Adopt London West Regional Adoption Agency
£600 full day or £300 half day per panel
From August 2024 for a three year term
Adopt London West RAA is a partnership service comprising the London Boroughs of Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham and Hounslow and hosted by the London Borough of Ealing. The agency is responsible for the recruitment, assessment and approval of adopters, as well as the family finding for children looked after across our partner agencies.
Every child has the right to a safe and supportive family life. Adopt London West aspires to promote best practice across its adoption service.
We seek an independent Chair of the Adoption Panel who will support us to excel and are committed to innovative practice and assuring the best possible outcomes for children and adoptive families.
As a Panel Chair, you will be responsible for:
- Preparing for panel meetings, reading panel papers carefully and identifying key issues;
- Chairing panel meetings and ensuring the smooth and timely running of these
- Contributing to the panel’s consideration of cases and to the making of clear and well-evidenced recommendations
- Making a recommendation as to whether adoption is a suitable plan for a child who has been relinquished
- Making a recommendation as to whether applicant(s) are suitable to adopt
- Making a recommendation as to whether a child should be placed for adoption with prospective adopter(s)
- Collaborating with the Panel Adviser and ALW’s management to ensure the efficient and fair running of Panel meetings, bringing any practice discussions to the forefront.
Ideal candidates will have significant professional experience of the adoption process, coupled with excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills, the authority and skill to chair an adoption panel.
Ideal candidates will be social work qualified with a current Social Work England registration, with knowledge and understanding of adoption, who will inspire confidence and assist the Panel to reach robust recommendations regarding the approval of adopters and the placement of children with adoptive families.
Panels will take place every 3 weeks on dates that will be agreed in advance for the year and are currently held virtually via Microsoft Teams.
For further information and a discussion, please contact the Panel Adviser Milena Bazelkova on bazelkovam@ealing.gov.uk or Debbie Gabriel, Head of Adopt London West on 020 825 8815 or email GabrielD@ealing.gov.uk
Ealing Council is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Ealing Council follows safer recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults. The post holder will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
This post is subject to Ealing Council’s enhanced vetting process.
This role is deemed customer facing and as such you must have a command of spoken English which is sufficient to enable you to effectively perform the role. This requirement relates to Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016.
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