5.1.2 Adoption Panel |
SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER
This chapter describes the function, membership and process of the Adoption Panel. It was updated in January 2012 to comply with the requirements of the regulation, guidance and national minimum standards which were implemented in April 2011.
Contents
1. The Function of the Adoption Panel
| 1.1 | As an adoption agency, Bromley is required by legislation to operate an Adoption Panel. The role of the panel is to consider the case of every child, prospective adoptive parent and prospective adoptive placement referred to it by the agency, and make recommendations to the agency about:
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| 1.2 | In considering what recommendation to make the adoption panel must have regard to the duties imposed on the agency under section 1 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 (the welfare check-list) and
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The Adoption Panel contributes to the running and quality assurance of the local authority's adoption service and receives annual reports on the service and its performance. In doing so it has an overriding responsibility to promote good practice, consistency of approach and fairness in all aspects of the adoption service, in accordance with its procedures and values. RecommendationsAs part of this function, the Panel makes recommendations as to the following:
The recommendations must be unconditional and cannot be 'in principle'. TimescalesAdoption Panels make a recommendation on the suitability of a prospective adopter to adopt within eight months of receipt of the formal application. Adoption Panels make a recommendation on whether a child is suitable to be placed for adoption within two months of the Looked After Review where adoption was identified as the child's identified Permanence Plan. Adoption Panels make a recommendation on the proposed placement of a child with particular prospective adopters within six months of the Agency Decision Maker's decision that the child is suitable to be placed for adoption. Where the timescales are not met, the Adoption Panel should record the reasons. AdviceThe Adoption Panel may also advise on the following issues:
MonitoringThe Adoption Panel monitors the progress of individual children for whom adoption is the plan up to the making of an Adoption Order, through progress reports as required under the Placement for Adoption Procedure, and receives Disruption Reports in relation to any breakdowns in adoptive placements (see Disruption of Agency Adoptive Placements Procedure). The Adoption Panel should also provide feedback to the adoption agency every six months on the quality of reports and whether there is a fair and consistent approach across the service. |
2. Membership of the Panel and Panel Advisers
There is no fixed Panel membership or maximum number of members or maximum tenure of office.
A Central List needs to be maintained containing a list of persons considered to be suitable to be members of an Adoption Panel. When setting up an Adoption Panel, members will be drawn from this Central List. The same people do not have to be appointed to every Panel meeting.
The Central List should include (in addition to the Independent Chair):
- Adoption social workers with at least 3 years' relevant post qualifying experience in child care social work, including direct experience in adoption work (not necessarily employed by the agency);
- The Medical Adviser/s;
- Other persons whom the agency considers suitable including specialists in education; race and culture; child and adolescent mental health services; and those with personal experience of adoption.
The Agency will seek to appoint:
- An adoptive parent;
- An adult who was adopted as a child;
- A parent who has given a child up for adoption or a person whose family has been affected by having a child placed for adoption;
- An adult who was in public care (foster or residential care) as a child.
In addition the Panel has two advisers, who are not members of the Panel:
- A legal adviser from Bromley Legal Services (who attends all meetings);
- A Agency Adoption adviser/Panel Adviser;
and a Panel secretary, from the Committee Section.
The Panel Adviser, must be a senior practitioner or manager in the adoption service with at least 5 years' relevant post-qualification and management experience, attends all Panel meetings to advise the Panel but is not a member of the Panel. His or her role is to ensure all the necessary reports are available for the Panel, to advise the Panel on social work and procedural matters and to report to social workers and their managers on issues arising from Panel meetings. In Bromley this role is performed by the Group Manager Adoption Team
The Panel Adviser's role is also to assist with appointments to the Central List, to arrange induction and other training for those on the Central List, monitor and review their performance and monitor and review the administration of the Panel.
The Chair must be independent of the adoption agency, and is appointed by the Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care (see Appendix A2b: Panel Chair - Tasks, Person Specification and Terms and Conditions of the Panel Chair). This appointment will be made by a process of open recruitment and selection by interview.
