Who this is for

Adoption practitioners, Business Support Teams and managers (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies, Local Authorities, and independent social workers), children’s social care services, children, family social workers, fostering/kinship staff would also be welcome.

Details

This focused, one-hour session will explore how adoption agencies can use an AI tool to enhance their practice. Emma Simpson, the CEO of CCS Adoption, will explain how their agency uses the Magic Notes AI tool to streamline administrative tasks, capture richer information, improve quality of meetings and free up more time for direct work with children and families and staff. Participants will see real examples, learn best-practice approaches, and leave with clear ideas on how AI can support efficiency across their teams.

Learning 0utcomes 

• Understand what Magic Notes is and how it works within an adoption-agency context
• Recognise ways AI can reduce administrative load for staff at all levels and improve quality of meetings
• Learn how to capture better notes from conversations, visits, and meetings using AI tools
• Gain confidence in identifying tasks that are safe, effective, and suitable for this AI tool.

About the trainer

Emma Simpson

Emma started at CCS in 2016, initially as a Social Work Team Manager, then as Head of Adoption and now as CEO. She has worked closely with the Social Work Service, Therapeutic Service and the Adoption Support and seen growth and change. She has completed various leadership courses, a level 5 Management qualification, a Social Work diploma and an Architecture degree. She feels driven to help children find their forever family and home; to find staff and services that will help these children and to help their dedicated new parents find a way through childhood where happy memories can be made, whilst addressing the trauma that came before.

Instructions

Attendees will receive the Zoom link and a reminder one week before the event.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at [email protected]. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.

Who this is for

Panel Members, Chairs and Panel Advisors.

Details

In this presentation, Dr Jenny Chopra, Consultant Community Paediatrician and Medical Advisor for Adoption and Fostering, will explore key health and lifestyle issues that adoption panels may encounter when assessing the suitability of prospective adoptive parents.

She will begin by outlining the role of the medical advisor in reviewing adult health information, interpreting medical histories, and advising on potential implications for parenting capacity. Using current UK health data, she will highlight the increasing prevalence of chronic conditions and lifestyle-related risks in the general population — and what this means for adoption decisions today.

Through three anonymised case examples, Jenny will explore how conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and high Q risk scores can affect long-term parenting capacity. She will also cover chronic illnesses such as coeliac disease, cancer in remission, anxiety, depression, and alcohol use.

The presentation will highlight the importance of a balanced, consistent, and realistic approach when considering health concerns. Recognising both the potential impact on the child and the ability of prospective adopters to parent successfully with appropriate support.

This session will offer practical insight into the decision-making process and support adoption panel members in asking the right questions, understanding medical advice, and making informed, child-focused recommendations.

Learning 0utcomes 

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Understand the role of the medical advisor in reviewing prospective adopters’ health information and advising panels on implications for parenting capacity.
• Interpret common adult health issues—such as obesity, Q risk, diabetes, coeliac disease, cancer remission, anxiety, depression, and alcohol use—within the context of adoption suitability.
• Evaluate how physical and mental health conditions may impact short- and long-term parenting ability.
• Apply current UK health data to inform realistic and fair assessments of prospective adopters’ health and lifestyle.
• Develop confidence in asking appropriate health-related questions during panel discussions and interpreting medical advice provided in reports.
• Adopt a balanced and child-centered approach to decision-making that considers support needs, prognosis, and individual circumstances rather than exclusion based on diagnosis alone.

About the trainers

Dr Jenny Chopra

Jenny is a Consultant Community Paediatrician and Medical Advisor for Adoption and Fostering, with wide-ranging experience supporting children in the care system. She works clinically and strategically to improve health outcomes for looked-after children in her local area. Her expertise includes childhood disabilities, developmental disorders, and lived experiences that impact emotional and physical health. Jenny has worked with children throughout the care and adoption journey, gaining valuable insight into the carer’s role and how their health and lifestyle may affect both the child’s wellbeing and their own. Passionate about holistic, joined-up care, she supports approaches that benefit families and professionals alike.

Jan Way MBE

Jan has been a social worker since 1975. For the last 35 years she has worked in the adoption field, specialising in intercountry adoption and working as a senior manager for Coram IAC. She now acts as the training and research advisor for the agency and as a panel chair. She has published several articles in journals on intercountry adoption and the issues and challenges that arise with these placements and runs specialist training sessions on these topics. In 2019 she was awarded an MBE for her work in intercountry adoption.  She is also an adoptee and an adoptive mother.

Instructions

A member of staff will contact attendees one week before the event as a reminder — HOWEVER, THERE WILL BE NO PRE-EVENT PACK FOR THIS SESSION.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at [email protected]. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.

Who this is for

Panel Members, Chairs and Panel Advisors.

