Al Coates

Al adopted three children in 1999 with his wife and they then became foster to two children in 2008. They went on to adopt those children and their sibling in 2013. In 2013 Al qualified as a social worker and has worked in fostering since then and is now a Registered Manager of a Foster Care Agency. He also works as an Independent Social Worker specialising in supporting parents, foster carers and special guardians managing challenging and aggressive behaviour and co-authored several publications on the topic. Al has also campaigned to raise issues in relation to adoption and continuously worked with the Department of Education (DfE) since 2015 as part of their Expert Advisory Group, the Adopter Reference Group and the Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board. He was awarded an MBE in 2018 for services to Adoption. Al also trains across the sector including police, youth justice, education, social care and families in a broad range of associated issues and is an NVR advanced practitioner. Since qualifying Al has also been an active blogger and is the founder and co-host of “The Adoption & Fostering Podcast”.