The Panel must also have one, and can have two, Vice Chairs (who are not necessarily independent members), who are also appointed by the Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care.
The Agency Decision Maker on adoption matters must not be included on the Central List.
The Panel is quorate provided that 5 members are present , one of whom must be the Chair or Vice Chair, one of the adoption social worker representatives and at least one independent member. Bromley is committed to the Panel being gender balanced as far as possible and reflecting the composition of the community that the agency serves.
2.1 Appointments to the Central List
Those on the Central List are appointed by the Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care and will able to continue their membership as long as they are able to carry out their duties.
All those on the Central List should have undergone a recruitment process that includes interviews, identity checks, verification of qualifications and right to work in the UK, references and CRB checks, which are recorded.
New appointees will be asked to give signed agreement to checks being undertaken as above and cannot take up their appointment until the outcome of the checks are known. They are excluded from Panel membership if they have any offences against children or of violence. They are required to notify the Panel Adviser immediately if they receive such a conviction or caution while on the Central List.
They should have the opportunity to observe an Adoption Panel meeting before they sit as a member and to attend an annual joint training day with adoption agency staff; have induction training completed within 10 weeks of inclusion on the list and access to appropriate training and skills development and are kept abreast of changes to legislation, regulation and guidance. They are also provided with the "Information Pack for Panel Members" as part of their preparation
They should also have access to the agency's whistle-blowing policy.
Written information about the expectations arising from their appointment should be given to new appointees to the Central List (in relation to their performance objectives, participation in induction and other training, safeguarding the confidentiality of information provided to the Panel and their general conduct - see Section 2.2, Confidentiality and Section 2.3, General Conduct) and they should be asked to sign a written agreement confirming their acceptance of these before taking up their appointment.
Prospective members of the Panel are required to agree to the terms and conditions of Panel membership and to sign the confidentiality statement prior to taking up their appointment as Panel members. (see Appendix A2a: Panel Members - Tasks, Person Specification and Terms and Conditions of Panel Members and Appendix A2b: Panel Chair - Tasks, Person Specification and Terms and Conditions of the Panel Chair; Appendix A2c: Panel Chair - Agreement for Services in the Field of Social Services & Housing; Appendix A2d: Confidentiality Statement for Panel Members and Appendix A2e: Confidentiality Statement for Visitors and Observers at Panel).
2.2 Confidentiality
All written and verbal information given to Panel members in the course of their duties is strictly confidential. As indicated above, those included on the Central List are required to sign a written agreement, before their appointment, to confirm that all information they receive will remain confidential.
Panel members are expected to keep all written information in a secure place and return all Panel documents to the agency immediately after each Panel meeting.
Panel members must not copy, in part or in whole, any documents that relate to a case.
If a Panel member has some knowledge of a case, whether in a personal or professional capacity, they should declare an interest and inform the Chair of the Panel at the earliest opportunity, so that an alternative member can be invited if required to ensure that the Panel is quorate (see Section 2.4, Conflicts of Interest).
Failure to comply with the above paragraphs may result in the member's inclusion on the Central List being terminated.
2.3 General Conduct
All those on the Central List should be committed to anti-discriminatory practice and should be prepared to consider each case on its own merits.
Panel members should have read the Panel papers carefully, prior to the Panel meeting, and come prepared to contribute to the Panel discussion.
The Panel Adviser will review the performance of those on the Central List on a regular basis.
The Panel Adviser, in consultation with the Chair, will review their performance on a more formal basis at least annually.
If there are concerns about the conduct or behaviour of a person on the Central List, this should be conveyed to the Chair who will raise these concerns with the person in private.
If such concerns cannot be resolved informally, the Chair, in consultation with the Panel Adviser, will write to the person concerned setting out the concerns and what action it is proposed to take. See Section 2.6, Termination of Appointment to the Central List for action that may be taken if the concerns continue.
