Independent Adoption Panel Member and Vice Chair

Coram Academy Ltd; City of Westminster; Remote; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Part time

Job summary

An independent adoption charity is seeking an Independent Adoption Panel Member to participate in online panel sessions and act as Vice Chair when required. You'll use your understanding of the adoption process and skills in chairing meetings to ensure high-quality recommendations for adoptive parents. The role offers a payment rate of £200 per panel session and £400 as Vice Chair, with all travel expenses covered.

Benefits

Payment for panel sessions

Travel expenses covered

Meaningful contribution to adoption processes

Qualifications

• Experience in fostering inclusive and diverse discussions.
• Ability to work within a regulatory and policy framework.
• Professional or personal experience related to adoption.

Responsibilities

• Participate in panel sessions online as a member.
• Act as Vice Chair when required.
• Consider applications from prospective adoptive parents.

Skills

Understanding of the adoption process

Skilled in chairing complex meetings

Facilitating active participation

Job description

The time commitment will be approximately 2 to 4 panel sessions per year as Vice Chair with a payment rate of £400 per panel, and 4 to 5 sessions as a Panel Member with a payment rate of £200 per panel, plus reasonable expenses incurred. Attendance at 2 training sessions per year is required and travel expenses will be covered. Panel sessions are held online.

PACT is one of the UK's leading independent adoption charities, placing children with secure and loving families and supporting them with specialist therapeutic support.

Our external Adoption Panel Members play a vital role at PACT by carefully considering applications from those wishing to become adoptive parents. We are currently seeking an independent Adoption Panel Member who can also act in the capacity of Adoption Panel Vice Chair when required, to ensure our panel makes fair, informed recommendation outcomes to a high quality standard. Panel sessions are held online.

You will bring an understanding of the adoption process, gained from professional or personal experience, and will be competently skilled in chairing complex meetings. You'll be capable of facilitating active participation and ensure the panel operates within a clear regulatory and policy framework.

With an awareness of the richness of different kinds of families and their potential for meeting children/s needs, we would love to hear from you if you can bring different experiences, knowledge and perspectives to our panel member group.

We are actively working to ensure that equality and inclusion is embedded in everything that we do. It is central to our work with vulnerable children and families, and championed by our community. However, we know there is more we can do. We want to do all we can for our service users, and we want everyone at PACT to feel a sense of belonging. To support this aim, we are working proactively to develop a panel member group that it is representative of our diverse service users (both current and prospective), volunteer community and our wider eco-system. We also know the value of having panel members who champion inclusive values and bring a wide variety of perspectives to our organisation. We welcome people of all ages, backgrounds, cultures and experience to apply for this role., If you believe you can contribute to the skills and diversity of our panel as an Independent Panel Member, and act as an Independent Adoption Panel Vice Chair when required, please apply here today to join a dedicated team who are part of something truly meaningful. We look forward to hearing from you!

Closing date for applications: 9am, Friday 05 December 2025

Interviews will be held on: Wednesday 17 December 2025

Other roles you may have experience of could include:

• Independent Adoption Panel
• Adoption Panel Member
• Adoption Panel Representative
• Adoption Panel Chair
• Adoption Panel Vice Chair
• etc.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do at PACT. We have robust measures and best practices in place to safeguard and protect the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and we take pride in maintaining outstanding safeguarding standards.