospitalarchiveand toworkwithyoungpeopleandpartnersoncreative projectstochangethenarrativeofcareforthe future.
one-to-onereadingsupportto7,000childrenand youngpeopletohelpthemtogainthefoundational learningessentialfortheirfuture.81%ofpupils helpedwereinreceiptoffreeschoolmealsand51% havespecialeducationalneeds.
SKILLS FOR THE FUTURE
“HavingJillwasoneofthebestthingsthatever happenedtome,stilltothisdayI’mvery gratefulforhavingher.Sheopenedmyworldto newadventures”.
JadeKadejohwhowasstrugglingwithdyslexiaaged9 whenshewaslinkedwithaBeanstalkreading volunteer,andhasnowgraduatedfromuniversity
ThebenefitsseenbyschoolsengagedwithCoram Beanstalkareremarkablewith93%ofprimaryage pupilsmakingprogressagainstagerelatedreading expectations,92%havinggreaterbeliefintheirreading capability,98%showingenhancedself-confidenceand self-esteemand72%improvingtheirattendanceat school.
“Itdoesmakesuchadifferencetoread.You canescapeintodifferentworlds,youcan laugh,youcancry,youcanlearnandit’s thankstoallofyouthatit’shappeningforall thesechildren,sothankyoufromthebottom ofmyheart.”
Buildingcapacity
In2024wespearheadedthelaunchofTheLiteracy Link to connect organisations to support, collaborate and inspire children’s reading engagement.66seniorrepresentativesfrom38 organisationsattendedthenetworklaunchevent hostedatTheMercersCompanyearlierthisyear. Duringthenextyearwewillalignwiththe NationalYearofReadingtoextendthenetwork andcreatecollectiveaction.
Deliveringpersonal,socialandhealth education
AccordingtotheNHSdigitalsurvey2022,18%of childrenaged7to16yearshadaprobablemental disorder.Theseratesrosefrom1in9(12.1%)in 2017to1in6(16.7%)in2020.11-to16-year-olds withaprobablementaldisorderwerelesslikelyto feelsafeatschool(61.2%)thanthoseunlikelyto haveamentaldisorder(89.2%).
With 50,000 teacher subscribers to SCARF, the CLE team prioritises practice improvement through evidence-led approaches to effective teaching and learning.Theteamenhancesthewebsiteandlesson plans, associated resources, training and teacher guidance. The website hosts 20 teacher training films and webinars to help teachers make the most of SCARF, and to feel confident and skilled in implementingthecurriculum.
During the year, 24,500 teachers attended training, SCARF staff sessions, or observed our educator-led workshops(inwhichwemodelappropriateteaching and learning strategies). In addition, 2,380 parents and carers took part in parents’ sessions and workshops to find out more about our curriculum weteach,andwesignpostedschoolsandparentsto theFamilySCARFpageonourwebsite.
A collaborative project with the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation (NARF) also culminated in the launch of the NARF Allergy School, with CLE as advisory partner for their free school resources featuring Arlo, the friendly food-allergic armadillo and friend to Harold, who makes learning about foodallergiesfunandengaging.
NO MATTER WHERE
Coram’s national and international services work to ensure that children can access their entitlements and consistent quality of service from their infancy toindependencenomatterwheretheylive.
Coram Hempsall’s and early years entitlements
Coram Hempsall’s has been working with the Department for Education (DfE) to deliver the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, and in the consortium with Coram, Mott MacDonald and Coram Family and Childcare, under the banner of ‘ChildcareWorks’besttodeliverthenationalsupport contracts for the implementation of new early years and childcare entitlements, and wraparound childcare.
Local authorities report that some 628,000 children and young people attended activities over the summer of 2024 and 270,000 over the Christmas period of the same year. Following the launch of the national wraparound programme in September 2024, more than 50,000 places had already been made availablebyFebruary2025.
Looking to the future
Key amongst issues being faced by schools are the growing variation in school readiness amongst children and school non-attendance, as well issues of peer behaviour and potential risks of the digital world.
In the coming year, we will also extend the SCARF resources for the early years and nearly 80 delegates will attend our national CLE Conference in May, with a focus on developing critical-thinking skills from early years to adolescence, including the skills needed to navigate online life safely and respectfully.
As the Learning Partner in the consortium, Coram Family and Childcare provides a microsite of information and resources for local authorities and providers,createsbestpracticeresourcesinresponse to emerging needs, provides the secretariat for an expert and stakeholder board, and work with Early Adoptersofthewraparoundchildcareexpansion.
Increasing access to childcare
This year, Coram Family and Childcare has made a significant contribution to national policy development in relation to childcare by the publication of its research reports on costs, sufficiency and take-up, and continued vital work in local areas to increase access to information and entitlementsacrossthecountry.
Parent Champions
Parent Champions are parent volunteers who give a few hours a week to talk to other parents about the local services available to families. They help ensure marginalised or isolated parents don’t miss out on vitalinformationoraccesstolocalfamilyservices.
140,000contactswithparentsacrossawide rangeofcommunities.Takeupofparenting classeshasincreasedby60%andtakeupof freeearlyeducationfortwoyearoldsisup from64%to77%.Iamburstingwithpridethat wehavewonthisaward!”
SeldaAygun,Co-ordinatoroftheParent ChampionsprogrammeinIslington
Weweredelightedtowelcomefournewschemes totheParentChampionsnetworkthisyear: CentralBedfordshire,Cornwall,StHelen’sand West Berkshire and will continue to seek additionalParentChampionsprogrammesinthe comingyear.
NationalAssociationofFamilyInformation Services(NAFIS)
CoramFamilyandChildcare (CFC)alsosupport theNationalAssociationofFamilyInformation Services(NAFIS),theonlynationalmembership organisationsupportingessentialFISstaffinlocal authoritiestodeliverhighqualityinformationand advicetofamilies.
Itbringstogetherexpertisefromacrossthe countryandfacilitatesapeernetwork,information sharingandakeylinkbetweengovernmentand what’shappeningontheground.Theprogramme isledbyasteeringgroupofNAFISmemberswho settheprogrammeofwebinars,feedissuesback fromregionalmeetingsandworktoraisethe profileofmembership.
Thisyearwehad69members,withtwonewlocal authoritiesjoining.
The annual conference was well attended with over 150 sign-ups, and received 100% positive feedback from delegates. Speakers included the Department for Education on early years and wraparound childcare expansion, disabled children’s charity Kids on the power of quality information and advice for disabled children, young people and their families, Ofsted on the new flexibilities for childminders and theBestStartinLiferesearchreview,anurseryleader on their experience navigating the pressures in childcare, Coram Children’s Legal Centre on entitlements for families with No Recourse to Public Funds, a wraparound childcare provider on inclusive provisionandasessiononsurveystrategieswiththe Coramresearchteam.
Wereceived21nominationsacrosscategoriesforthe NAFIS awards this year, celebrating the wonderful work of Family Information Services across the country, which is the most received in a single year forthelastfiveyears.
Research informing policy
This year we published our 24th annual Childcare Survey, the definitive information on childcare costs and availability in Great Britain with substantial media coverage including the BBC Today Programme andwidespreadbroadsheetfeatures.
The survey found that, working parents of children agedunderthreeinEnglandpaidlessthanhalfoflast year’s cost for a part-time nursery place, and more than 20% less for a full-time place. However, these changesmeanthatthegapbetweenentitlementsfor disadvantaged children and those with working parentsisnowwiderthanatanyothertime,withthe report finding families ineligible for the entitlements pay at least £100 per week more, to give their children the same amount of early education. Scotland and Wales saw price rises of 7% and 10% respectively, and childcare costs for three-to-fouryear-olds across Great Britain were up by almost 5%. The highest levels of sufficiency were reported for the government-funded entitlements but significant gaps remain for children with special educational needsanddisabilities(SEND).