The Chair's performance will be reviewed annually by the Agency Decision Maker, taking into account the views of those who attend Panel meetings, namely, persons on the Central List, social workers and prospective adopters.
2.4 Conflicts of Interest
Panel members should consider any conflicts of interest in relation to Panel agenda items. A potential conflict arises if an interest may be seen to adversely affect a Panel member's capacity to act without prejudice or preference in a matter.
It is anticipated that in many circumstances there may be professional knowledge of a case which should be notified to the Chair but which will not affect a member's capacity to participate in the Panel. In other circumstances there may be a personal interest or connection which would require the Panel member to refrain from participation. It may be less clear in some cases when advice should be sought.
In the case of a potential conflict of interest where advice is required, Panel members should consult the Chair, Panel Adviser or Legal Adviser, giving as much advance notice as possible particularly having regard to the implications for the quorum.
2.5 Resignations from the Central List
All those on the Central List are expected to give a minimum of one month's written notice of their wish to resign, except where personal emergencies e.g. accidents, illness, make this impossible. Resignation letters should be addressed to the Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care with a copy to the Chair of the Panel.
Initial verbal resignations may be given, but should always be followed by a written resignation. Those on the Central List are asked, as a matter of courtesy, to inform the Chair of the Panel of their intention to resign, before making any public announcement.
Those on the Central List wishing to withdraw a submitted written resignation must do so before the one month notice period expires by writing to the Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care who reserves the right not to accept a withdrawal of notice and to allow the original letter of resignation to stand.
2.6 Termination of Appointment to the Central List
Where it is considered that someone is unsuitable to be on the Central List, they must be given one month's notice in writing and reasons for the decision to end their appointment.
Where there are concerns about the behaviour of a person on the Central List either inside or outside the meetings, and the difficulties have not been resolved by discussion and correspondence between the Chair, Panel Adviser and the person concerned, the matter will be raised by the Panel Adviser with the Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care, who will decide whether to propose the end of the appointment and if so, will advise the person concerned in writing giving clear reasons for the proposal.
The person concerned will be given the opportunity to make observations on the matter before a final decision is made by the Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care.
3. The Process of the Panel
| 3.1 | The Panel meets on the second Wednesday of each month, commencing at 7pm, (if there are cases to be heard), except in urgent circumstances as described in Additional and Urgent Panels). The Clerical Officer, Adoption will prepare and circulate an annual list of Adoption Panel date and deadlines in advance of the designated start of the Panel's year. |
| 3.2 | The Group Manager, Adoption prepares the Panel agenda for each Panel. The agenda must include, at the beginning an opportunity for any Panel Member to declare an interest in any item on the agenda (see Section 2.4 Conflicts of Interest). If an interest is declared, the Chair must then decide whether the Panel member should withdraw during consideration of the item. The Clericlal Officer, Adoption copies a set of papers and the proposed Panel timetable and passes these to the Panel Secretary in the Committee Section. Papers relating to matters to be discussed are copied and distributed to Panel members six days in advance of the Panel date. Papers normally include:
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| 3.3 | Members of the Panel who are unable to attend give their apologies to the Panel Secretary as soon as they know they will not be able to attend Panel on a particular date. Any received papers when apologies are given are returned by the Panel member at the earliest opportunity. |
| 3.4 | The agenda is normally as follows:
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| 3.5 | Members of the Panel leave their papers with the Panel Secretary, who prepares minutes of the meeting. |
