In 2018-19, we supported more children, families and professionals than ever before. We directly helped 138,505 children and young people– an increase of 38% on the previous year, and supported nearly three million users who accessed our education and information services.
The highlights over the past 12 months included the opening of our Queen Elizabeth II Centre by Her Majesty The Queen last December, which provides us with the facilities we need to realise our vision as a national centre for excellence for children. We also expanded the Group with the arrival of Coram Beanstalk, who support volunteer reading volunteers in schools, and Coram Family and Childcare, championing early years entitlements.
We also worked in partnership with local authorities across London to launch Coram Ambitious for Adoption, the first Regional Adoption Agency in the capital and the first to be provided by a voluntary adoption agency. In the coming year we will build on this launch to step up recruitment of adopters for children waiting to be adopted, and continue advocating for these children following the recent closure of the Adoption Register for England. Our policy specialists will also continue to inform the debate on the EU settlement scheme to ensure vulnerable children are protected and provide expertise on what works best to those shaping the future of children and young people.