Job Description

About The Role

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Adopt London North

Adopt London North is the Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) for 6 North London boroughs - Haringey, Enfield, Camden, Hackney, Barnet, and Islington (our host borough). On behalf of our boroughs, we provide all adoption services which include:


Providing support to adoptive families, adopted adults and birth parents (Adoption Support team) Recruiting, assessing and supporting prospective adoptive parents (Recruitment and Assessment team) Family finding and moving children to new families (Family Finding team) Providing Adoption Panel functions - approving adopters and matching adopters with children
Adopt London North (ALN) is a group of around 40 friendly and supportive staff, based in our dedicated office space in the Laycock Centre, N1 1TH (just 2 minutes' walk from Highbury & Islington station). Our staff group includes senior managers, team managers, social workers and business support staff. The group is very stable, and you will benefit from working in a team of experienced and specialist workers.


Adopt London North is part of a wider partnership called Adopt London that covers 24 London boroughs and has over 160 staff. We work together to develop and share best practice, and to connect people impacted by adoption across London.

The role

We are looking to recruit an Adoption Business Coordinator for our Adoption Panel to organise the panel and take effective and accurate minutes of all meetings.



Our panel generally meets virtually via MS Teams every other Tuesday. The panel's role is to consider adopter approvals, children's matches with adoptive families, and occasionally adoption plans for children where there is parental consent for adoption. You would be required to minute the discussions and produce a final draft to be shared with the Panel Adviser within a required timeframe.


You would be confident in liaising with the Panel Chair, Panel Members, other professionals, and adopters. You would be skilled in collating and managing the distribution of sensitive and confidential information in the panel papers via the internal workspace system. Outside of the panel meeting you would coordinate attendance, sending out invitations and links, providing effective and flexible support to all panel members and responding to email enquires in a timely and sensitive way.


You will be required to provide accurate minutes of the panel meetings, liaising with relevant agencies and ensuring that all panel documents are distributed and uploaded on the internal databases in a systematic and timely way, ensuring data protection and confidentiality is upheld throughout, and maintaining our internal tracking and data systems. On occasions you may also be required to schedule and minute other meetings relevant to panel activity such as Disruption Meetings.



This is a busy role and as the Adoption Panel Business Coordinator you would be working alongside the Panel Adviser, who you will report to for tasks. Your line manager will be the Business Manager of the service who will support you in day to day tasks.



You will be part of the Business Coordinators team and will be asked to support some shared business responsibilities across the service, such as telephone enquiries, incoming mail, purchasing travel


tickets for Social Workers or families, or other administrative tasks.



The interview process will be made up of 2 stages consisting of a panel interview and minute taking scenario. Those candidates who are successful at the panel interview stage will be invited back to complete the minute taking task.

Working Arrangements

We have a flexible hybrid working style. You will be able to work from home some of the time if you wish to, but will be required to work from the office several times a week and you will need to attend team meetings and team development days when required.

About You

To be considered for this role you will need to demonstrate (in both your application and your interview):


You are educated to at least GCSE or equivalent with a pass in English language. You have experience of taking extensive and accurate minutes. You have experience in using a local authority Children's Services database or equivalent and understand the importance of accurate data recording and data protection. You have an awareness, understanding and commitment to the protection and safeguarding of children and young people. You can work co-operatively and flexibly with others to deliver an effective support service by maintaining positive working relationships with staff and partner agencies. You possess excellent interpersonal, verbal, written, communication and presentation skills including the ability to explain complex information clearly and accurately. You have experience of using Microsoft office applications, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint to advanced levels and can provide support to other staff in their use. You have excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage your own workload effectively. We would particularly welcome someone with previous Adoption or Fostering Panel experience, or experience in a similar role.

Our commitment to supporting the diversity of our workforce

We are committed to ensuring that our communities are represented across our workforce at all levels. We are taking concerted, meaningful and intentional action to create an inclusive culture because we believe this is at the heart of enabling diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking, to thrive in our organisation. We are aware of systemic oppression and its impact on individuals and communities in terms of unequal access to services and opportunities. As such, we are taking positive action to challenge all forms of discrimination and injustice. As part of our 'Black Adoption Project', we provide confidential, therapeutically supported Safer Spaces sessions on a monthly basis to Black staff.


We encourage and welcome questions and requests for discussion about the roles available.

For further information or for an informal conversation about the post, please contact:



Sarah Lyons, Business Support Manager - to arrange a time to speak.



Email sarah.lyons@islington.gov.uk

Note to Recruitment Agencies:

We kindly ask that recruitment agencies do not contact us regarding this vacancy. We are managing the recruitment process internally and will reach out directly should we require external support. Thank you for your understanding.

Working for the team, service and our organisation

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Islington is a place rich with diversity and culture. As a council our sense of purpose couldn't be clearer: we serve. It's in the logo. We are committed to challenging inequality in the borough and as one of the largest employers we know that to look after the place and the planet, we have to look after our people.

Together we can change the future.

We are determined to create a more equal Islington, where everyone who lives here has an equal chance to thrive.



To do this, everyone who works at Islington Council lives by a set of values which guide us in everything that we do: collaborative, ambitious, resourceful, and empowering. They spell out 'CARE', which is what we think public service is all about.

Our offer to you

We are committed to challenging inequality in the borough and as one of the largest employers we know that to look after the place and the planet, we have to look after our people. Our staff benefits include:
Up to 31 days leave per year, increasing to 36 days after five years of local government service A range of flexible working arrangements to maintain a healthy work-life balance, as well as a 35-hour working week Learning and development opportunities to maximise your potential Competitive pay and a commitment to paying all staff the London Living Wage at minimum Excellent local government pension scheme Cycle to Work scheme and discounted gym memberships Local discounts from restaurants, shops, health and beauty therapists, and more!

Please note:

Priority will be given to those at risk of redundancy within Islington Council. Current employees who are part of the redeployment pool must meet the essential criteria for shortlisting to be prioritised.

Workforce Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

We are dedicated to creating an inclusive and equitable workforce, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Our workforce strategy places equality, equity, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of everything we do, reaffirming our commitment to fostering a culture of inclusion. We strive to create an environment where all colleagues feel they belong and can safely express their thoughts, ideas, and challenges, without fear of judgement or discrimination.



We maintain a zero-tolerance approach to any unlawful discrimination, harassment, or victimisation on the grounds of any protected characteristics under the 2010 Equality Act, including but not limited to race, disability, sexual orientation, sex, religion and belief, age, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy, and maternity. Any incidents of discrimination will be promptly investigated and addressed in line with our HR policies to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all colleagues.



We use data to identify and address disparities, ensuring that our policies and practices are transparent and impactful in promoting a diverse representation of backgrounds and perspectives at all levels of the organisation. We look at inequality through an intersectional lens, recognising that different aspects of someone's identity can combine to create unique experiences of discrimination and disadvantage.



We know that advancing diversity and inclusion is a continuous journey, and we must listen to our colleagues and learn where we can further improve. We work closely with our Colleague Forums and Trade Unions, supported by active allies from our Corporate Management Team, to monitor and evaluate our practices, identify barriers, and empower colleagues to promote equality and inclusion in the workplace.



Every one of us has a role to play in making Islington Council a truly inclusive workplace. By living out our CARE (collaborative, ambitious, resourceful, and empowering) values every day and embedding the principles of equality, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our work, we can all actively contribute to empowering people and creating a more equal Islington.

Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expects all staff, and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts are subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

The post is subject to

a standard DBS check, qualifications check and 3/5 years referencing.

Disability Confident Scheme

Islington Council operates a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria and we are committed to providing support to applicants who request reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process and throughout their career with us.