Adoption Panel Chair

Job Title: Adoption Panel Chair (Adopt South)

Salary Range: £400 per panel - panel runs 9.30am - 1.15pm

Work Location: Virtual via Zoom - panels run on Tuesday and Wednesdays

Hours per week: Various

Contract Type: Monthly and ad hoc if needed.

This role is with Adopt South, the partnership Regional Adoption Agency for Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Southampton local authorities, with the lead authority Hampshire County Council as the employer.

Adopt South is dedicated to providing safe and loving homes for children with plans of adoption. We are committed to ensuring the highest standards of care and support for adoptive families. Our team is passionate about making a positive difference in the lives of children and families.

Adopt South's Panels are made up of individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds with personal or professional experience relevant to adoption. We pride ourselves on the diversity of our panels and welcome applications from anyone with relevant experience and skills which encompass a wide range of ethnicity and cultural backgrounds. If you would like to help us transform the lives of children with a plan for adoption, we'd really like to chat to you about how could make a difference.

Role Overview:

Would you like to make a real difference in transforming the lives of children who have a plan for adoption? Adopt South are seeking to appoint a Panel Chair for Adopt South's Adoption Panels.

As the Adopt South Panel Chair, you will lead the adoption panel in making crucial decisions regarding the approval of prospective adoptive parents and the matching of children with families. You will ensure that all decisions are made in the best interests of the children and in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements. The panels make recommendations to the Adopt South's Agency Decision Maker (ADM) who has the final decision.

Adopt South is guided by our core values as outline in our Statement of Purpose which sets out Adopt South's aims and objectives. It explains who we are, our values and principles, the services we provide and the way that we provide them.

Our panels provide independent oversight and quality assurance to the adoption agency and our partner local authorities, ensuring that the needs of children who cannot live with their birth families are met.

We hold panels on behalf of our partnership local authorities, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton. If you have worked for any of these authorities, 12 months must have passed before you can be considered as a Panel Chair. If you are interested in becoming a Panel Chair, please apply below.

Role Responsibilities:

• To chair panel meetings virtually, ensuring that all items of business are covered and that the panel operates in accordance with regulations and the policies and procedures of the agency.
• To prepare for panel meetings, reading panel papers carefully, identifying key issues and alerting the agency adviser if necessary to ensure, as far as possible, that the case is adequate for submission to panel.
• Finalising panel members questions and identifying themes of questions for prospective adopters within given timeframe.
• To facilitate the active participation of all panel members in contributing to the panel's consideration of cases and to the making of clear and well-evidenced recommendations with the reasons for these.
• To ensure that all those attending panel are treated with respect and courtesy.
• To address diversity issues and to promote anti-discriminatory practice at all times.
• To ensure that clear and accurate minutes are written, which record any serious reservations which panel members may have, and to be involved in checking and agreeing draft minutes with other panel members before they are sent to the decision-maker.
• To liaise with the decision-makers and with other senior managers as required.
• To ensure, along with the agency adviser, that senior managers are aware of issues of concern, in relation both to individual cases and to more general matters.
• If required, to be involved in the recruitment and appointment of central list panel members and in any consideration about terminating the appointment of a member.
• To review, possibly with the agency adviser, the performance of central list panel members as the need arises, and at least annually.
• To assist in developing, promoting and monitoring policies and procedures and high standards of work in adoption services in the agency.
• To assist in planning training for members and to participate in person at this at least one day per year.
• To safeguard the confidentiality of all panel papers and panel discussions.
• To be involved in:
• deciding whether a case is adequate for submission to panel;
• deciding on the attendance of observers at panel;
• deciding on the participation of a panel member who declares an interest in a case;
• deciding when an extra panel may be necessary in conjunction with the Agency Advisor;
• the preparation of an annual report on the panel's work

Working Conditions in this role may include:

• Display Screen Equipment user and ability to access the internet and hold virtual meetings.

Connect2Hampshire is a trading style of Hampshire & Kent Commercial Services LLP - A joint venture between Hampshire County Council & Commercial Services Kent Ltd. Connect2Hampshire is an equal opportunities Employment Agency & Business. It positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates.