⭐ We are delighted to welcome Dr Lisa Cherry to the Rees Centre as the new Norham Fellow. Dr Cherry brings extensive expertise in trauma-informed practice, education, and improving outcomes for children and young people with experience of care and adversity.

The Belonging in Education Research Network led by the Rees Centre has published a new statement bringing together evidence on the importance of relational and inclusive approaches across education settings. ➡️ Read more: shorturl.at/dNHZe

✨ Thank you to Professor Karen Broadhurst for an insightful talk on data, evidence and trust in family justice. If you missed the session, you can catch up on the recording here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLrE...

A new report by Prof Julie Selwyn highlights ongoing challenges in educational outcomes for children in long-term foster care. Children with a permanent long-term foster care decision are expected to remain with the same carer, but by age 16 only 51% were in the same placement. shorturl.at/bmmax

📢 Excited to share a new report on a national evaluation exploring early insights into Pupil Premium Plus Post-16 funding. The study provides a comprehensive picture of how this funding is being used to support young people in and leaving care across England. Read more: shorturl.at/i4E8R

📢 Call for Evidence: Information Use in Practice We’re inviting contributions to explore how information is used in real-world practice particularly in services supporting children and families. Deadline: 17 April ➡️ More: shorturl.at/FdKyp

🖊️ Our latest blog reflects on a webinar led by Caroline Spaas, focusing on the concept of relational poverty. This perspective considers the critical role of relationships, trust, and social connection in shaping people’s experiences and outcomes. Read the full blog: shorturl.at/Bth6q

As part of a short series of Coram events marking the centenary of the Adoption of Children Act (1926), Rees Centre Prof Harriet Ward will discuss the historical consequences of illegitimacy and share insights from her ongoing research into the history of adoption. More: ➡️ shorturl.at/6dQPR

👋 Join the upcoming ITALO lunchtime webinar: Creating address‑based linkages with our speakers Robin Linacre from the Ministry of Justice and Dr Mike Edwards from Secure eResearch Platform, SeRP. 📅 25 March 2026 | 🕐 13:00–14:00 | 💻 Online & Free to Attend 🔗 Register now! shorturl.at/jkGWz

👋 We're pleased to welcome Dr Clive Diaz who joins the Centre as senior academic leader for research in fostering and education. Clive’s research will focus on strengthening the evidence base on participation, voice and experiences of fairness in children’s social care and family justice systems.

👏Join our upcoming webinar hosted by the Children’s Information Project. This session will explore how children’s information can be used ethically & effectively to improve decision-making in policy & practice. The project's supported by the @nuffieldfoundation.org ➡️Register: shorturl.at/kxFtp

Our Centre senior research fellow Sarah Gorin reflects on meaningful involvement of children, young people and parents/carers in shaping ethical and effective information use, highlighting why trust, understanding and voice matter in public services. ➡️ Read her blog: shorturl.at/RPl4M

New evidence on children looked after by local authorities, including trends and effective interventions. Great to see this briefing published with contributions from Rees Centre Prof Leon Feinstein. Read: shorturl.at/Vbby6

Latest news very much welcomed: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Prof Judy Sebba: “It's great that the bureaucracy in approving foster carers is being reduced as long as quality of carers is maintained.” ✅ Lit review: shorturl.at/5oxg1

🌟 We’ve launched a new report from the Children’s Information Project on what ethical & effective use of children’s information looks like & how it can be improved. Funded by the @nuffieldfoundation.org , it introduces a practical framework & 8 essential practices. ➡️Read report: shorturl.at/HBllR

Thank you Assistant Professor Caroline Spaas for presenting at today’s Rees lunchtime webinar. If you missed her webinar on Relational Poverty Perspectives, the recording is now available to watch www.youtube.com/watch?v=heZx...

👨‍👦Working in child welfare, social work, or policy? Don’t miss this free talk on relational poverty, offering new ways to think about families, services, & inequality. 📅 27 Jan, 12.30pm | In-person at Department of Education, University of Oxford & Online Register now shorturl.at/DriGE

This year marks the centenary of the Adoption of Children Act 1926; the 1st legislation to enable the legal adoption of children in England & Wales. Rees Centre Emeritus Prof Harriet Ward discusses its significance on BBC's Woman’s Hour with Nuala McGovern. 🎧 Listen (at 27:06): lnkd.in/eErY2sMG

🎉 A big welcome to our 2 new Senior Research Fellows; Bachar Alrouh and Sarah Gorin. Bachar’s research explores how family justice and children’s social care shape educational pathways and life outcomes, while Sarah will work on the Children’s Information Project.

👏 A huge thank you to Emeritus Professor Julie Selwyn for presenting at our Rees lunchtime webinar on Tuesday, 'Family Routes – Growing Up in Adoptive and Special Guardianship Families'. 🔗 You can now watch Julie’s recorded session and access the slides here: shorturl.at/tOXrV

🎉 From 1 Jan 2026, Dr Ian Thompson will take up the role of interim Director of the Rees Centre. This follows the news that Prof Leon Feinstein will transition into his new position as Director of the Department of Education. 👉 Read more: shorturl.at/1bXLp @education.ox.ac.uk

👋 Join us next week for the Rees Centre's Lunchtime Webinar Series: Family Routes – Growing Up in Adoptive and Special Guardianship Families with Professor Julie Selwyn. 👉 Register: shorturl.at/NmNCe

👏 Congratulations to former Rees Centre researcher Dr Áine Kelly, whose Doctoral work has helped to inform the new Initial Health Assessment Delivery Standards from @corambaaf.bsky.social. Read more: shorturl.at/vaKV7