| 3.6 | The Panel Secretary takes the minutes of Panel. Upon completion of the draft minutes the Panel Secretary sends them to the Panel Chair and the Legal and Panel Advisors for initial comments. Following any changes the decision sheet with the recommendations of Panel are sent to the Agency decision-maker - the Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care by the Panel Advisor, with a copy of the final draft minutes and panel papers. |
| 3.7 | The Panel Advisor may also take 'notes' which also contain detail on any follow-up action on cases and 'practice points' arising from Panel are agreed by the Panel Chair before being distributed to all appropriate Principal Service and Group Managers, and where appropriate social work staff within Safeguarding and Social Care. In the event of a disagreement between Panel members, the Chair will consider whether further information is required or whether the Panel should go ahead and make a recommendation on the basis of the majority view. In this event, any dissenting view should be fully recorded in the minutes. Social workers presenting reports to the Panel must send their report and any supporting documentation required (as specified in the relevant procedures elsewhere in the Manual; see Placement for Adoption Procedure and Assessment and Approval of Prospective Adopters Procedure) to the Clerical Officer , Adoption at least 10 working days before the date of the Panel meeting. At the end of each Panel meeting, the Clerical Officer, Adoption will collect all members' papers. Panel members unable to attend a meeting will be asked to return his or her papers to the Clerical Officer, Adoption. |
4. Additional and Urgent Panels
| 4.1 | Where the Group Manager, Adoption is aware of the need for an additional Panel in the future due to the amount of Panel business this is brought to the attention of the Panel Chair as early as possible and an additional date confirmed with Panel members at a regular Panel meeting to ensure the additional Panel will be quorate. The Panel process at Section 3, The Process of the Panel. |
| 4.2 | Where there may be circumstances in which an urgent decision is required in the interests of a particular child, the Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care decides whether to convene an urgent Panel on the basis of discussions about a particular case. The Panel Secretary convenes a quorate panel. Papers are circulated at the earliest possible stage. The agenda of an urgent Panel is limited to the case(s) in question. |
5. Adoption Panel Minutes
The Panel minutes will always record the information in relation to the following:
- The reports received. (The Panel's requirements as to reports are specified in the relevant procedures elsewhere in the Manual; see Placement for Adoption Procedure and Assessment and Approval of Prospective Adopters Procedure);
- Who attended and for which part of the discussion;
- Medical advice;
- Legal advice;
- The Panel's discussions (main points) and conclusions;
- The Panel's recommendations and reasons, including any reservations expressed by any member;
- Any advice given by the Panel.
The Panel minutes will be written in accordance with the format agreed from time to time and kept on every child's or prospective adopter's Adoption Case Record.
The Panel minutes will be approved by the Chair and sent to the Agency Decision Maker, together with the reports considered by the Panel when the recommendation was made, so that the Agency Decision Maker can meet the timescales for making the decision as set out in the relevant procedures.
6. Reports to Adoption Panel
Reports to the Adoption Panel in relation to matters upon which the Panel are asked to make recommendations must be prepared by qualified social workers with at least 3 years' post-qualification experience. This must include direct experience of adoption work either in assessing prospective adoptive parents or implementing an adoption plan for a Looked After child. Where the author of the report does not have the requisite qualifications and experience, he or she must have either a qualification in social work or be a social worker in training, and must be supervised by a qualified social worker with 3 years' relevant experience.
Where the person preparing the report is an independent social worker, they must always be suitably qualified and experienced and be supervised by a member of staff with the suitable qualifications and experience.
The same qualifications and experience are required for social workers undertaking visits of children placed for adoption (see Monitoring and Supervision of Agency Adoptive Placements Procedure) and authors of Court Reports in adoption cases.