This year’s report included a parent section for the first time, through a brand-new survey with parents, followed by focus groups, giving us new insight into what parents value the most about their childcare provider, how far their experiences have matched this, and the differences they have seen in their childrensinceattendingchildcare.
We found that outdoor space was a top priority for parents when considering the place their childrenattendandthatmostparentslookedfora friendlyandkindapproachfromthepeoplelooking aftertheirchildren,thoughstaffqualificationsand trainingwerealsohighlyrated.
Communication between childcare providers and parents was essential for nearly all parents. Parents shared stories of children’s speech coming on in leaps and bounds, children learning to play and make friends with others, and of the help given when children showed signs of additional needs. Parents felt that attending childcare had made their children more excited about starting school, and that they as parents felt more confident about that next step, too. This new window into parents’ views shows the value of good quality childcare, and the change it can bring about and will continue to be a focus in our work goingforwards.
Expansion of funded early education places –an update
In June, ahead of the September expansion of funded childcare (15 free hours from nine months for eligible working parents), we released a report on how ready councils across England felt. Two in five were ‘confident’ or ‘very confident’ of having enoughplacestomeetdemand,upfrom28%from our survey in January 2024, but still leaving nearly sixintencouncilseithernotconfidentorunsureof havingsufficientplaces.
Councils’ confidence in the final phase of the rolloutinSeptember2025(30hoursfromninemonths foreligibleworkingparents)wasmuchlower,with just 11% reporting they were ‘confident’ or ‘very confident’ in having enough places to meet demand. This figure was practically unchanged fromJanuary2024(12%).
Holiday Childcare Survey 2024
The Holiday Childcare Survey 2024 was published before schools broke up for the summer holidays and drew attention to the lack of childcare provision outside of school term time and the increasingcosts.
Thereportfoundthatforthefirsttime,parentsin GreatBritainfacedabillofover£1,000forthesixweek summer break, up 6% since the previous year. The highest increases were seen in Wales, whichsawariseof15%.
Cost was not the only challenge for families, with holiday childcare places falling. In England, levels of holiday childcare decreased in all categories, with just 3% of councils reporting enough holiday childcare for disabledchildren.Thebiggestdecreasewasforparents workingfulltime,from24%in2023tojust17%.
Professional Association of Childcare and Early Years (PACEY)
Itistofurtheradvancethedevelopmentofsufficiency ofchildcareforchildrenandcarersthattheworkofthe Professional Association of Childcare and Early Years (PACEY) transferred to Coram on 1st May 2025 with a key priority to reverse the decline in the number of childmindersandtogettheirvoiceheard.
UK Community of practice in children’s social care
CoramBAAF is the multi-disciplinary membership organisation leading the way in improving outcomes for children and young people in adoption, fostering and kinship placements no matter where they live by supporting the agencies and organisations that work withthemacrossthefournationsoftheUK.
This year was characterised by sustained reach and engagement to inform, educate and inspire some 54,000 children’s services professionals across the UK communityofpractice.
This year has seen the updating and revision of core forms which enable consistency of best practice, including a new Form K (Kinship Care Assessment) England which can be used for both the approval of kinship foster carers, and recommendations for special guardianship orders and amplifying the voice of the child, and the relationship between the child and the prospectivekinshipcarer.
TheAdoptionSupportPlan(ASP)formforEnglandand accompanying guides for adopters, practitioners and IROs was developed by CoramBAAF, building on work started by Adoption England and brings together what isknownaboutthechild’sneedsincludingwhatmaybe needed in the longer term enabling adopters to feel moreconfidentinthatsupport.
The Child’s Permanence Report (CPR) for England was also updated to enhance the voice of the child including the use of language in relation to the child’s identityandbirthparent(s),howstayingintouchplans aresetout,andagreaterfocusontheidentityneedsof thechildoverall.
Training and consultancy
3,700peopleattendedourtrainingeventscovering awiderangeofpolicyandpracticeissueswithour most popular topics being ‘Placing children overseas’, ‘Health’, ‘Fostering assessments,’ ‘Chairing panels, Panel advisers, Panel administrators’ and ‘The role and responsibilities oftheSupervisingSocialWorker’.
As ongoing reforms placed greater emphasis on kinship care, we hosted our inaugural kinship care conferencewithafullprogrammeofpresentations from researchers, senior leaders, carers, and professionalsinthechildrenandfamilies'sector.
The Annual Health Conference addressing health inequalities for children was over-subscribed whilst the first kinship conference for 110 panel chairs and advisers addressed the theme of ‘courageous and curious conversations’ in discussing the challenges of collective decision making, how to keep children at the heart of recommendations, and how to harness personal judgementforeffectiveimpact.
Advice and information
CoramBAAF’s members’ advice service saw a 23% increase in enquiries with more than 3,700 Advice Line enquiries met with timely expert advice to professionalsonthefrontline.
The Outbound Permanence Service was introduced in 2024 to provide advice on placing children overseas and has been widely welcomed by members in England. After an expression of interest from CoramBAAF’s partner organisation AFKA Scotland, the service will be extended to membersinScotlandin2025/26.
Publications
CoramBAAF is the leading sector publisher of books and guides for social work practitioners, adoptive parents and foster carers, and children. Theseareaimednotonlyatprofessionalmembers but also those interested or involved in adoption andfostering,witheasytoread,practicaladvice.
Our quarterly peer-reviewed journal has an international reputation as a leading source of research, knowledge and information. Our Impact Factor increased this year, showing the journal’s continued relevance to academics and researchers in the field. We continued to attract a range of globalsubmissions.Standoutarticlesexplored:
care leavers’ experiences of accessing mental health support; the fostering of refugees in Uganda; recognising and addressing child to parent violence; the benefits and challenges of social media for single adopters; the significance of pets to care-experienced youngpeople.
This year new books explored adoption support, preventing the sexual abuse of children in care; motivations to adopt and network meetings. New titles include: Assessing children and families for adoption support in England; Exploring and assessing motivations to adopt; Family network meetings in adoptionandWheredidmydinosaurgo?,abeautifully illustrated children’s book that explores moving to a newhomeandlearningtotrustnewcarers.
We launched an e-book subscription scheme, enabling local authorities to purchase a licence for selected key titles to add to their internal resource library/intranet. Each month our Deal of the Month generates additional sales and raises the profile of existing titles, the online Editor’s Exclusive sees the free release of a selected chapter from a popular title, and our audio interviews with authors continue to provide popular practiceinsightsinshorter,bite-sizedform.
We produced two new Practice Notes. Matching children from England with adopters approved in Scotland offers guidance on key aspects of children moving cross-border from England to Scotland to be placedwithadoptersapprovedinScotland,specifically addressing common queries received by AFKA ScotlandandCoramBAAF’sAdviceLine
Placing children with relatives overseas emphasises theinitialaspectstoconsiderbeforeseekingtoassess apotentialkinshipcarerwholivesoverseas.Ithelpsto establish basic eligibility and highlights the obstacles and legal complexity that may cause difficulty and delay, including those cases where the proposed kinshiparrangementwillbeimpossibletoachieve.
CoramBAAF was commissioned by Adoption England to produce a series of training resources to support Agency Decision Makers in their decision-making and processes. Written and produced by CoramBAAF, these resources include written materials and several filmsfeaturingdetailedcaselawexamples.
We responded to the publication of the Public Law Working Group adoption sub-group report, providing chapter summaries and analyses of the final report. Our practice forums are accessible to members from across the country with 900 members and practitionersattendingmeetingsinthepastyear.
