Justice For Families

http://www.familylawweek.co.uk/library. ... 528CAFCASS announces new partnership to develop practice in supervised contact

CAFCASS has joined up with Coram, the children's charity, in a partnership that will see Coram developing professional practice in contact. According to the charity the partnership "marks a new phase" in their work as they will "no longer be taking referrals for the delivery of supervised contact" but will instead "be focusing on the development of professional practice". They will achieve this by providing specialist additional consultation in child and adolescent psychiatry and adult psychology.

Anthony Douglass, Chief Executive of CAFCASS, added that

"We are constantly striving to improve the quality of outcomes for children and young people. By working in partnership with Coram we will be harnessing their excellent reputation in the arena of contact – especially in achieving successful sessions with families where there is entrenched discord."

More on this initiative can be found on the CAFCASS website via this link:
http://www.cafcass.gov.uk/news

This Coram place... is it part of the same Coram centre in Haringey (London)? If it is, there is already a problem before the plan starts. There was a mother who attended supervised contact at that contact centre. The supervisors didn't record any of the abuse her children told the mother during contact. The supervisors added twisted or false or exaggerated info onto the contact sheets (not sure which yet). The mother resorted to recording the contact sessions, so Haringey social workers stopped her seeing her children.

Sounds like Anthony Douglass wants to save face and use centres that have a reputation (according to some parents) of offering wrong information. This leads me to thing that Anthony Douglas wants to help keep the family courts secret.

Investment policy
There are no restrictions on the charity's investment powers. Since the beginning of the financial year the charity's entire portfolio of quoted securities is managed by multi fund managers, Schroders Private Bank and Sarasin Bank on a discretionary basis. Following a review of the charity's investment strategy in 2003/04, fund managers were authorised to invest in a wider range of asset classes including private equity, property and hedge funds as well as the traditional asset classes of equities and bonds (UK and overseas) to achieve a lower level of overall portfolio volatility whilst maximising returns. Fund managers have also been set guidelines on the maximum and minimum investment allowed for any asset class. The charity has now moved its investment strategy to a total returns policy rather than following any selected benchmark to maximise its returns. The total return target set for fund managers was 8% per annum was comfortably exceeded during the year (actual total return of 14% and 21% for Schroders and Sarasin respectively) as stock markets remained buoyant in virtually all asset classes during this period.


Future commitments
Research
The service has three main objectives for 2006/07:

To place 64 children (London Team - 30; Concurrent Planning - 8; Adopt Anglia - 12; East Midlands - 14)
To train 50 group leaders to run the Coram 'Parenting Skills for Adoption' group training courses
To develop phase two of Coram's longitudinal research into the outcomes for adopted adolescents.
Service User Feedback
The service is also forecasting to complete 600 supported contact sessions.

External Evaluations
Coram is committed to helping young people to be well-rounded individuals who have the right to hold and realise the same dreams and aspirations as those less disadvantaged. With this in mind, Coram is looking to:

Continually develop its services and improve external review grading to 'A' or 'B'.

Provide a holistic, three tier training and Life & Social Skills programme that is both educational and practical:

Tier 1 will involve full engagement in the Life & Social Skills Programme
Tier 2 will involve engaging the supported young people with the wider community by identifying voluntary placements.
Tier 3 will involve working to establish meaningful employment or secure university placements for service users where relevant.
Internal evaluations
In the coming year, the service is aiming to:

Continue to deliver and develop the current portfolio of services which have proven value.
Extend our reach to more families of children at risk through law breaking and anti social behaviour in Tower Hamlets through partnership with the local Youth Offending Team.
Develop additional family support projects based on the success of current models and discuss this with potential commissioners across the region.
Coram is also keen to expand existing projects and apply learning more widely. To this end work is being carried out with Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and Extended Schools to develop relevant models of intervention.

All individual work with families is based on a jointly agreed plan which is reviewed and evaluated regularly. It is currently a challenge to present outcomes achieved by individuals, and the impact Coram has had through its work, in a clear and aggregated form. The Service is working on systematic ways of doing this for the future, with a particular focus on the Every Child Matters outcomes framework.

Internal Evaluations
Much of the management time for 2006/07 will continue to be spent planning and reshaping Parents' Centre work in the light of changes to funding arrangements. The service aims to see a far larger portion of its work being carried out in the areas of strategy development, training and dissemination as well as building on the practices already developed in the Parents' Centre.

The service is beginning to secure contracts of this kind and is in considerable demand to train practitioners both in Camden and further afield. At the same time, the service continues to be a busy local centre, providing much needed services to families in considerable need.

