Surprise immediate closure of adoption and fostering association
By News England, , ,

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

The closure, which has been blamed on ‘prevailing economic conditions’, has resulted in the loss of 51 jobs, a further 55 have transferred to Coram, while the remaining 28 have been retained over the short-term.

CoramBAAF will continue to operate as an independent membership organisation for agencies and individuals with the following services set to continue:

The Scottish Government has transferred the work of Scotland’s Adoption Register and funded a national adopter information helpline for Scotland to St Andrew’s Children’s Society.

BAAF Northern Ireland and BAAF Wales will continue to trade on a limited basis for a brief period to allow consideration of options to transfer some services and staff to an alternative provider.

In a statement released by on the BAAF wesbite, CEO Caroline Selkirk, said:”In the face of significant changes and prevailing economic conditions, it has sadly not been possible to sustain the organisation.

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

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

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

More information on the closure can be found here: www.baaf.org.uk