Making the most of your membership

Introduction

The information in this guide will help you access your member benefits easily and quickly. Many of the resources are exclusively available for members only and you will need to be logged in to the website to access them.

If you work for an organisation that is a member of CoramBAAF (or an agency in membership of AFKA Scotland) and want personal access to the members' area, first check their current membership status by entering the organisation’s name in the search filter box on our website. If it appears in the dropdown list, you can create an account in a few simple steps. Just remember to use your work email address

If you ' re an individual member of CoramBAAF but you haven't yet been given your log-in details for the members' area, then you must visit this page and enter the email address connected to your membership account.

If you cannot find what you are looking for, please call the membership team on 020 7520 7514 / 020 7520 7518 or email membership@corambaaf.org.uk.

Enter your organisation’s name in the search filter box on our website to see if they are a member.

If they are, then so are you!

CoramBAAF link person

The primary role of the CoramBAAF link person is to act as the official contact between the member agency and CoramBAAF. They provide a two-way communications channel between the agency and CoramBAAF and ensure that staff within the member organisation are aware of CoramBAAF membership benefits and services.

If you do not know who the link person in your agency is or if you would like to know more about the role of the link person and become one for your agency, please contact the membership team

This is a key role and we greatly value and appreciate all that the CoramBAAF link person does in ensuring that news, resources and information are disseminated effectively, to help the agency to maximise the benefits gained from membership.

Since 2023, the role of the link person has also included the distribution of eBookstore access codes within your organisation. The eBookstore access codes allow our members to read a selection of titles for free – as part of their membership benefits. We have a range of instructions and guidance about using the eBookstore on our website.

What information will you receive?

We want our link people to know about:

Lastest news and updates

Members’ week - our annual celebration for members, including free events and activities, usually taking place in the last week of September

Free events for members and conferences on key topics such as post-adoption support and kinship care Special offers and unique deals for our members

Membership benefits and services

Members’ area

We have an exclusive members’ only area of our website with a range of resources. It is password protected and members must log in to access our content. These resources include over 40 books and guides, practice notes, access to the ‘Adoption & Fostering’ journal online (including back editions), and much more. We also provide member-only restricted content across our website, such as practice forum meeting summaries and advisory committee meeting minutes, that can be accessed once signed in.

020 7520 7514/7518 • membership@corambaaf.org.uk

Advice and information

Qualified staff and experts are available to advise members on a variety of issues in England and Wales, including social work practice, legal matters, health or medical issues, regulatory compliance and other matters. Restrictions apply – if you are an individual member the Advice Line is available to standard rate members only (one enquiry per membership year).

0300 222 5775 • Monday – Friday 9am–1pm •

Outbound Permanence Service

The Outbound Permanence Service is a specialist advice service for local authorities who are looking to place children in care with kinship carers living overseas and the only one offering advice on all legal orders including adoption. From April 2024 access to the service will become a benefit to members within local authorities, regional adoption agencies, regional collaboratives, and health and social care trusts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

0300

‘Adoption & Fostering’ journal

‘Adoption & Fostering’ is published by CoramBAAF in association with SAGE journals Members are entitled to online access to every issue going back to April 1977 and can also search for particular topics. CoramBAAF members also have free access to two more SAGE journals: the Journal of Social Work and Qualitative Social Work.

Remember to sign in to your website account to be able to access the restricted content within each issue.

Publications

CoramBAAF is a major publisher and members are regularly notified of new publications. Local authority, regional adoption agency, voluntary adoption agency and independent fostering provider members receive free access to a catalogue of selected titles in our eBookstore.

journaleditor@coram baaf.org.uk

Bookshop

020 7520 7517

bookshop@coram baaf.org.uk

Training

020 7520 2041

training@coram baaf.org.uk

Events

020 7520 7520

events@coram baaf.org.uk

Individual members receive a £30 gift card, whilst Associate members receive a £50 gift card, to spend in our online bookshop.

Browse our catalogues and stay up to date by signing up to our bookshop e-newsletter.

020 7520 7517 • bookshop@corambaaf.org.uk •

Commissioned training and open courses

We deliver an extensive variety of open courses and deliver bespoke training for agencies. Members are entitled to a discount on training and open course fees and these are shown on the website, just remember to sign in to access your discount.

Browse our programme and stay up to date by signing up to our training and events e-newsletter.

020 7520 2041 • training@corambaaf.org.uk •

Events and conferences

Our programme of free member events runs throughout the year. Remember to sign in to your website account to book your place for free. Join our Exploring Expertise or Learning from Research webinars to help promote understanding, and share best practice examples.