A SOCIETY THAT CARES
(RJFN),acollaborativenetwork,chairedbyourlegal consultant,AugustaItua,whichbringstogether social work and legal professionals, judges, academics,andpeoplewithlivedexperienceto promoteanti-racistpracticeinfamilyjustice.A launch event in November 2024 featured presentationsbyTheHonourableMrJustice KeehanandJahnineDavis,theNationalKinship CareAmbassador,aswellasapanelcomprisinga familylawbarrister,aDesignatedFamilyJudge,a strategicanti-racistlead,andsocialworkmanagers withinlocalauthorities.
Itisbecauseofthebreadthanddepthofareas addressedbytheCoramgroupthatweareproudto havebeenappointedasaCoreParticipantinthe Covid-19Inquiryintotheimpactonchildren. Writtenevidenceandinitialremarksledtothe invitationtogiveoralevidence.
TheGovernmentalsopublisheda“Children’s WellbeingandSchoolsBill”introducinganumberof keymeasuresincludingthoserelatingtokinship careandregionalcommissioningoffostercare.
We worked with coalitions in the sector and the wider Coram group to engage and inform the Children’sWellbeingandSchoolsagendaandthis included oral evidence to the Bill Scrutiny CommitteebytheChiefExecutive.
Research Insight into impact
Coram’s Research Impact and Evaluation team, which is an evaluation partner to the What Works Centre, saw the direct impact of their workinbothpolicyandpractice.
The Randomised Control Trial of Family Group Conferencing (FGC), the largest of its kind undertaken with more than 1,500 participants 20 areas, conducted for Foundations, the What WorksCentreforChildren’sSocialCareinformed the government in mandating family group decision making in the Children’s Wellbeing and SchoolsBill.
We have built on this work to better understand the data that local authorities are collecting on the use of FGCs to help build a picture of access across England and Coram is now leading the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Department for Education Supporting Families Programme Systemic Practicepilot.
Thisyearwepublishednewfindingsontheissues ofyouthhomelessness,comparingtheposition–through case analysis of work in advocacy and in our legal practice – since the first report ten years ago. In addition, a literature review examinedthestateofevaluationevidenceonthe impact of creative programmes for vulnerable childrenandyoungpeople.
partnertotheChurchillFellowship.Supportedby theHadleyTrust,weworkedtoinformandamplify theexplorationofinternationalpracticeby Fellows.
Morethan30,000delegatesattendedconferences, trainingandbriefingsattheCoramCampus, benefittingfromtheRangoonwalaConferenceand LearningCentre,andanadditional9organisations arehostedaspartofournationalcentreof excellenceforchildrenfurtheringourgoalin advancingdiscourseandsharedlearning.
Findingnewsolutions
This focus on examining What Works is complementedbytheCoramInnovationIncubator –supportedbyMicrosoftandEY–whichworked withmemberlocalauthoritiestoidentifyand addressthechallengesfacedinchildren’ssocial care.
ThisyearwepublishedtheInnovationCollective reportasadigestofdevelopmentacrossthe countryandshow-caseddevelopmentsinthe InnovationForum.Thisfeaturedaroundtableon theissueofplacementsufficiencywhilsttherole ofAIwillbethethemeofthecomingyear’sforum anddevelopment.
Hertfordshireisdelightedtobepartofthe CoramInnovationIncubatorhelpingtodrive thechangeweneed,buildingonourstrengths andlearningfromothers’.
JoFisher,ExecutiveDirectorforChildren’s Services,HertfordshireCountyCouncil
Youth Insight
781 young people were involved in Coram’s work this work through apprenticeship, placements, projects and research and who together helped 10,000 other young people, building the capacity of the organisationandsectorandhavingaHALOeffect.
Coram’s policy and research work is informed by extensivepeerandparticipatoryresearchandwethis year launched Youth Insight, our postgraduate placements for young researchers to drive the agendaoftheCoramInstituteforChildren.
Anthony Lynch and Zoe Lambert – both with lived experience of adoption and blended families –undertookresearchonComplexIdentitieswhichwas presented at a forum with leading academic respondent Professor Susan Golombok and other commentors.(picturedbelow)
In the coming year, we will develop the Framework for practice created by Anthony and Zoe into a training resource for social workers and others who work with young people whilst Milly Jonas will advance her youth insight into the issue of Digital Futures:fromrisktoresponse
Advancing public understanding and support
As part of our Coram Society events to promote public understanding, we were proud to host the then Rt Revd Bishop of London, Sarah Mulally and Baroness Brenda Hale in discussing women’s leadership in important public offices as part of the ongoingInspiringWomenseries.
In all these ways Coram is advancing its vision to be recognised as the Institute for Children driving forward the discourse for children, acting as a media commentator and key informant in policy and practice.
Key successes include multiple appearances on key broadcasting channels including the Today Programme, LBC and BBC News Website, and nationalnewspapers.
Diverse coverage included The Guardian, The Independent, the Daily Telegraph and Grazia magazine, with an extensive presence for the ChildcareSurveyresultsinparticular.
Thanks to the generosity of JC Decaux, we were able to run our first outdoor poster advertising campaign for many years taking the message of the needs of children to the public across the country.
Increasing support and partnership
Coram is itself a “society that cares”, with a committed and professional workforce of staff, volunteers and partners. We are proud to be recognised at Gold Award Level in Investors in Peoplewhichnoteshighachievementinleadership and inspiring people, living the organisation’s values and behaviours, empowering and involving people, building capability, delivering continuous improvementandcreatingsustainablesuccess.
We continue to benefit from and support volunteers working directly with children and young people as reading helpers, independent visitors and professional advisers. The number of firms supporting our pro bono legal clinics increasedsignificantly.
Runners in the London Marathon and our longstanding colleagues at Club Peloton took to the road to help raise much needed funds. Many generousindividualssupportedCoram’sChristmas Campaign and Coram Shakespeare Schools FoundationinTheBigGive.
FundraisedsupporttoCoram’sworkwassustained in 2024/25 with additional capital contribution for the development of new facilities for our young people’sworkandforourresearchactivity.
Thanks go to all the Trusts, businesses, individuals and Charter Patrons who supported us and particularlyThePaulHamlynFoundation,thePears Foundation and the Hadley Trust all of which continuedandextendedtheirsupport.
Goals for 2025/26
Trustees have reviewed the strategic goals for the next ten-year period, laying out a strong vision for CoramastheInstituteforChildren,addressingthe inconsistency, inequality and injustice which determines children’s chances in life by changing lives,lawsandsystems.
termagreementswereputintoplaceinOctober2023.
See“Scopeofconsolidation”onpage2ofthisreportfordetailsofsubsidiaries itsownBoardofTrusteeswithrepresentativesfromtheCoramTrusteeboard
TheBoardoperatesstandingcommittees(indicatedbelow)andadhoccommittees Honoraryofficers(withco-optedmemberswhereappropriate)conveneforany asremuneration.
