Reflections from CoramBAAF’s first panel conference: Courageous and curious conversations – the role of panel
At the beginning of March, CoramBAAF hosted their first ever panel chairs and advisers conference. The event ‘Courageous and curious conversations – the role of panel’ took place on 3 March 2025 at the QEII Conference Centre in Brunswick Square, London.
Over 110 panel chairs and advisers from across the country came together for an unforgettable day where we discussed the challenges of collective decision making, how to keep children at the heart of recommendations, and how to harness personal judgement for effective impact.
I first started chairing a Voluntary Adoption Agency (VAA) adoption panel in 2000. I remember the value of being able to attend the regional Panel Chairs Forum, held in London and, hosted by Jenny Lord - author of BAAF’s Effective Adoption Panels - the source of all wisdom relating to panel issues. The forum was attended by panel chairs from across London and the South East with the aim of sharing knowledge, experiences and practice dilemmas.There were similar meetings being held at that time in BAAF offices across England as well as in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. These meetings were very much valued and continued to take place face to face until 2020, when we were all introduced to online meetings, and the forums were opened up to all agencies across England.
A similar forum was established for panel advisers following the legislative changes in September 2012, which determined that children’s plans would be presented directly to the Agency Decision Maker (ADM) and no longer be presented to the adoption panel for a recommendation when the courts would be overseeing the adoption plan as part of care proceedings. This meant adoption advisers took on the quality assurance role, previously held by adoption panels, and they identified they needed a similar opportunity for networking with their colleagues in a similar role. This was later expanded to include fostering panel advisers.
Conferences over the years have touched on the role of panels, especially following legislative changes, but CoramBAAF’s conference was the first that focused solely on the role and activities of panels. The aims of the conference were set out as enabling attendees to: build meaningful relationships with colleagues; exchange strategies and ideas to strengthen panel recommendations; and stay informed about the latest developments in adoption, fostering, and kinship care.
The networking opportunities were apparent from the moment I arrived at the conference and started greeting panel chairs who I have only seen on screen for the last five years. It was a particular pleasure for me to meet someone who had been my practice supervisor on my adoption placement back in 1987 who is still involved in panel work.
The benefit of networking was also a common theme in feedback received from other participants:
“It was a great opportunity to meet face to face with other panel chairs and advisors, and share experiences.”
“So lovely to meet people in real life and have good discussions.”
“Really interesting and well organised. Loved being able to get together with other panel advisers and chairs.”
There were a number of key themes that were highlighted by the speakers in the morning session. Jenny Coles, with her experience as a Director of Children’s Services and an ADM, and more recently on the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, tackled head on the challenge received every few years from policy makers who question the value of panels. She highlighted the safeguarding role played by panels which is informed by the collective knowledge and experience of those that sit on a panel, and the importance of keeping children at the heart of our decision making.
Jenny also talked about the value to agencies of the panel’s independence, when providing quality assurance on individual cases, and also on agency practice. She stressed the importance of ensuring that annual panel reports are shared and seen by decision makers in Regional Adoption Agencies (RAAs), and local authority fostering and children’s services, and safeguarding teams.
Linda Briheim Crookall from CoramVoice shared with us the findings from Bright Spots surveys with children and young people in care and care leavers, with an emphasis on what contributes to their wellbeing. Messages and quotes from children and young people brought to life both the positive experiences of children, and how foster carers in particular can help to change their lives, whilst also sharing some of the areas that are more challenging when the support needed is not available. The findings would be particularly helpful to share with fostering and adoption panel members as part of their learning and development training and would generate some great discussions about how children’s views can inform and be incorporated into the panel process. One participant commented that “the golden thread was (that a) child's needs should help formulate curiosity.”
I remember Dr Arlene P Weekes coming to talk to an Adoption Panel Chair’s Forum back in 2021 about her PhD research looking at how the personal biographies, attitudes and values of panel members influenced their decision making. I found it a really interesting piece of research that has since focused some of my thinking about supporting and appraising panel members. Arlene has since built on her findings and developed the Effective Personal and Professional Judgement (EPPJ) framework, which helps individuals (and their managers) improve decision making by understanding both their internal and external influences.
The EPPJ framework helps to assess someone’s constructiveness in their role based on how aware they are of their personal attitudes and beliefs, and how this impacts on their decision making and their consciousness of how they use their life experiences in their role as a panel member. Arlene also looked at some of the dilemmas based on different protected characteristics that a panel might be presented with and how chairs can use their facilitation skills to minimise biases and nurture an environment of open dialogue and effective decision making. I found the presentation really interesting and thought-provoking and felt it would have benefitted from its own workshop in the afternoon so I could have had more detailed discussion with other chairs and advisers – perhaps an idea for next year!
“Research should never sit on the shelf, so I also want to thank the other speakers and workshop facilitators for sharing their valuable work, insights, and reflections on what we are doing well and what we still need to improve in our practice.”
Dr Arlene Weekes, Author, Anti-Black Racism Activist, Social Work Management Consultant and Trainer, PGCHE SFHEA.
At the end of the morning, it was good to have an opportunity to reflect and explore some of the issues which had been covered during the session with the main speakers and other participants who were able to bring their own lived experience to the discussions.
“It was very encouraging to see the willingness to change and improve panel decision making processes; and I hope diversity, inclusion and equity hold a front and centre position within this. We must never lose sight of how one decision can lead to the enduring compounding effect of adverse childhood experience, or alternatively be the catalyst for unlocking loving stable homes for a child to develop and thrive.”
Sharon McPherson, Kinship Carer and co-founder of Families in Harmony.
In the afternoon workshops covered a range of different topics relevant to the practice of panels. As someone chairing both adoption and fostering panels, I would have liked to have gone to them all but satisfied myself with splitting them between myself and my panel adviser who had joined me at the conference. Following on from the conference we were sent all the workshop presentations which has been really useful so I can read through these in my own time.
As other participants have also reflected, there was a lot of content presented during the day which will take time for me to reflect on and take back into the agencies I chair for and the Panel Chair Forums I attend
“Very thought provoking, gave me lots to think about but also confirmed some good practice in my LA.”
“Good to attend with Panel Chair, to enable receipt of same messages.”
“Very informative and left me with a list of things to think and act on.”
“Reflective time to think about one's own panel.”
“It was wonderful to get insight of panel challenges and view of the different members' experiences.”
Personally, I really hope there can be consideration of making this an annual event. Since moving into the virtual world, we have adjusted to and sometimes welcomed the benefits of online working. Many agencies who now have online panels are holding at least one face-to-face training event for panel members to meet together and benefit from those informal chats over coffee. I for one would welcome the richness of in person discussions and the opportunity to meet once a year with my fellow chairs and advisers, to discuss those challenges that are unique to our roles.
Many attendees expressed ongoing struggles with networking and feelings of isolation in their roles. It was inspiring to see talk with those who stepped out of their comfort zones to engage with both the programme and one another, creating a space for collaboration, learning, and support. My thanks to all of the speakers and the CoramBAAF staff involved in making this such a stimulating and enjoyable day.
Elaine Dibben, Independent Social Work Consultant and CoramBAAF Associate Trainer.