Building on our Raised by Relatives work and co-produced with kinship carers and professionals across the children's social care sector, Kinship has launched its co-produced recommendations to promote racial equity in kinship care. ➡️ Read report: lnkd.in/eGQQHPbS ➡️ Read blog: shorturl.at/DvxFD

📢 Our new report calls for a complete rethink of how we measure success for young people leaving care. The study highlights how current national data frameworks ignore the emotional realities of entering adulthood from care. Read story & report: shorturl.at/CSk2f @becomecharity.org.uk

Yesterday, we welcomed Dr Birgit Larsson, where she gave an engaging presentation on supporting adolescents in care. Dr Larsson highlighted the need for stronger communication and collaboration between the systems involved in adolescents’ lives. Slides & recording available: shorturl.at/pE55u

📢 Join us online tomorrow for a webinar on “Adolescents in Care – Needs, Pathways, and Engagement in Multiple and Interacting Systems" with Dr Birgit Larsson. ➡️ Register: shorturl.at/QSYee

Rees researcher Dr Priya Tah, Anam Raja (Kinship) and Emmanuel Onapa sharing stories and research on the experiences of Black and Asian kinship carers, during @corambaaf.bsky.social's Kinship Care Conference. Photo by CoramBAAF

We are looking for care experienced parents to complete our survey to share some of their positive parenting moments. Our project aims to challenge stigma and promote positive outcomes. Please help if you can. All rts appreciated. Access the survey through the link or QR code: lnkd.in/eZ_wWUgZ

⭐ We're proud to share our new academic article, co-authored with care-experienced members of the Future of Care project design group and partners at Become, which focuses on what ’success’ means for young adults, and how this can be applied to care leavers. ▶️ Read more: bit.ly/3J1Jtv6

At the recent EuSARF Conference, researchers Priya Tah and Teresa Williams shared insights from the Raised by Relatives project as part of the Kinship Symposium on international approaches to kinship foster care. Read more: bit.ly/4nHmjcm

A new ReesCentre report looks at how extending Virtual School Heads’ duties to children with a social worker (CWSW) has made an impact (Oct 2022–Nov 2024). 🔗 Read more: bit.ly/3IY84ke

🎉Congratulations! Rees student Janique Charles' poster “Young Voices: Understanding the Subjective Well-Being of Children in Caribbean Transnational Families” has won the Best Student PhD Poster at #EUSARF2025 Read more shorturl.at/2iRhs

Vania Pinto from the Rees Centre has shared her reflections from #EuSARF2025 in Zagreb. Together with Prof Gillian Schofield, she led a symposium on Belonging & becoming: Rethinking children’s identity in foster care & adoption. 📖 Read the blog: shorturl.at/7gB62

New research. Fresh insights. Upcoming webinars. 📩 Sign up to our Rees Centre newsletter: bit.ly/47BYqOs

We’re excited to share that this week, many of our colleagues from the Rees Centre will be presenting their latest research at the EuSARF conference in Croatia. Keep an eye out for the following symposia, papers!

The use of Generative Artificial Intelligence is changing the way social workers produce case recordings & make use of information. Listen to podcast by the Children's Information Project bit.ly/4gfJo3c ➡️What opportunities are there for the use of GenAI in social work?

Our researcher Georgia shares three reflections on ‘Pathways into and through higher education for young people with experience of children’s social care’. Read more taso.org.uk/news-blog/hi... Or watch our recent webinar www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOvQ...

Vacancy: Senior Research Fellow 📍 The role offers the chance to lead impactful projects and collaborate across disciplines in a supportive, mission-driven environment. 🖱️ Apply now using the QR code below or visit shorturl.at/8kPy3

Job Vacancy Alert - Senior Academic Research Leader in Children’s Social Care (CSC) ➡️ Scan the QR code below or apply here shorturl.at/GmnRE

🚨 We’re hiring at the Rees Centre! Join us in leading world-class research to improve the lives of children and young people supported by children’s social care services. Apply or share with your networks www.education.ox.ac.uk/rees-centre/...

A few colleagues from our team recently enjoyed a change of scene with a working trip to Oxford’s libraries. They then wrapped up the day with a few drinks at the local pub and some ice cream!

🎉 We’re now on LinkedIn! Follow the Rees Centre for the latest research, insights and updates on children’s social care, fostering, education and more. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/rees...

Prof Leon Feinstein will be presenting on Care experienced students: Pathways into and through HE. This session will examine how different groups of young people with experience of children’s social care tend to differ in their progression to & through HE. 📆3 July, 9.30am bit.ly/446Ly0y

📈 Too often, children’s needs are lost in systems built to collect rather than serve. This new framework to the government supports ethical, effective information use across children’s services. This project's funded by the @nuffieldfoundation.org Find out more: bit.ly/3HYst82

🎥 Missed our lunchtime webinar on Pathways into and through higher education for young people with experience of children’s social care? Catch up now on Youtube www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOvQ...

📢 Join us for our webinar next week on Pathways into and through higher education for young people with experience of children’s social care. 🗓️ 10 June, 12.30pm 💻 Department of Education & Online 🔗 Register here bit.ly/4kkdLWL

👨‍👩‍👧‍👧The Children’s Information Project, led by the Rees Centre, is transforming how data from children & families informs support at local and national levels. Want updates? 📰Sign up for our newsletter bit.ly/4dETBol 👉Visit website bit.ly/43S1lzZ

💛We’re grateful for all the support during #FosterCareFortnight Your blogs, shares, quotes & reflections helped us amplify this year’s theme on the power of relationships. #FCF25 #ReesSupportsFCF25