7. Recommendations and Decisions in Respect of Children
| 7.1 | The Chair of the Panel passes the recommendations of the Panel to the Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care for the agency decision. |
| 7.2 | This is done in the form of the Panel decision-sheet which is prepared by the Panel Secretary within two working days of Panel. The decision sheet is checked by the Legal and Agency Adoption Advisers to Panel. The Group Manager, Adoption ensures the decision sheet, the final draft minutes and a set of panel papers are passed to the Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care within three to four working days of Panel. |
| 7.3 | Where the agency decision is minded not to accept the panel's recommendation he/she must discuss this with another senior person in the agency who is not a member of panel. The outcome of that discussion should be recorded on child and/or prospective adopter's record. |
| 7.4 | The Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care makes the Agency decision within seven working days of Panel. |
| 7.5 | Where the decision relates to the suitability of a child for adoption the following people are informed of the Agency decision:
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8. Recommendations and Decisions in Respect of Matching
| 8.1 | At least 10 working days prior to the deadline for submission of papers for Panel the child's social worker supplies copies of the Adoption Placement Report, Adoption Support Plan and the draft Adoption Placement Plan to the prospective adopters. They are invited to make their comments on the proposed placement at the end of Adoption Placement Report. They are also invited to sign the Adoption Placement Report and Adoption Support Plan. |
| 8.2 | Where the prospective adopters did not attend the Panel they are informed of the panel's recommendation by their adoption social worker within 24 hours. The following people are informed of the Agency decision:
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| 8.3 | Where the agency decision is minded not to accept the panel's recommendation he/she must discuss this with another senior person in the agency who is not a member of panel. The outcome of that discussion should be recorded on child and/or prospective adopter's record. |
9. Recommendations and Decisions in Respect of Prospective Adoptive Parents
| 9.1 | At least 10 working days prior to the deadline for submission of reports to Panel the social worker assessing the suitability of prospective adoptive parents supplies a copy of the prospective adopters report and all attached documents (minus personal references) and notifying them of:
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| 9.2 | Following the Panel the social worker notifies the prospective adoptive parents of the Panel recommendation within 24 hours if the prospective adopter(s) decided not to attend Panel |
| 9.3 | The Panel recommendation is passed to the Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care who may either agree or overturn it. Where the decision maker is minded not to accept the panel's recommendation he or she should discuss this with another senior person in the agency who is not a member of panel. The outcome of that discussion should also be recorded on the prospective adopter's record. |
| 9.4 | If the decision is that the applicants are to be approved the applicants are advised in writing of the decision by the Group Manager, Adoption, within seven working days of the decision. |
| 9.5 | If the agency decision is that the decision maker is not minded to approve the prospective adopter(s) a letter by the Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care:
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| 9.6 | If the prospective adopters make no representations within 40 working days or apply for a review by an independent review panel the agency can proceed with its decision. The Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care will notify the prospective adopters in writing of its decision together with the reasons for that decision. |
| 9.7 | Where the agency receives further representations from the prospective adopters within 40 working days the Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care will meet with the prospective adopters. He/she will then decide whether to refer the case, together with all the relevant information to the panel for further consideration. Where the agency refers the case back to panel it is required to consider the case again and make a fresh recommendation to the agency. Where the decision maker decides not to refer to panel he/she will notify the prospective adopters in writing of its decision together with the reasons for that decision and supply information about the Council's complaints procedure. |
| 9.8 | Where an independent review panel has been held, made a recommendation, and forwarded that recommendation to the agency decision maker he/she must consider that recommendation and decide whether to accept that recommendation. He/she will notify the prospective adopters of the agency decision and reasons for that decision. |
| 9.9 | The agency decision maker will also send to the Independent Review Panel administrator a copy of the decision on the prospective adopters' suitability to adopt. |
10. Training
| 10.1 | The Professional and Agency Adoption Advisors to Panel will be responsible for arranging, in consultation with the Panel Chair, at least one full day's training for Panel members each year. Such training will be joint training with Agency social work staff. |