We also host conferences on a wide variety of topics. Members are entitled to attend some specifically organised conferences free of charge

020 7520 7520

• events@corambaaf.org.uk

• SEE MORE

CoramBAAF Digest

Members receive our monthly comprehensive electronic digest, which compiles up-to-date information on legislation, policy, parliamentary matters, new reports and publications. This monthly e-newsletter is free for all CoramBAAF members, and will be sent directly to your inbox.

020 7520 7525

• infodesk@corambaaf.org.uk

• SEE MORE

CoramBAAF News

As a member, you will receive our regular membership enewsletter - CoramBAAF News. We will keep you informed about sector news, our work, and services As a member, you will also be able to access back issues of this mailing via our website.

membership@corambaaf.org.uk

• SEE MORE

Job vacancy listing service

For a discounted fee, you can advertise your children’s social work sector job vacancy on the CoramBAAF website

020 7520 7518 / 020 7520 7514

• SEE MORE

• jobslistings@corambaaf.org.uk

Contact us

For information about:

Adoption advisory committee

Kinship advisory committee

Health advisory committee and group

Legal advisory committee and group

Research advisory committee and group

Contact Danielle Sawyer

via:

020 7520 7521

danielle.sawyer

@corambaaf.org

.uk

For information about:

Foster carer advisory committee

Fostering advisory committee

BMEPAC

Contact Georgina Coope via:

020 7520 7523

Advisory committees, groups and practice forums

Our network of advisory committees and practice forums disseminates practice knowledge and consults with members, enabling us to advocate on your behalf to government and ensure that your voices are heard in the development of legislation, policy and practice.

Committees

Adoption advisory committee

This committee advises CoramBAAF on policy, practice, resources and procedures concerning adoption and aims to enable the organisation to make representations to government, parliamentarians, local authorities and other stakeholders on legislation and policy. The committee meets three times per year.

Foster carer advisory committee

The Foster carer advisory committee advises CoramBAAF on matters concerning foster care. This committee is composed of foster carers from across England with a range of backgrounds and experiences. Members help CoramBAAF engage with lived experiences and draw on their expertise in caring for children to help us develop our work

Fostering advisory committee

This committee advises CoramBAAF on policy, practice, resources and procedures concerning fostering and aims to enable the organisation to make representations to government, parliamentarians, local authorities and other stakeholders on legislation and policy. The committee meets three times per year.

georgina.coope@

corambaaf.org.uk

Black minority ethnic perspectives advisory committee (BMEPAC)

The BMEPAC advises CoramBAAF on matters concerning policy, practice, resources and procedures as they affect black minority ethnic children and their families. The committee is composed of up to eight nominees from CoramBAAF’s Black workers practice forums plus coopted members

Kinship advisory committee

This committee advises CoramBAAF on policy, practice, resources and procedures concerning kinship care and aims to enable the organisation to make representations to government, parliamentarians, local authorities and other stakeholders on legislation and policy. The committee meets three times per year.

Health advisory committee and group

Medical advisers and specialist nurses, including school nurses, health visitors working for member agencies and others with a specialist interest in health issues may join our health group (although they may wish to consider the benefits of individual membership). This is a “virtual” group that receives communications from CoramBAAF’s health group advisory committee (HGAC).

The health group links in with other adoption and fostering health professional forums within England. Members of the group are eligible to be nominated to join the HGAC as and when vacancies arise. A summary of the notes of the quarterly meetings of the HGAC are posted on our website.

Legal advisory committee and group

Members who are legal professionals or are “qualified by experience” in legal matters, children’s guardians and legal advisers to member agencies may join our Legal group Members of the group are eligible to be nominated to join the legal group advisory committee (LGAC) as and when vacancies arise. The LGAC meets three times a year.

Research advisory committee

CoramBAAF’s research advisory comittee is open to individual members and representatives of member agencies. Members of CoramBAAF’s research group advisory committee (RGAC) are elected from the research group ’ s membership The RGAC meets three times a year.

Practice Forums

Our practice forums provide members with a unique opportunity to discuss professional practice and share knowledge and expertise with colleagues. The practice forums include: adoption; Black Workers; fostering; health (London and south); independent fostering providers; kinship care; panel advisors (adoption and fostering); panel chairs (adoption); private fostering.

For more information contact:

cbpracticeforum@corambaaf.org.uk • corambaaf.org.uk/networking

All summaries and meetings notes are available in the CoramBAAF members’ area of our website.