Boys2MEN
The objectives for the project in 2006/07 are:

To increase the service's capacity to develop work in new areas and manage existing workloads within quality assurance standards.
To ensure that all services are operating to high standards of efficiency and optimum performance levels.
To continue to develop strong, new and innovative programmes within existing services that strengthen present programmes or attract additional resources.
Southwark Young Victims of Crime Project (SkY-VoC) Outcomes & Impact on Service Users
Unfortunately a decision was taken by Southwark Council to discontinue funding SkY-VoC due to its commitment to meet new priorities and government targets. A Good Practice Guide is in preparation which will serve as a permanent record of Coram's achievements and will also help practitioners, commissioners of services and policy makers to better understand the needs of this particular group of young people and inform future service planning.

Greenwich On Track Outcomes & Impact Service Users
Work to widen the project beyond 2006/07 will be one of the main activities during the next year. It is a project that is attractive to both central government and independent grant- making bodies and is aimed at drawing in additional funding to support and further develop activities in an isolated area such as Thamesmead.

Canden Primary School Project
Coram Family's work on the Camden Children's Fund Primary Schools Project will be focusing on the long term sustainability and broadening of services and best practice, multi- agency working processes in the project schools and an evaluation of all existing services within the project. There are also plans to create a Multi-Agency Working website for the project and to arrange an emotional health and well being conference/seminar in conjunction with The Tavistock Centre which currently provides psychotherapy services to the project.

The trustees remain committed to continuing with Coram's present activities whilst developing services consistent with the organisation's charitable objectives. The trustees consider that Coram Family has adequate resources to continue its charitable work for the foreseeable future. Details of developments in the charity's work have been given in the relevant sections of this trustees' report.

Accommodation on part of the campus currently occupied by Coram's Contact and Housing & Support services and Sure Start Kings Cross and Holborn is less than satisfactory to provide services to children and young people. In the light of this, trustees have been actively investigating the future options to improve the physical conditions from which these services operate.

To give us the maximum flexibility, a decision was taken in 2003 to apply for planning permission to build a new 40,000 sq ft building with environmental responsibility and sustainability at its core and provide additional and improved facilities for our childcare services. This application is currently being considered by the Development Control Committee of Camden council.

Trustees will review their position vis a vis the new building once planning permission is granted but after taking account of both the capital cost of developing the building and the affordability of the running costs of the accommodation.

17,370,366 15,664,779
Restricted The charity’s policy for grouping their resources into funds based on their source and limitations on their use Detailed information that the charity has provided in its accounts - this will open a new window
Start of period 693,795 429,479
Income 2,958,507 2,674,588
Expenditure -2,772,748 -2,578,455
Gains/losses & exceptional items 56,410 168,183
End of period 935,964 693,795
Unrestricted The charity’s policy for grouping their resources into funds based on their source and limitations on their use Detailed information that the charity has provided in its accounts - this will open a new window
Start of period -1,001,882 831,318
Income 4,620,692 4,384,897
Expenditure -4,781,676 -4,854,063
Gains/losses & exceptional items 336,372 -887,068
End of period -826,494 -1,001,882
Endowment Detailed information that the charity has provided in its accounts - this will open a new window
Start of period 15,952,866 15,812,290
Income no value 107,449
Gains/losses & exceptional items 1,308,030 33,127
End of period 17,260,896 15,952,866




CORAM FAMILY
Thomas Coram Foundation for Children
Foundling Hospital
Charity number: 312278
Charitable objects Additional information provided by charityOverall objectives and aims
The objects of the charity, as defined by its Charter and as extended by further Acts of Parliament, are:

to purchase or erect a hospital for the support, maintenance and education of exposed and deserted children
the provision of day nurseries, nursery schools, playgrounds, open spaces and other establishments and facilities in connection with the education and welfare of children in need thereof
any object contributory to the welfare of a child or the maintenance of its mother, if the mother has no sufficient means for maintaining herself and her child and no sufficient means of ensuring the welfare of the child.
Our mission statement
To provide, develop and promote best practice in the care of vulnerable children, young people and their families. We develop resilience in children and young people, enabling them to take responsibility for their own lives and achieve their full potential.

Our Aims
Intervention to enable children who have experienced trauma and dislocation in their lives, and who have been separated from their parents, to develop a sense of self-esteem, to find stability and lead fulfilling lives.
Prevention to support vulnerable children and families in order to promote positive outcomes and prevent later difficulties.
Promotion to draw on our experience to influence policy and practice, and to raise public awareness of the needs of children and young people.
Heritage to maintain Coram's heritage assets in order to further our work with children.
The section of this report setting out our activities, achievements and performance during the year has been structured under these four aims, with a fifth section looking at internal organisation, management and support systems.




