One Adoption Joint Panel

Our adoption panel would welcome you to join us! If you have a personal or professional connection to adoption, care planning, fostering, safeguarding or a related area, you could become one of our joint adoption panel members., We are open to welcoming new adoption panel members to our One Adoption joint panel; we are a well-established panel with individuals from a range of different professional backgrounds. One Adoption's joint panel consider applications made by prospective adoptive carers who wish to adopt children from Local Authority care, prospective adopters being matched with children and also plans of adoption for some children.

We are looking for people with personal and/or professional experience of adoption, care planning, fostering, safeguarding or a related area. We are particularly keen to recruit the following who are currently under-represented on our panel: male applicants, BME applicants, adopted adults, particularly young, adopted adults who have care experience and applicants with a disability.

Panels meet every approximately every 3 weeks, virtually over MS Teams on a Monday or Thursday. The paperwork that you need to consider prior to the panel date, is uploaded to a secure panel portal. Panel Members need to be able to read and analyse large amounts of written information, bring together appropriate questions and work as part of a professional team. We ask that panel members commit to attending a minimum of 3 panel per year.

The Agency has an equal opportunities policy and welcomes applications from prospective adopters, staff and volunteers from all members of the community.,

• Understanding of and respect for the One Adoption's values, aims and objectives.


• Acceptance and respect of difference, including non-judgemental attitudes towards others' lifestyles and decisions.


How long to complete training and recruitment?

Once you've had an induction, and a DBS has been completed you will have the opportunity to observe a joint adoption panel followed by an informal chat with the panel advisor and panel chair.

We offer annual training and occasional virtual bite size training sessions at various times throughout the year on various topics.

No formal qualifications are required for this role but a connection to and understanding of adoption are desirable. There is an induction process for new panel members and there is on-going training. We need people who have the following:


• Ability to analyse and interpret report content.


• Understanding, knowledge and experience relating to children and young people and their needs throughout their development.


• Understanding and knowledge of families and how a family is impacted by change.


• Awareness of the impact of loss and separation on both adults and children.


• Knowledge of couple relationships and relationships within wider networks.


• Commitment to adoption as a positive alternative for children.


• Sensitivity to issues of race, gender, disability, sexuality and religion.


• Commitment to regular attendance and participation in discussion and the shared responsibility for making a recommendation.


• Commitment to participation in Panel training and building up own knowledge of adoption.