Episode 46 | RCPCH’s new Initial Health Assessment Standards
Ellie Johnson is joined by Dr. Lynn Snow and Dr. Vicki Walker to explore the newly launched Initial Health Assessment (IHA) Standards from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH). These Standards are designed to enhance the experience of children and young people undergoing IHAs, improve health outcomes, and support overall wellbeing. By setting a higher benchmark for care, they aim to reduce long-term health disparities faced by children and young people in care compared to their peers.
Dr Lynn Snow is a community paediatrician working as Designated Doctor for looked after children for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and has worked with looked after children for over 20 years in various roles (including adoption adviser) in various areas of the country. She was until recently chair of the CoramBAAF National Health advisory committee and has focused on health records for children post adoption working with DHSC and NHSE.
Dr Vicki Walker is a Consultant Paediatrician in Mansfield and Designated Dr for Children in Care in Nottinghamshire. She was appointed to the RCPCH Child Protection Standing Committee as the representative for Looked After Children in February 2019, working with the College to improve health outcomes for children in care. In 2022 she was appointed RCPCH Assistant Officer for Child Protection (education)
Dr Vicki Walker, Dr Lynn Snow and Ellie Johnson are the IHA delivery standards clinical project leads.
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Adoption & Fostering journal #19 | Better identification of neurodevelopmental conditions in care-experienced children
Vicky Walker and Dr Dennis Golm are joined by Dr Matt Woolgar and Dr Tom Cawthorne to explore their latest research featured in Adoption & Fostering (Vol. 49, Issue 2).
They discuss the mental health and neurodevelopmental challenges faced by care-experienced young people, the barriers to accessing effective support, and concerns around the overdiagnosis of attachment and trauma-related conditions.
The episode also highlights recent changes to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund and their impact on practice, research quality, and the need for evidence-based approaches to improve outcomes for children.
Dr Matt Woolgar is a consultant clinical psychologist in the NHS and currently leads the psychology services in the National Adoption & Fostering Clinic and the National Conduct Problems Clinic at the Michael Rutter Centre, at the Maudsley Hospital, SLAM NHS Trust.
Dr Tom Cawthorne is a Senior Clinical Psychologist within the National Conduct Adoption and Fostering Team (CAFT). In this role, he conducts psychological assessments and interventions with children and adolescents who are adopted or fostered and young people presenting with significant behavioural difficulties.
Read the articles:
The need for improved recognition of neurodevelopmental conditions in adopted and fostered young people.
Letter to the editor - The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund – Which services are available
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Episode 46 | Chairing with care: Insights from adoption panels
Jane Poore, Adoption Consultant, is joined by Alistair to discuss Chairing adoption panels, and his experience as a single adoptive parent. They touch on the support plan that helped Alistair and his son, for both of their needs, and the support they had before the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF).
They widen their conversation to consider the adoption process and the needs of children and their families, which mirrors the responsibilities Alistair had as a panel chair. As they consider Alistair’s retirement, they also consider the changes over the past 10 years or more since he began as a panel chair.
The changes of moving online to conduct panels, and adapting to circumstances have been a positive movement in making panels more accessible and diverse panels. Alistair shares advice, actions and resources that have been invaluable to his role as a panel chair.
Alistair is a single parent adopter following the adoption of his son in 2010. He first joined an adoption panel at Families for Children in 2013, after a suggestion from a social worker, to bring his experience of adoption and commitment to ensuring adopters have good support in place for them.
He joined the Somerset Adoption Panel in 2014, later becoming Vice-Chair, to then become Chair of the Devon Adoption Panel in 2015. Whilst Somerset and Devon became part of Adopt South West (ASW), the new Regional Adoption Agency, in October 2018, Alistair continues his role as Chair with ASW until June 2025.
Find out more: Episode 46 | Chairing with care: Insights from adoption panels | CoramBAAF
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'Adoption & Fostering' journal #18 | Vol.49 Issue 3 introduction with Dr Dennis Golm and Vicky Walker
In this episode, we explore the increasingly international scope of ‘Adoption & Fostering’ journal, where over half of recent submissions come from outside the UK. Dr Dennis Golm and Vicky Walker highlight powerful new research from around the world, ranging from adoptive parent regret in the US, to mental health support for children in Nigerian institutions, to foster care experiences in Greece and family engagement in Italian group homes.
We also spotlight UK-based research on adoptive teenagers’ attachment and innovative health planning tools for looked after children. Tune in for a rich discussion that connects global insights with local practice, all with the shared goal of improving outcomes for vulnerable children.
For related resources or to watch more episodes, visit our website: https://corambaaf.org.uk/resources/corambaaf-conversations
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Episode 43 | Co-creating assessment tools with our members and the wider sector
In this episode of CoramBAAF Conversations, consultants Jane Poore, Clare Seth, and Emma Fincham explore the extensive work behind the recent updates to three key social work assessment tools: Form K (Kinship Care Assessments), Form F (Foster Carer Assessments), and the CPR (Child’s Permanence Report) for England.
They discuss the reasons for revising these forms, the collaborative development process, and the challenges of creating trauma-informed, strengths-based, and legally compliant tools that better reflect the realities of children in care and their families.
Listeners will gain insight into how the updated forms aim to improve consistency across local authorities, amplify the child’s voice, and provide more holistic support for carers. The consultants also highlight the importance of the free accompanying guidance, the role of practitioner and member feedback, and future developments, including support plans and long-term matching.
Whether you're a social worker, carer, or sector professional, this episode offers valuable perspectives on how thoughtful form design can lead to better outcomes for children and families. It also draws attention to the free resources available to help professionals complete assessments using CoramBAAF’s tools with confidence.
Our podcast series is dedicated to exploring topics related to adoption, fostering and kinship care. We invite children’s social care professionals and experts by experience to join us to share best practices, their experiences and knowledge.
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