Trustees (from the Public Register of Charities) (Additional information provided by charity)TED HARTILL
CATHERINE GRAHAM-HARRISON
SIR CHRISTOPHER BENSON
MATHEW THORPE
MS LUCY DE GROOT
MARCIA THOMPSON
ANDREW FANE
GERALDINE MACDONALD
MR GREGOR MICHIE


Structure & governance
The Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children was incorporated in 1739 by Royal Charter as amended by subsequent Acts of Parliament. The charity was commonly known as The Thomas Coram Foundation. At a meeting of the trustees on 25 March 1999, it was agreed that the charity's working title should be changed to Coram Family.

Governing bodies
The governing bodies consist of the Court of Governors which comprises up to 40 members and meets quarterly, and the General Committee, which comprises up to 11 members elected by and from the Court of Governors. It is the General Committee which has responsibility for the general control and management of the administration of the charity and its members have, therefore, the duties of charity trustees. The Court of Governors, in addition to receiving reports from the General Committee, has certain key powers reserved to it. In particular, these include approval of the setting up or closure of any service or project and also of any disposition of the Foundling Hospital art and artefacts Collection or land.

Following the establishment of two new sub committees, Childcare and Finance, on which the majority of trustees are represented, the number of scheduled meetings of the trustees per annum has been reduced from six to four, although additional meetings are arranged when necessary.

Under Coram's By-Laws the membership of the Court of Governors was expanded in 2004/05 to up to 40 members from which up to eleven Trustees are appointed to sit on the General Committee for a term of three years. These trustees ultimately have the fiduciary responsibility to manage the charity's affairs. A number of sub-committees operate under the General Committee drawing their members from Trustees and Governors as well as co- opted members who have particular relevant skills. The recommendations of the sub- committees are submitted to the General Committee.

Periodically the skills and experience of all Trustees and Governors are reviewed and areas which require individuals with additional skills and experience are noted. New Trustees and Governors are then recruited through suitable contacts referred from existing Trustees and Governors and from any other individual closely associated with the affairs of the charity. The Chairman interviews prospective candidates to ensure that they have particular skills or experience that will directly benefit the working of the charity including the availability to serve on one or more of its sub committees.

All new Trustees and Governors undergo an induction program which incorporates a history of the charity, review of its work including the current challenges faced by the charity, its governance structure, and their individual roles and responsibilities.

Decisions on the day to day running of the charity are made by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in collaboration with other members of the Senior Management Team consisting of the Directors of Finance, Services and Fundraising. Where relevant, the views of the Heads of Childcare Services are also taken into consideration in arriving at decisions. All strategic decisions relating to the running of the charity, its finances and services are evaluated first by the various sub-committees and their recommendations are then submitted for ratification by the General Committee.


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Policies
Statement of risk assessment
The Trustees together with the management of the charity, have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, in particular those relating to the specific operational areas of the charity, its investments and finances. The Trustees believe that, by monitoring reserves levels, by ensuring that controls exist over key financial systems, and by examining the operational and business risks faced by the charity, they have established effective systems to mitigate those risks where possible.


Reserves policy
Funding and reserves
As explained in the overview above, Coram Family benefits from the financial stability afforded by its historic endowment. The endowment is expendable for the purpose of furthering the direct objects of the charity, which has enabled Coram to underwrite significant operating deficits in recent years, including the deficit for the year under review of £184,984 within the General Funds. The deficit for 2006/07 is projected to be approximately £550,000 with the charity actively seeking to reduce deficits arising from operations.

The general expendable endowment fund increased in the year by £2.1 million and the Development expendable endowment fund increased by £239,992. This has meant that Coram's total funds including pension liability have increased from £15.6 million in March 2005 to £17.4 million in March 2006 after allowing cumulative pension liability of £2.0 million in 2005/06 (£1.8 million 2004/05)

The trustees note that the full implementation of Accounting Standard FRS17 (Retirement Benefits) in 2005/06 has had a significant negative impact upon reserves.

Having considered Coram Family's financial plans over the medium term, the trustees are of the view that the current level of reserves is appropriate to support the present operations of the charity.

Free reserves, as measured in accordance with Charity Commission guidelines, which would exclude the endowment, remain unchanged at £577,473 (2004/05 - £577,473).

Why has the third largest adoption agency in the UK been funded by CAFCASS.

What is going on here.

Apart from the head of CAFCASS is also chair of British association of Adoption.

Conflict of interests ?

They don't come any bigger than this.