GoverningBodies
Thegovernancestructureofthecharityisnotedbelow:
Trusteeswhoservedduringtheyeartogetherwith thosewhohavebeenappointedsincetheyear end,andtheirsubcommitteeresponsibilities,are asfollows:
a
c
b denotesmembershipoftheAuditCommittee denotesmembershipoftheboard ofCoramVoice denotesmembershipoftheChildren’s ServicesCommittee denotesmembershipofthe Adoption&FamiliesServicesCommittee denotesmembershipoftheCampus DevelopmentCommittee denotesCoramappointeeoftheboardof TheFoundlingMuseum denotesmembersoftheNominationsand GovernanceGroup
i l m denotesmembershipoftheInvestment Committee denotesmembershipoftheboardof CoramLifeEducation denotesmembershipoftheCampaign Committee
denotesmembershipoftheFinance Committee
denotesmembershipoftheboardof CoramChildren’sLegalCentre denotesmembershipoftheboardof CoramTradingLimited denotesmembershipoftheboardof CoramHempsall’sLimited denotesmembershipoftheboardof CoramBAAF denotesmembershipoftheboardof CoramFamilyandChildcare denotesmembershipoftheboardof CoramShakespeareSchoolsFoundation denotesmembershipoftheboardof CoramBeanstalk denotesmembershipoftheboardof CoramIntercountryAdoptionCentre denotesmembershipoftheboardof CoramLeapConfrontingConflict
GeneralCommittee (TheTrustees) Changes/Role
SirDavidBell
Prof.SirIvorCrewe
PaulCurran
GeoffBerridge
AdeAdetosoye
HanifBarma
CassandraBuchanan
AndrewCarter
JennyColes
HHJudgeCeliaDawson
JamesDray
JamesHadley
BarbaraHudson
SimonGreenhalgh
KerrySmith
MarkSpelman
EdwardTimpsonCBEKC
DrJudithTrowell
JillPay
GitaSingham-Willis
RetiredJune2024
PresidentandChair/AppointedNovember2024
RetiredJune2025/ChairofCoramFamily&Childcare HonoraryTreasurer
RetiredJune2024
AppointedSeptember2025
ChairofCoramBAAF
ViceChair/ChairofCoramVoice
ChairofCoramChildren’sLegalCentre
ChairofCoramShakespeareSchoolsFoundation
ChairofCoramLifeEducation
ChairofCoramIAC
AppointedSeptember2024
AppointedAugust2025/ChairofCoramLeap
AppointedMarch2025
RetiredJune2025
ChairmanofCoramBeanstalk
AppointedJune2024
AdditionalGovernors
MaureenSutherlandSmith
PeterMBrown
GuydeFroment
EdwardChristian
AndrewIreland
EdwardTimpson
HelenPickstock
RobWatts
PhilippaDoddsJohn
AsifRangoonwala
NicolaBrentnall
AdeAdetesoye
JamesMcCallum
LordRussellofLiverpool
AlisonLowton
PaulCurran
JudithTrowel
AnthonyDouglas
RuthMiller
Role/Changes
LifeGovernor
LifeGovernor
RetiredJune2024
AppointedJune2024
AppointedJune2024
AppointedJune2024
AppointedJune2024
LifeGovernor
VicePresident
AppointedJune2024
AppointedJune2025
AppointedJune2025
FormerPupil,retiredJune2025
TrusteesofGroupoperatingentitieswhoservedas membersofthesubcommitteeswere:
JohnJones
GuyDavies
RichardFass
DavidGray
PhilipNelson
HollyRobinson
PascaleErseel
Treasurer,CoramBAAF
ViceChair&TreasurerofCoram ShakespeareSchoolsFoundation Treasurer,CoramVoice
Treasurer,CoramIAC Trustee,CoramBeanstalk Treasurer,CoramFamilyandChildcare TrusteeofCoramIAC
All new Trustees and Governors undergo an induction programme which incorporates a history of the charity, review of its work including the current challenges faced by the charity, its governancestructure,andtheirindividualrolesand responsibilities.
Decisions on the day-to-day running of the charity are made by the Chief Executive (CEO) in collaboration with other members of the Senior ManagementTeam,consistingoftheChiefFinance Officer, along with the Director of People and Compliance in conjunction with the lead operationalmanagersasappropriate.
Allstrategicdecisionsrelatingtotherunningofthe charity, including its finances and services, are evaluated first by the various sub-committees. Their recommendations (unless they have delegated authority) are then submitted for approvalbytheBoardofTrustees.
Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ report and accounts in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted AccountingPractice).
The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the Trustees to prepare accounts for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and the Group and of the income and expenditure of the Groupforthatperiod.Inpreparingtheseaccounts, theTrusteesarerequiredto:
selectsuitableaccountingpoliciesandthen applythemconsistently; observethemethodsandprinciplesinthe AccountingandReportingbyCharities: StatementofRecommendedPractice applicabletocharitiespreparingtheiraccounts inaccordancewiththeFinancialReporting StandardapplicableintheUnitedKingdom andRepublicofIreland(FRS102); makejudgementsandestimatesthatare reasonableandprudent; statewhetherapplicableUnitedKingdom AccountingStandardshavebeenfollowed, subjecttoanymaterialdeparturesdisclosed andexplainedintheaccounts;and preparetheaccountsonthegoingconcern basisunlessitisinappropriatetopresumethat thecharitywillcontinueinoperation.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the accounts comply with the Charities Act 2011, applicable Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations and the provisions of the Royal Charter.Theyarealsoresponsibleforsafeguarding the assets of the charity and the Group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detectionoffraudandotherirregularities.
The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of financial information included on the charity’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of accounts may differ from legislationinotherjurisdictions.
The remuneration of key management personnel is basedonaninternalassessmentofthescopeofthe individual role and an individual’s performance against specific targets. Benchmarking is conducted toensurethatremunerationlevelswithintheCoram Groupareconsistentforthelevelofresponsibilities.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
We realise that being an organisation that is equal, diverse and inclusive is something to constantly work towards. The commitment to diversity was a strong characteristic in the results of the Investors in people reaccreditation, which was awarded at Gold Award standard in 2023, recognising the high level of engagement of staff with strategy and the organisationalvalues,anditsleadership.EDIremains akeypriorityinourdevelopment.
Strategic development
The Chief Executive, Dame Carol Homden DBE PhD, and the Senior Management Team are charged with implementing the annual Management Plan and Budget and developing and taking forward the CorporateStrategy.
Coram has a vision to create better chances for childrenanditsaimistodevelopasanationalcentre ofexcellencefeaturingservicesfor:
Childrenwhoselivesaresubjecttothedecisions ofthecourtsandgovernmentbodiesandarein needofaccesstojustice; Childrenwhodependuponthesupportofthe state-inorleavingcare,needingadoptionof otheralternativecare; Unaccompanied,migrant,refugee,traffickedor otherwisemarginalisedchildrenandyoung people; Childrenandyoungpeoplewhohave experiencedseparation,trauma,neglect, discriminationorexploitation; Childrenatriskofeducationaldisadvantageand thosewhohavebeenexcludedorareatriskof exclusion.
Trustees remain committed to sustaining a wide range of activities across the Coram Group and developing services and partnerships which enhance public benefit in pursuit of the organisation’s charitableobjectives.
Coram benefits from the financial stability afforded byitshistoricendowment.TheTrusteesbelievethat the charity has sufficient reserves (including expendable endowment funds and property assets) on current projections to mitigate the impact of identifiedrisksonthecharity.
The Finance Committee reviews the reserves policy and the level of general reserves regularly. This review is undertaken in the light of current financial performance, projected results and working capital requirements. Account is taken of the risks and uncertaintiesfacingthecharityduetothenatureof its reliance upon voluntary and contract based funding.
Coram Group funding and reserves
The Finance Committee has reviewed the reserves policiesforeachsubsidiaryandhasconcludedthata plan to hold six months operational expenditure in theconsolidatedaccountsisadequate. Thisequates to a target of £13.8m based on 2024/25 operational expenditure.
Free reserves, as measured in accordance with CharityCommissionguidelines,whichwouldexclude endowment, restricted and designated funds and fixed assets, decreased to £4,094,000 (2024£4,490,000).Growthinfreereserveswillcontinueto be targeted to achieve the stated policy of six months operational expenditure. This will be achieved through proactive management of balanced operating budgets and increasing commercial income as well as strengthening donationsandcontractualincome.