Details

Exploring Influences in Panel recommendations

Join Us for an Interactive and Insightful Session

Mark your calendars for an engaging and thought-provoking webinar designed specifically for Panel Members.

This interactive session will involve live voting throughout, allowing you to challenge your own biases and consider the various influences that shape your recommendations during Panels. Not only will you have the opportunity to reflect on your own decision-making processes, but you’ll also get to hear from other Panel Members from across the country, sharing their experiences and the factors that have impacted their own recommendations. Throughout the session, the trainer will present facts and analysis about each topic covered, enhancing your understanding and broadening your knowledge base. This is a unique chance to engage with your peers, expand your expertise, and refine your approach to Panel recommendations.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to grow professionally and contribute to a more informed and balanced decision-making process within your Panel.

Learning 0utcomes

• Gain a deeper understanding of the various influences that shape Panel recommendations.
• Enhance self-awareness by identifying and challenging personal biases during decision-making processes.
• Engage in live voting to experience the dynamics of real-time decision-making and its impacts.
• Learn from the diverse experiences and perspectives of other Panel Members across the country.
• Broaden your knowledge base with facts and analysis presented by the trainer on each topic covered.
• Develop a more informed and balanced approach to making recommendations within your Panel.
• Expand professional expertise by interacting and networking with peers in a collaborative setting.
• Contribute to the development of more effective and equitable decision-making processes within Panels.

About the trainer

Adam Walters

Adam has worked in the Public Sector since 2009, having previously worked in the Probation Service and Prison Service. He has extensive experience of working with children who are looked after, including children who are in long term foster care, care leavers, unaccompanied asylum seekers, and with children who are adopted. Adam is highly experienced in the recruitment, training, and support of adopters. Adam is currently an Agency Adviser and Panel Adviser for a Regional Adoption Agency.

Adam has recently become a Panel Member for the Independent Review Mechanism. He is an advisory board member for the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies, a qualified Restorative Approaches Practitioner, and a trustee for the charity Zac’s Fund. Adam is a Coram BAAF Associate Trainer, specialising in permanency planning, CPR’s, maintaining relationships and staying in touch plans, Adoption Panels, and the role of the ADM.

Adam’s training style is relaxed and encourages open discussions. Adam uses evidence-based practices and draws from firsthand social work experiences to support and illustrate training delivery. This approach makes the sessions engaging and ensures that the content is relevant and practical.

Instructions

A member of staff will contact attendees one week before the event as a reminder— HOWEVER, THERE WILL BE NO PRE-EVENT PACK FOR THIS SESSION.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at [email protected]. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.

Who this is for

Panel Members, Chairs and Panel Advisors.

Details

A one hour session for members of adoption panels considering suitability of prospective adopters.

The session will cover how you prepare prior to panel, how to formulate and ask questions related to suitability and which questions should be directed to social workers and which to prospective adopters. It will also provide an opportunity to share best practice and consider how we can incorporate the voice of the child into our work.

Learning 0utcomes

Participants will deepen their understanding and develop their skills in asking relevant questions at Adoption Panel to ensure:
• safe, secure, and loving adoptive homes for children
• good social work practice and rigorous assessments
• independent scrutiny
• any gaps are closed or need for clarification sought so that all aspects of adoption are considered
• reasons for balanced and informed recommendations are articulated

About the trainers

Jan Fishwick

Jan’s career in social work began in 1975 as Deputy Matron of a 12 bedded children’s home. Here she gained an initial understanding of the need for early intervention for families and also encountered children waiting for adoptive families. Both experiences influenced her passion for family support as well as ensuring Looked After Children were given the best opportunity to experience the loving environment of a family and to thrive. Jan has broad experience at senior levels in both Local Authority and Charitable sectors, joining PACT in 2008 as CEO and retiring in 2021. She contributed to the innovative development of provision for children who otherwise might never experience permanent family life, being a passionate advocate for VAA collaboration and collective action. She served as a Board member of CVAA for 11 years, being Chair for part of this time. She was awarded an OBE in 2017 for services to adoption.

Jan Way

Jan has been a social worker since 1975. For the last 35 years, she has worked in the adoption field, specialising in intercountry adoption and working as a senior manager for CoramIAC.  She now acts as the training and research advisor for the agency and as a panel chair. She has published several articles in journals on intercountry adoption and the issues and challenges that arise with these placements and runs specialist training sessions on these topics. In 2019, she was awarded an MBE for her work in intercountry adoption.  She is also an adoptee and an adoptive mother.

Instructions

A member of staff will contact attendees one week before the event as a reminder— HOWEVER, THERE WILL BE NO PRE-EVENT PACK FOR THIS SESSION.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at [email protected]. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.