| 10.2 | Training for Panel members will also be held, as required, on the functioning of the Panel, in order to improve effectiveness and performance. |
11. Monitoring Performance
| 11.1 | The Group Manager, Adoption will prepare monthly statistical reports on children (approved for adoption and placed for adoption and awaiting final adoption order) and approved adopters. These reports will be circulated with the Panel papers and discussed under the 'Business' item on the Panel agenda. |
| 11.2 | The Panel will receive reports on any disruption of an adoptive placement involving Bromley children or adopters. |
| 11.3 | Information from the work of Panel is included in the Annual Adoption Agency Activity Report placed before the Children and Young Person's Portfolio Holder in June of each year. |
| 11.4 | The performance of panel members will be reviewed on an annual basis using the proformas provided by BAAF in their publication 'Effective Panels' and with reference to the information set out in Appendix A2a: Panel Members - Tasks, Person Specification and Terms and Conditions of Panel Members and Appendix A2b: Panel Chair - Tasks, Person Specification and Terms and Conditions of the Panel Chair. |
| 11.5 | The Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care will observe panel on sufficient occasions in order to undertake the review of the Independent Panel Chair and Council member representative (with the Panel Chair) The Agency Adoption Advisor will be responsible for the annual review of all other panel members in consultation with the Panel Chair and Legal Advisor to Panel. |
Appendix A2a: Panel Members - Tasks, Person Specification and Terms and Conditions of Panel Members
DESCRIPTION OF THE TASKS OF PANEL MEMBERS
- To attend the meetings of the Panel, to be held at least one evening per month;
- To read the circulated reports in advance of Panel meetings;
- To contribute to the Panel's considerations (child to be placed for adoption; suitability of adopters; matching of child with adopters and other statutory responsibilities) calling upon previous life experience, training and/or experience in other child centred areas of expertise;
- To undertake to attend and participate in training events that will involve at least one full day's training a year and occasional evening seminars;
- To keep confidential and secure all written material and information shared in the Panel;
- To assist in monitoring the status and progress of children approved for adoption and approved adopters waiting for placements;
- To participate in making recommendations to the Agency decision maker;
- To promote equal opportunities and anti discriminatory practice in all aspects of the work of the Panel;
- To participate in an annual review of their performance.
PANEL MEMBER PERSON SPECIFICATION
Experience
- Experience of work within a social work, education or health setting where children are the primary service users;
OR - Life experience as a parent, adoptive parent or adoptee;
- An understanding of the needs of children through professional expertise or practical experience as a parent or carer.
Abilities
- Ability to assimilate, assess and weigh information in order to form an opinion as to the best interests of a child and in relation to the approval of adopters;
- Good communication and listening skills and an ability to read and process large quantities of complex and, sometimes, distressing information;
- Ability to use personal knowledge, skills and experience to contribute to discussion and decision making in a balanced and informed manner;
- Ability to work with other members of the Panel with representing their own perspective.
Knowledge
- Some understanding of the legal context in which decisions are made by Children & Young People Services about children and young people;
- An understanding and appreciation of living in a multi-racial society.
Attitudes
- A genuine interest in child care in general, and adoption and fostering in particular;
- A commitment to working within the principles of the Children Act 1989, the Children Act 2004, the Adoption and Children Act 2002 and the policies and philosophy of the LB Bromley and its Adoption Agency;
- A commitment to keeping families together within their own community and to maintaining contact between children living in adoptive/foster families and their birth families where it is in children's best interests;
- A commitment to adoption as a means of meeting a child's needs for permanency where it is their best interests;
- To be attentive to the particular needs of individual children and their families and especially to their needs arising from their ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, culture and sexual orientation;
- A commitment to equal opportunities and an anti discriminatory approach to people;
- Confidence to express own point of view and to be able to articulate this within Panel discussion.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR PANEL MEMBERS
- All individuals who wish to be considered as a Panel Member will be interviewed as part of the appointment process. Appointments to Panel will be ratified by the Council's Executive;
- All members will be expected to sign a confidentiality bond on appointment;
- Panel Members are expected to attend a minimum of 75% of Panel meetings in a year;
- Panel papers will be distributed so that Panel Members receive them six days before the Panel meeting. Panel Members should have read the Panel papers carefully and should come prepared to contribute to the Panel discussion;