Thefixedassetendowmentfundof£3,102,000(2024 - £3,174,000) comprises those proceeds from the disposal of the Hospital at Bloomsbury and the FoundlingHospitalSchoolatBerkhamstedthathave been used to purchase, build and equip Coram’s present premises. The movement in the year results fromamortisationoftangiblefixedassets.
The expendable endowment fund of £5,216,000 (2024-£5,443,000)wasestablishedfromthebalance of the proceeds of the sale of the Hospital at Bloomsbury and the Foundling Hospital School at Berkhamsted which were invested with a view to generating a sustainable income. Under Coram’s Royal Charter, the endowment is deemed to be expendable.
At Coram, we greatly value the financial contribution made by our supporters and their personal data and privacy is extremely important to us. Our Privacy Policy can be found on our website at www.coram.org.uk/privacy. We have neverandwillnever:
1. Selldatatoanotherorganisation
2. Shareinformationwithanotherorganisation withoutspecificandexplicitconsent
3. Shareorsellpersonaldetailstoanother organisationfortheirownuse
Wewillalways:
1. Worktokeeppersonaldetailssafe
2. Listentosupporters,andensurethatwe communicateinthewaythatindividualswant
3. Treatallfairlyandreasonably
4. Actwithtransparencyandbeaccountable –iftherearequestionsorconcerns,wewill answertheminanopenandhonestway
During the year the Coram Group received one complaint from a former donor asking to be removed from our mailing list which was addressed immediately. Any comments or concerns can be raised to fundraising@coram.org.uk
Prof.SirIvorCrewe Chair
GeoffBerridge Treasurer
ApprovedbytheTrusteeson19thNovember2025
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF CORAM
Opinion
We have audited the accounts of Coram (the ‘parent charity’) and its subsidiaries (the ‘group’) fortheyearended31March2025whichcomprise theconsolidatedstatementoffinancialactivities, the group and parent charity balance sheets, the consolidated statement of cash flows, the principal accounting policies, the notes to the financialstatementsandtheappendixcontaining the parent charity statement of financial activities. The financial reporting framework that hasbeenappliedintheirpreparationisapplicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’ (United Kingdom GenerallyAcceptedAccountingPractice).
Inouropinion,theaccounts:
giveatrueandfairviewofthestateofthe group’sandoftheparentcharity’saffairsas at31March2025andofitsincoming resourcesandapplicationofresourcesforthe yearthenended; havebeenproperlypreparedinaccordance withUnitedKingdomGenerallyAccepted AccountingPractice;and havebeenpreparedinaccordancewiththe requirementsoftheCharitiesAct2011.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the accounts section of our report. We are independent of the group in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the accounts in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriatetoprovideabasisforouropinion.
.Conclusionsrelatingtogoingconcern
In auditing the accounts, we have concluded that the Trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the accounts is appropriate.
Basedontheworkwehaveperformed,wehavenot identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively,maycastsignificantdoubtonthegroup and parent charity’s ability to continue as a going concernforaperiodofatleasttwelvemonthsfrom whentheaccountsareauthorisedforissue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are describedintherelevantsectionsofthisreport.
Other information
The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the Annual Report and Consolidated Accounts. The other information comprises the information included in the Annual Report and Consolidated Accounts, other than the accounts and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the accounts does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assuranceconclusionthereon.
Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the accounts or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the accounts or a material misstatementoftheotherinformation.If,basedon the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information,wearerequiredtoreportthatfact.
Wehavenothingtoreportinthisregard.
Matters on which we are required to report by exception
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and parent charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in thetrustees’report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
the information given in the Trustees’ report is inconsistent in any material respect with theaccounts;or sufficient accounting records have not been keptbytheparentcharity;or the parent charity accounts are not in agreementwiththeaccountingrecords;or we have not received all the information and explanationswerequireforouraudit.
Responsibilities of Trustees
As explained more fully in the statement of Trustees’ responsibilities contained within the Trustees’ report, the Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of accounts that are free from material misstatement,whetherduetofraudorerror.
In preparing the accounts, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the group’s and the parent charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intendtoliquidatethegrouportheparentcharity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternativebuttodoso.
Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the accounts
Ourobjectivesaretoobtainreasonableassurance about whether the accounts as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report thatincludesouropinion.
Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatementscanarisefromfraudorerrorandare considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on thebasisoftheseaccounts.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of noncompliance with laws and regulations. We design proceduresinlinewithourresponsibilities,outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities,includingfraudisdetailedbelow:
Our approach to identifying and assessing the risks ofmaterialmisstatementinrespectofirregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations,wasasfollows:
the engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise non-compliance with applicablelawsandregulations; we obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that are applicable to the parent charity and group and determined thatthemostsignificantframeworkswhichare directly relevant to specific assertions in the financial statements are those that relate to the reporting framework (Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)), the Charities Act 2011andthosethatrelatetosafeguarding;and we assessed the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations identified above through making enquiries of management and inspectinglegalcorrespondence;and identified laws and regulations were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of non-compliancethroughouttheaudit.
We assessed the susceptibility of the parent charity’s and of the group’s accounts to material misstatement, including obtaining an understandingofhowfraudmightoccur,by:
making enquiries of key management as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual,suspectedandallegedfraud;and considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance withlawsandregulations.
Toaddresstheriskoffraudthroughmanagement biasandoverrideofcontrols,we:
performed analytical procedures to identify anyunusualorunexpectedrelationships; reviewed journal entries to identify unusual transactions;
tested the authorisation of expenditure, ensuring expenditure was approved in line withtheparentcharity’sandgroup’sfinancial procedures; assessed whether judgements and assumptions made in determining the accounting estimates were indicative of potentialbias;and investigated the rationale behind significant orunusualtransactions,ifany.
In response to the risk of irregularities and noncompliance with laws and regulations, we designed procedures which included, but were notlimitedto:
agreeing financial statement disclosures to underlyingsupportingdocumentation; reviewing the minutes of meetings of those chargedwithgovernance;and enquiring of management as to actual and potentiallitigationandclaims.
There are inherent limitations in our audit procedures described above. The more removed that laws and regulations are from financial transactions, the less likely it is that we would become aware of non-compliance. Auditing standardsalsolimittheauditproceduresrequired to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations to enquiry of the Trustees and other management and the inspection of regulatory andlegalcorrespondence,ifany.
Material misstatements that arise due to fraud can be harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealmentorcollusion.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the accounts is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This descriptionformspartofourauditor’sreport.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the charity’s Trustees, as a body, in accordance with section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and with regulations made under section 154 of that Act. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s Trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose.Tothefullestextentpermittedbylaw,we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s Trustees as abody,forourauditwork,forthisreport,orforthe opinionswehaveformed.
BuzzacottAuditLLP StatutoryAuditor 130WoodStreet
London
EC2V6DL
Date:19 December2025 th
BuzzacottAuditLLPiseligibletoactasanauditorin termsofsection1212oftheCompaniesAct2006.
Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:
Prof. Sir Ivor Crewe Chair
Approved by the trustees on 19th November 2025
Geoff Berridge, Treasurer
The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation uncertaintyinthepreparationoftheaccountsare laidoutbelow.
Basis of preparation
These accounts have been prepared for the year to 31 March 2025 with comparative information giveninrespecttotheyearto31March2024. The accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policies below orthenotestotheseaccounts.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordancewiththeFinancialReportingStandard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (Charities SORP FRS 102), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and RepublicofIreland(FRS102)andtheCharitiesAct 2011.
