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Coram

Registered charity number 312278

On JustGiving since Mar 2003

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About Coram

Who are we?

 

We are England’s oldest children’s charity. We have been caring for children since 1739. Ever since Captain Thomas Coram decided that he could not longer stand by whilst young children lived and died on the streets of London, Coram Family has been at the forefront of childcare in the UK.

 

What do we do?

Those of us lucky enough to have grown up in supportive and loving families will know the foundation this gives us for the rest of our lives. Sadly not all children are as lucky as this. Many have been let down time and time again, have been neglected and have no one they can turn to.

 

Today we run over 50 different projects for disadvantaged children and their families, helping those who have suffered so much in their short lives a second chance to enjoy a happy, healthy and fulfilling life.

 

Who do we help?

 

Coram Family’s services help vulnerable young people who have experienced trauma and family breakdown, or whose families are at risk. We provide practical care and support for thousands of children, young people and families every year through a wide range of ground breaking projects.

 

Our work includes newborn babies, young children, young people on the brink of adulthood and also parents and families.

 

How do we help?

Coram Family has a wealth of experience working with children who have been severely damaged by their childhoods.

 

We pioneer new ways of working with children. We listen and respect children and young people, promoting their rights and challenging discrimination.

 

The work we do enables children who are at risk or who have been separated from their parents, to develop a sense of self-esteem, to find stability and lead fulfilling lives.

 

Why are we good?

Through our work we identify the problem, find the way to solve it and in the process, create a new service that when fully evaluated, becomes the model for similar services nationwide. There are nearly 6000 children who benefit directly through the care of Coram Family. Many tens of thousands more benefit from the experience gained through the projects we initiate and manage.

 

Established Coram Family services include:

 

Adoption & Permanent Families Service – finding families for children with complex needs.

 

Housing & Support Services – Easing the difficult transition form care to independence.

 

Child Contact Service – the leading agency for supervised child contact.

 

Parents Centre – education, support and training for parents.

 

Family Support Service – supporting families through community based service and parent support programmes.

 

Service for vulnerable children and young people – helping those at risk of social exclusion, within their local communities or schools.

 

Coram Community Campus – offering families with young children and local ‘one-stop-shop’ where they can receive advice and support on a wide range of issues.

 

 

 




Our history

Thomas Coram was a sea captain and ship builder, and a trader with a great knowledge of the American colonies where he lived for many years.  On his return to England he was appalled by the sight of children abandoned and left to die on the streets of London because their parents could not afford to feed them. 

The miserable lives of the abandoned children touched him so deeply that he spent the next 17 years trying to find a way to help them.

In 1739 he finally obtained a Royal Charter from King George II to establish a 'hospital for the maintenance and education of exposed and deserted young children'.  The Foundling Hospital, as it became known, is thought to be England's first children's charity.

Built in Bloomsbury, the hospital soon became a well known feature of London, being patronised by royalty and the rich and famous society figures of the period.  The artist William Hogarth was one of the first governors.  He and his wife were also foster parents. 

Another great benefactor was George Frideric Handel.  In his will, Handel bequeathed to the hospital a fair copy of Messiah (the 'Foundling Hospital version') and left behind a musical tradition which has continued to the present day.

In the early 1900s the hospital was demolished due to London's polluted air and the children relocated in the country.  After this, childcare policy and attitudes gradually started to change.  Individual fostering and adoption replaced large institutions and the Foundling Hospital began a new life as the Thomas Coram Foundation for Children, now known as Coram Family.