- Panel Members must return all case papers to the Panel Secretary at the end of each Panel meeting;
- It is possible for a Panel Member to have some knowledge, either in a personal or professional capacity, of a case under discussion. In such circumstances the Panel Member should declare an interest and inform the Chair or Deputy chair of the Panel accordingly. If the 'case' is about a Panel Member or a member of their family then that Panel Member will be asked by the Chair to leave Panel for that 'case';
- Independent Members of Panel will receive a payment of £100 for each Panel attended. This fee will cover expenses for travel, parking fees and child care costs. Social Worker Members are able to claim overtime for their attendance at Panel;
- Appointment of Panel Members is for three year terms, up to a maximum of three terms;
- Panel Members are expected to give at least one month's notice of their intention to resign from Panel, if ending their membership before time;
- Panel Members are expected to notify the Panel Secretary as soon as they know that they will be unable to attend a Panel meeting;
- Panel Members are required to sign a declaration in relation to criminal convictions and agree to the taking up of an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check and to provide two professional or personal reference and to inform the Panel Chair if any future action may impact upon their ability to fulfil the role of Panel Member;
- If there are concerns about a Panel Member's behaviour or conduct in Panel, these will normally be raised in private by the Panel Chairperson. If these concerns cannot be resolved informally, the Agency will put in writing the reasons why it intends to end the Panel Member's appointment;
- All new Panel Members will be entitled to a process of induction which will involve provision of the Bromley Information pack for Panel Members; observing Panel prior to becoming a voting member; induction session with the Professional Adviser to Panel; and identification of further training and learning needs.
Appendix A2b: Panel Chair - Tasks, Person Specification and Terms and Conditions of the Panel Chair
DESCRIPTION OF THE TASKS OF THE PANEL CHAIR
- To decide, in consultation with the legal and professional advisors to Panel, on who will attend Panel meetings;
- To ensure that all Panel Members participate fully and that, if possible, consensus is reached;
- To take appropriate action when a Panel Member appears to be unfit, unwilling or unable to fulfil their responsibilities;
- To take appropriate action, in consultation with the legal and professional advisors, when a Panel Member declares an interest;
- To decide when a matter is urgent and when an additional Panel meeting may need to be convened;
- To have responsibility for ensuring that the Panel is clear about the reasons for its recommendations and that these have been accurately recorded and are put before the Agency's decision-maker for adoption;
- To chair interview Panels for the appointment of new Panel Members;
- To assist in the annual review of Panel member performance with the Agency decision maker and Agency Adoption Advisor;
- To attend the meetings of the Panel, to be held at least one evening per month;
- To read the circulated reports in advance of Panel meetings;
- To contribute to the Panel's considerations (child to be placed for adoption; suitability of prospective adopters to adopt; matching of child with adopters and other statutory responsibilities) calling upon previous life experience, training and/or experience in other child centred areas of expertise;
- To undertake to attend and participate in training events that will involve at least one full day's training a year and occasional evening seminars;
- To participate in an annual review of their performance;
- To keep confidential and secure all written material and information shared in the Panel;
- To assist in monitoring the status and progress of children approved for adoption and approved adopters waiting for placements;
- To individually promote and ensure that Panel Members promote equal opportunities and anti discriminatory practice in all aspects of the work of the Adoption Panel.
CHAIR OF PANEL PERSON SPECIFICATION
Experience
- Demonstratable professional and/or personal experience of adoption and looked after children;
- Experience of chairing multi-agency meetings;
- Experience of looking after, caring for or working with children.
Abilities
- Ability and authority to chair meetings effectively to enable all Panel Members, presenting social workers and service users to participate constructively in all Panel considerations;
- Ability to summarise information to enable Panel to arrive at a recommendation with clear supporting reasons;
- Ability to warmly welcome people attending Panel and also to be able to ensure that Panel Members are able to explore any concerns they have about matters placed before them;
- Ability to assimilate, assess and weigh information in order to form an opinion as to the best interests of a child and in relation to the approval of adopters;
- Good communication and listening skills and an ability to read and process large quantities of complex and, sometimes, distressing information;
- Ability to use personal knowledge, skills and experience to contribute to discussion and decision making in a balanced and informed manner;
- Ability to work with other members of the Panel with representing their own perspective.