The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as definedbyFRS102.Theaccountsarepresentedin sterling and are rounded to the nearest thousand pounds. Critical accounting estimates and areas of judgement. Preparation of the accounts requires the Trustees and management to make significantjudgementsandestimates.
The items in the accounts where these judgements and estimates have been made include:
assessingtheprobabilityofreceivinglegacies of which the group and/or charity has been notified;
estimating the useful economic life of tangible and intangible fixed assets for the purposes of determining the annual depreciationoramortisationcharge; assessing the appropriateness of any provisionforslowmovingorobsoletestock; assessing the appropriateness of any provision needed against doubtful and bad debts;
assessing the recoverability of work in progressinrelationtolegalcosts; assessing the appropriateness of the underlying assumptions of the actuarial valuationofthepensionscheme;
determiningthebasisforallocatingsupport costsacrossexpenditurecategories; assessingprojectedprofitabilityandthe discountrateappliedindeterminingthe presentvalueofthedeferredconsideration receivableinrelationtotheacquisitionof HempsallConsultanciesLimited;and estimatingfutureincomeandexpenditure flowsforthepurposesofassessinggoing concern(seebelow).
Assessment of going concern
The Trustees have assessed whether the use of the going concern assumption is appropriate in preparing these accounts. The Trustees have made this assessment in respect to a period of at least one year from the date of approval of these accounts.
The Trustees of the charity have concluded that there are no material uncertainties related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the ability of the charity or the group to continueasagoingconcern.TheTrusteesareofthe opinion that the charity and the group will have sufficient resources to meet their liabilities as they fall due. The most significant areas of judgement thataffectitemsintheaccountsaredetailedabove. Withregardtothenextaccountingperiod,theyear ending 31 March 2026, the most significant areas that affect the carrying value of the assets held by the charity and the group are the level of investment return and the performance of the investment markets; the volatility and demand for adoption services; and the level of local authority funding and resources (see the investment policy and risk management sections of the Trustees’ reportforinformation).
Basis of consolidation
The statement of financial activities consolidates the accounts of the charity and its group undertakings, Coram Life Education and Coram Life Education Trading Limited, Coram Children’s Legal Centre, Coram Voice, Coram Trading Limited, Coram Academy Limited, Coram Family and Childcare Limited, Coram Beanstalk, Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation, Coram Hempsall Consultancies Limited and Coram Intercountry Adoption Centre Limited. Intragroup transactions are eliminated in full. The balance sheet consolidates the accounts of the charity and its groupundertakingsasatthebalancesheetdate.
Income recognition
Income is recognised in the period in which the groupand/orcharityisentitledtotheincomeand the amount can be measured reliably and it is probable the income will be received. Income is deferred only when the group and/or charity has to fulfil conditions before becoming entitled to it or where the donor or funder has specified that the income is to be expended in a future accountingperiod.
Income for the group and/or charity comprises donations; legacies; investment income and interest receivable; income from charitable activities comprising grants, fees and contractual income;andincomefromothersources.
Donations and grants are recognised when the groupand/orcharityhasconfirmationofboththe amount and settlement date. In the event of donations and grants pledged but not received, the amount is accrued for where the receipt is consideredprobable.Intheeventthatadonation or grant is subject to conditions that require a level of performance before the group and/or charity is entitled to the funds, the income is deferred and not recognised until either those conditions are fully met, or the fulfilment of those conditions is wholly within the control of the group and/or charity and it is probable that those conditions will be fulfilled in the reporting period.
Legaciesareincludedinthestatementoffinancial activities when the group and/or charity is entitled to the legacy, the executors have established that there are sufficient surplus assets in the estate to pay the legacy, and any conditions attached to the legacy are within the controlofthegroupand/orcharity.
Entitlement is taken as the earlier of the date on which either: the group and/or charity is aware that probate has been granted, the estate has been finalised and notification has been made by the executor to the group and/or charity that a distributionwillbemade,orwhenadistributionis received from the estate. Receipt of a legacy, in wholeorinpart,isonlyconsideredprobablewhen the amount can be measured reliably and the group and/or charity has been notified of the executor’sintentiontomakeadistribution.
Fee and contractual income represent the amounts receivable for the services provided to clients, excluding value added tax, under contractual obligations which are performed gradually over time. Incomplete contracts at the balance sheet dateareaccountedforbyreferencetothefairvalue of the work performed and amounts due but not received at the balance sheet date are described in the financial statements as contractual income debtors.
All other fee and contractual income is recognised to the extent that it is probable that the economic benefitswillflowtothecharityandtherevenuecan bemeasuredreliably. Itismeasuredatfairvalueof the consideration received or receivable, excluding discounts, rebates, value added tax and other sales taxes.
Dividends are recognised once the dividend has beendeclaredandnotificationhasbeenreceivedof thedividenddue.
Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivableandtheamountcanbemeasuredreliably by the charity; this is normally upon notification of theinterestpaidorpayablebythebank.
Volunteers and donated services and facilities
The value of services provided by volunteers is not incorporatedintothesefinancialstatements. Where services are provided to the charity as a donation that would normally be purchased from suppliers, this contribution is included in the financial statements as both income and expenditureatitsestimatedfairvaluebasedonthe valueofthecontributiontothecharity.
Expenditure recognition
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis. Expenditure comprises direct costs and supportcosts.Allexpenses,includingsupportcosts, are allocated or apportioned to the applicable expenditureheadings.
Theclassificationbetweenactivitiesisasfollows:
Expenditure on raising funds includes all expenditure associated with generating donations and the fees charged by investment managers in connection with the management of the charity’s listed investments. It includes costs that can be attributed directly to such activities and an allocation of those indirect costs necessary to support them (see below). It also comprises the costs associated with noncharitabletradingactivities.
Expenditure on charitable activities includes all costs associated with furthering the charitable purposes of the group and charity through the provision of their charitable activities. Such costs include direct and indirectexpenditureonthevariouscharitable activities as described in the statement of financialactivities.
Allexpenditureisstatedinclusiveofirrecoverable VAT.
Allocation of support and governance costs
Support costs represent indirect charitable expenditure. In order to carry out the primary purposes of the group and charity it is necessary to provide support in the form of personnel development, financial procedures, provision of office services and equipment and a suitable workingenvironment.
Governance costs comprise the costs involving the public accountability of the group and/or charity (including audit costs) and costs in respect to compliance with regulation and good practice. Governance costs are included as a specificcategorywithinsupportcosts.
Support costs are allocated to expenditure on charitableactivitiesinthesameproportionasthe directcostsforeachactivity.
Tangible fixed assets
All assets costing more than £2,500 and with an expected useful life exceeding one year are capitalised.
Assets are retired at the end of their useful economiclife.
Freeholdlandandbuildings
Freehold land and buildings acquired prior to 31 March 2001 are included in these accountsatavaluationdeterminedbythe Trustees, with professional assistance, as at 31 March 2001, based on existing use. Under the transitional arrangements set out in FRS 102, such values are now assumedtobedeemedcost.
Freehold land and buildings acquired since 1April2001areincludedintheseaccounts atcostor,inthecaseofdonatedassets,at a valuation determined by the Trustees basedoncostorbookvalue.
Freehold buildings are depreciated at an annualrateof2%perannum.
No depreciation is charged on freehold land.
Freeholdbuildingcomponents
Freehold building components are capitalisedanddepreciatedoveraten-year periodonastraight-linebasis.
Leaseholdbuildings
Leasehold improvements are capitalised and depreciated over the term of the lease.
Classroomprogrammes
Classroomprogrammesarecapitalisedand depreciated over a four-year period on a straightlinebasis.
