All adoption agencies must have adoption panels. Nottinghamshire Adoption Service has three panels, each of which meets about 10 times a year.
What do panels do?
Adoption panels have three main functions:
- they make adoption plans for children
- they consider the suitability of prospective adopters
- they match children with prospective adopters
Panels make recommendations and an agency decision maker makes the final decision based on the reports considered by panel, the recommendation of the panel, and the minutes from the adoption panel. Panels can also offer advice on various related issues, such as contact arrangements and support plans.
Who is on a panel?
There are up to 10 people on a panel. Someone independent of the agency must chair the adoption panel and there must be at least three other independent panel members. These will often be people with personal experience of adoption, eg adoptive parents, adopted people or birth family members.
Panels must also include a medical adviser, social worker representatives and (for local authorities) an elected member. Panels are not quorate (ie they cannot consider a case) unless there are five people present, one of whom must be the chair (or vice chair), one an independent member, and one a social worker representative.
Also, panels should include an agency adviser (who should be a senior member of the agency) and a minute taker. Panels should have access to legal advice and in Nottinghamshire the legal adviser usually attends panel meetings. Panels should be representative of the community they serve, so they should ideally have a diverse membership with a range of skills and experience.
Nottinghamshire Adoption Service offers support to panel members and two training days a year.
Panel members must have an enhanced disclosure with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and have an annual appraisal of their performance, which includes looking at their attendance record and contribution to panel meetings. Panel members can be appointed for up to three terms of three years each term.
Nottinghamshire Adoption Service welcomes enquiries from anyone who feels they have relevant experience and can make a contribution to the work of the adoption panel.
For more information, contact the panel co-ordinators on 01623 437556 or 437557.
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