Knowledge
- Good understanding of the legal context in which decisions are made by Children & Young Peoples Services about children and young people who require permanent placement through adoption or long-term fostering;
- Good understanding of the needs of children and young people in general and of looked after children in particular;
- A good understanding and appreciation of living in a multi-racial society;
- A good knowledge of child care and adoption legislation.
Attitudes
- A genuine interest in child care in general, and adoption and fostering in particular;
- A commitment to working within the principles of the Children Act 1989, Children Act 2004, the Adoption and Children Act 2002 and the policies and philosophy of the LB Bromley and its Adoption Agency;
- A commitment to keeping families together within their own community and to maintaining contact between children living in adoptive/foster families and their birth families where it is in children's best interests;
- A commitment to adoption as a means of meeting a child's needs for permanency where it is their best interests;
- To be attentive to the particular needs of individual children and their families and especially to their needs arising from their ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, culture and sexual orientation;
- A commitment to equal opportunities and an anti discriminatory approach to people;
- Confidence to express own point of view, to be able to articulate this within Panel discussion and to be able to listen to and give due weight to the views of other Panel Members.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR THE CHAIR OF THE ADOPTION PANEL
- Candidates for the position of Panel Chair will be interviewed, following open recruitment, by the Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Social Care, a Council member representative and one of the Panel Advisers as part of the appointment process. The appointment of the Panel Chair Panel will be ratified by the Council's Executive;
- The Panel Chair will be an Independent Member of the Adoption Panel and will usually be appointed for a term of three years, with a maximum of three terms. The Panel Chair will be expected to sign a confidentiality bond on appointment;
- The Panel Chair will be expected to be available to attend all Panel meetings and must attend more than 80% Panel meetings in a year;
- The Panel Chair will receive payment of £350.00 inclusive for each Panel attended providing the terms and conditions of appointment are kept, for carrying out their designated tasks. This sum will include all out of pocket expenses and child care costs;
- Panel papers will be distributed so that the Panel Chair receives them six days before the Panel meeting. The Panel Chair should have read the Panel papers carefully and should come prepared to both lead on and contribute to the Panel discussion;
- The Panel Chair must return all case papers to the Panel Secretary at the end of each Panel meeting;
- It is possible for the Panel Chair to have some knowledge, either in a personal or professional capacity, of a case under discussion. In such circumstances the Panel Chair should declare an interest and inform the Vice Chair of the Panel accordingly. If the 'case' is about a Panel Member or a member of their family then that Panel Member will be asked by the Panel Chair or Deputy Chair to leave Panel for that 'case';
- The Panel Chair is expected to give at least three month's notice of their intention to resign from Panel, if ending their membership before time;
- The Panel Chair is expected to notify the Panel Secretary as soon as they know that they will be unable to attend a Panel meeting and should wherever possible ensure the Deputy Chair is available to cover;
- The Panel Chair will be required to sign a declaration in relation to criminal convictions and agree to the taking up of an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check, to provide two professional and personal references and to inform the Legal Adviser to the Panel if any future action may impact upon their ability to fulfil the role of Panel Chair;
- If there are concerns about the Panel Chair's behaviour or conduct in Panel, these will normally be raised in private by the Legal and Professional Advisers to Panel. If these concerns cannot be resolved informally, the Agency will put in writing the reasons why it intends to end the Panel Chair's appointment;
- The Panel Chair will be entitled to a process of induction which will involve provision of the Bromley Information pack for Panel Members; observing Panel prior to becoming Panel Chair; induction session with the Legal and Professional Advisers to Panel; and identification of further training and learning needs.
Appendix A2c: Panel Chair - Agreement for Services in the Field of Social Services & Housing
Appendix A2d: Confidentiality Statement for Panel Members
Click here to view Appendix A2d: Confidentiality Statement for Panel Members.
Appendix A2e: Confidentiality Statement for Visitors and Observers at Panel
Click here to view Appendix A2e: Confidentiality Statement for Visitors and Observers at Panel.
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