Fixtures,fittings,furnitureandequipment
Expenditure on the purchase and replacement of fixtures, fittings, furniture and equipment is capitalised and depreciated over a four-year period on a straightlinebasis.
Assets under the course of construction are capitalised at cost, but not depreciated until the asset becomes available for its intended use.
The charity does not acquire put options, derivativesorothercomplexfinancialinstruments.
Stock
The intangible assets are stated at cost less accumulatedamortisation.Coststhataredirectly associated with the production of identifiable software products controlled by the group are recognised as intangible assets. Direct costs include software development staff costs and directly attributable overheads. Amortisation is charged over a four- or five-year period, depending on the asset, on a straight-line basis, fromthedatetheassetisavailableforuse.
Stockisstatedatthelowerofcostandestimated sellingpricelesscoststosell.Stockisrecognisedas anexpenseintheperiodinwhichtherelated revenueisrecognised.Attheendofeachreporting periodstockisassessedforimpairment.Ifastock itemisimpaired,theidentifieditemisreducedtoits recoverablevalueandanimpairmentchargeis recognisedinthestatementoffinancialactivities. Whereareversaloftheimpairmentisrequiredthe impairmentchargeisreversed,uptotheoriginal impairmentloss,andisrecognisedasacreditinthe statementoffinancialactivities.
Debtors
Goodwillisrecognisedasthedifferencebetween the cost of acquisition (including the present value of estimated deferred consideration) less the fair value of net assets acquired. Goodwill is amortised over ten years from the date of acquisitiononastraight-linebasis.
Heritage assets
Novaluehasbeenattributedtoheritageassetsas described in note 11, principally paintings and otherworksofart. Duetothespecificcondition attached to the items, any meaningful valuation isdeemedimpossible.
Investments
Debtorsarerecognisedattheirsettlementamount, lessanyprovisionfornon-recoverability. Prepaymentsarevaluedattheamountprepaid. Theyhavebeendiscountedtothepresentvalueof thefuturecashreceiptwheresuchdiscountingis material.
Cash at bank and in hand
Cashatbankandinhandrepresentssuchaccounts andinstrumentsthatareavailableondemandor haveamaturityoflessthanthreemonthsfromthe dateofacquisition.Depositsformorethanthree monthsbutlessthanoneyearhavebeendisclosed asshorttermdeposits.Cashplacedondepositfor morethanoneyearisdisclosedasafixedasset investment.
Creditors
Listed investments are a form of basic financial instrument and are initially recognised at their transaction value and subsequently measured at theirfairvalueasatthebalancesheetdateusing the closing quoted market price. Realised and unrealised gains (or losses) are credited (or debited)tothestatementoffinancialactivitiesin theyearinwhichtheyarise.
Creditorsarerecognisedwhenthereisanobligation atthebalancesheetdateasaresultofapastevent, itisprobablethatatransferofeconomicbenefit willberequiredinsettlement,andtheamountof thesettlementcanbeestimatedreliably.Creditors arerecognisedattheamountthecharity anticipatesitwillpaytosettlethedebt.Theyhave beendiscountedtothepresentvalueofthefuture cashpaymentwheresuchdiscountingismaterial.
Restricted funds comprise monies raised for, or their use restricted to, a specific purpose, or contributions subject to donor imposed conditions.
Liabilities are measured on an actuarial basis using theprojectedunitmethodanddiscountedatarate equivalent to the current rate of return on a high quality corporate bond of equivalent term and currency to the liabilities. The actuarial valuations are obtained at least triennially and are updated at eachbalancesheetdate.
Designated funds comprise monies set aside out of unrestricted general funds for specific future purposesorprojects.
The fixed asset fund represents the net book value of the charity’s fixed assets that are not included within endowment or other designated funds.
The amounts charged to net income/(expenditure) principallyincludethecurrentservicecosts(relating to the impact of employee service) and a net interest cost (comprising the net impact of the interest cost on the defined benefit obligation and the interest income on the scheme assets). Actuarial gains and losses are recognised immediatelyinotherrecognisedgainsandlosses.
General funds i.e. free reserves represent those monies which are freely available for application towards achieving any charitable purpose that fallswithinthecharity’scharitableobjects.
Leased assets
Rentals applicable to operating leases, where substantially all the benefits and risks of ownershipremainwiththelessor,arechargedto thestatementoffinancialactivitiesasincurred.
Where the employer’s share of the estimated liabilities exceeds their estimated share of the fair value of assets in the scheme, the net liability is recognised on the balance sheet as a pension liability. Any change in estimate of the net liability between balance sheet dates is reflected through the statement of financial activities in recognised gainsandlossesfortheperiod.
Pension costs
The charity contributes to a defined benefit pensionschemeoperatedbytheLondonBorough ofCamdenwhichwasclosedtonewmembersin 2004 and provides benefits based on final pensionablesalary.Theassetsofthescheme are held and managed separately from those of the charity. Pension scheme assets are measured at fairvalueateachbalancesheetdate.
Where the scheme is estimated to be in a surplus position, under the reporting provisions of FRS 102, theemployerisonlyabletorecognisethesurplusas to the extent that it is able to recover the surplus either through reduced contributions in the future or through refunds from the plan. As the charity does not anticipate being able to recover the surplus in the aforementioned manner, the surplus is not recognised on the balance sheet, and a corresponding adjustment is made within other recognised gains and losses on the statement of financial activities to bring the net surplus position to£nilonthebalancesheet.
Contributions in respect of personal pension schemes and defined contribution schemes are recognisedinthestatementoffinancialactivitiesin the year in which they are payable to the relevant scheme.
1. Donations and legacies
Areportondonors(excludingthosewhohaverequestedanonymity)whohavegivensignificantamountsis includedinthecharity’spublishedannualdigest.
Coram benefits greatly from the involvement and support of its many volunteers who help with our campaigninganddirectsupportprogrammesaswellasouradvisorsandtrustees.InaccordancewithFRS102 and the Charities SORP (FRS 102), the economic contribution is not recognised in the accounts from the supportofmanyvolunteers.Nomonetaryvaluehasbeenplacedonthissupportintheseaccounts.
2. Investment income and interest receivable
3. Income from charitable activities: promoting the care and welfare of children
The income from property derives from a number of charitable organisations with objectives consistent withthoseofCoramandwhichoccupypartsoftheCoramcampus.
4. Other income
Allocated support costs
Central management and administration costs are the support costs which enable fundraising and charitable work to be carried out. These costs include the relevant proportion of central finance, human resources,informationsystemsandcommunications,andsimilarfunctionsthatsupportfrontlineservices.
Premises costs are the costs which enable the buildings from which the group and charity operate to functionefficientlyandeffectively.Supportcostsarefullyallocatedinproportiontodirectexpenditureon raisingfundsandchildcareservices.
Key management personnel are defined as the Trustees and 3 (2024 - 4) members of senior management. Thetotalemployeebenefits(includingemployer’spensionandnationalinsurancecontributions)ofthekey managementpersonnelofthecharitywere£434,000(2024-£530,000).
The remuneration of key management personnel is based on an internal assessment of the scope of the individualroleandanindividual’sperformanceagainstspecifictargets. Internalbenchmarkingisconducted toensurethatremunerationlevelswithintheCoramgroupareconsistentforthelevelofresponsibilities. NoTrusteesreceivedanyremunerationinrespectoftheirservicesduringtheyear(2024-£nil).
During the year, expenses of £1,898 (2024 - £546) were reimbursed to one (2024 – one) of the Trustees of Coraminrelationtooutofpockettravellingexpenses.
Actuarial assumptions
The full actuarial valuation carried out at 31 March 2022 has been updated to 31 March 2025 by a qualified independentactuary.Themajorassumptionsusedbytheactuarywere:
Thepost-retirementlifeexpectancyassumptionsusedwereasfollows:
The estimated fair value of plan assets and the present value of the defined benefit obligation attributed to Coram’sparticipationintheLGSSchemeasdeterminedbytheschemeactuaryareasfollows:
Themovementintheestimatednetsurplusintheschemefromthestartofthefinancialyeartothebalance sheetdatecanbereconciledasfollows:
*As the net surplus in the scheme is deemed to be irrecoverable, recognition of the surplus on the balance sheethasbeenrestrictedto£nilbyadjustingtheactuarialgainfortheyear.
Totalexpenditurefortheyearincludestheeffectsofthefollowingadjustmentsmadeinrelationtothecost ofoperatingtheLGSscheme,asestimatedbytheschemeactuary:
Amountsrecognisedasothergainsandlosses:
Heritage assets
At31March2025thecharityownedanArtCollectioncomprisinganumberofhistoricworksofart.Asstated underprincipalaccountingpolicies,thepaintingsandotherartefactsmakinguptheCollectionarenotvalued forthepurposesoftheseaccounts.TheCollectionismanagedonlongtermloanbyTheFoundlingMuseum.
Whilst the charity is able to sell any item from the Collection to a third party, any such sale must be at full marketvalueandtheMuseumhastheautomaticrighttobegiventwelvemonthsinwhichtoraisethemoney tobuyanyitemthatthecharityhasindicatedthatitwishestosell.
Given these terms, it is believed that the market for the Collection is extremely limited and therefore any reliablevaluationoftheCollection,atthepresenttime,isdeemedimpossible.
GoodwillonacquisitionisinrespectofthepurchaseofCoramHempsall’sConsultanciesLimited.100%ofthe share capital was acquired on 7 November 2023 for consideration of £1.817million (including deferred considerationwithanestimatedpresentvalueof£1.079million). Fairvalueadjustmentsweremadeinrespect of the net assets acquired on 7 November 2023. The goodwill recorded therefore reflects the difference between the consideration and the carrying values ascribed to the net assets acquired on 7 November 2023 perthecompletionstatementagreedbetweenthepartiestothetransaction.
All listed investments are listed on a UK stock exchange except for £265k (2024 - £534k) invested in the Schroder Private Equity Fund of Funds programme which is managed by Schroder Investment Management Limited and Aberdeen SVG Limited. The funds are listed on the Irish Stock Exchange and invested in a portfolioofprivateequityfundsmainlyintheUSandEurope.
Subsidiaries and related undertakingsThelistofsubsidiaryentitiesisasfollows:
17.
18.
Investmentincomegeneratedbytheinvestmentsunderlyingthegeneralendowmentfundistreatedas incomeofthegeneralfund.
Designated funds
Thefundsofthegroupandcharityincludethefollowingbalanceofunrestrictedfundsdesignatedforfuture spending.
The Post Adoption Fund comprises of assets earmarked for the post adoption work to be fulfilled by the Adoption and Permanent Families Service. The fund includes post adoption reserves transferred through EastMidlandsAdoptionProject.
Tangible fixed asset fund
The tangible fixed asset fund comprises all monies invested in tangible and intangible fixed assets used by thecharitythatarenotpermanentendowmentorotherdesignatedfunds.
Restricted funds
The income funds of the Charity and Group include the following unexpended balances of donations and grantsheldontruststobeappliedforspecificpurposes:
Thepurposesforwhichtheindividualfundsareheldareasfollows:
AdoptionService/RegionalAdoptionService
Coramplacesandsupportschildrenwithcomplexneeds,whohavebeenlookedafterbylocalauthorities.
Adoption-relatedactivities
CoramprovidedtherapeuticsupporttoadoptivechildrenandtheirfamiliesfundedbytheAdoption SupportFund.
NationalHeritageLotteryFund
TheNationalLotteryHeritageFundsupportstheStoryofCare:VoicesThroughTimeprogrammetodigitise Coram’shistoricFoundlingHospitalarchiveandworkwithyoungpeopleonrelatedcreativeprojects.
ParentingandCreativeTherapy
CoramParents’Centreprovidescommunitybasedtrainingprogrammesforchildrenandparents,andother servicesparticularlyincreativetherapy.
Policy,ResearchandMarketing
ItisakeyelementofCoram’smissiontodevelop,andpromotebestpracticeinsupportofvulnerable children,youngpeopleandtheirfamilies.CoramalsoprovidesconsultancytoLocalAuthoritiesandother voluntaryorganisationsinserviceimprovement,needsassessment,researchandevaluation.
TheFairChanceFund
Thefundsupportsaccesstojusticeandeducationthroughlegaladvice,advocacyandrepresentationfor parentsandchildren,strategiclitigation,professionalresources,policycommunicationsandinfluencetobe allocatedannuallyover3yearsatthediscretionoftheCEOtomaximiseimpact.
VoicesinAction
Thesegrantswerereceivedtoprovidespecialistadvocacysupporttochildrenandyoungpeopleincrisisand facingsignificantriskssuchasthoseexperiencingschoolexclusionorhomelessness.
Tomorrow’sAchievers
Tomorrow’sAchieversTrustsignedamemorandumofunderstandingwithCoramwithanintentiontowork togetherandmanagetheactivityoftheTrust.TheTrustprovidesspecialistdayandresidentialmaster classesforgiftedchildreninvariouspartsofthecountry.
Otherfunds
ThefundcomprisesotherreceiptstowardsthefurtheranceofCoram’scharitableobjects.
CoramLifeEducation
CoramLifeEducationenableschildrentomakeresponsiblechoicesinlifebyprovidingwellresearched, evidence–basedhealtheducationandlife-skillsdevelopmentprogrammes.(seenote14).
CoramChildren’sLegalCentre
CoramChildren’sLegalCentreworkstopromotechildren’srightsintheUKandinternationally,andto providechildren,theircarersandprofessionalsthroughouttheUKwithlegalinformation,adviceand assistanceonallmattersofchildren’slaw.(seenote14)
CoramVoice
CoramVoiceprovidesadviceandsupporttochildrenandyoungpeoplewitharelianceonthestateorits agencies.Itsupportsthosechildrenandyoungpeoplewherethoseinauthorityfailtofulfiltheirobligations tothem.(seenote14)
CoramShakespeareSchoolsFoundation
CoramShakespeareSchoolsFoundationpromotesandorganisestheactingofShakespeare’splaysbyyoung peopleinschoolsandtheatrestherebydevelopingthoseyoungpersons’self-confidenceandcreativity.(see note14)
CoramFamilyandChildcareLimited
CoramFamilyandChildcareLimited(formerlyFamilyandChildcareTrust)workstomaketheUKabetter placeforfamilies,focusingonchildcareandtheearlyyearstomakeadifferencetofamilies’livesnowandin thelongterm(seenote14).
CoramIntercountryAdoptionCentre
CoramIntercountryAdoptionCentre(formerlyIntercountryAdoptionCentre)isacharitywithaspecialist andprimaryfocusontheprovisionofintercountryadoptionservices,placingchildrenfromallpartsofthe world,whocannotlivewiththeirbirthfamilies,withfamiliesintheUK.(seenote14)
CoramBeanstalk
CoramBeanstalk(formerlyVolunteerReadingHelp)isacharityfocusingonnationalliteracy(seenote14).
25.
Thetotalunrealisedgainsasat31March2025constitutemovementsonrevaluationandareasfollows:
Operating leases
At 31 March 2025 Coram had the following total future commitments in respect of non-cancellable operatingleasesrelatingtolandandbuildings:
