VACANCY: PACT – Adoption Panel Member and Panel Vice Chair

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 is representative of our diverse service users, 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 today to join a dedicated team who are part of something truly meaningful. We look forward to hearing from you!

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. Anyone joining our team is subject to PACT’s safer recruitment pre-appointment enquiries, including a Disclosure Barring Service (DBS). The role description provides information on what our safer recruitment enquiries include and the level of DBS required to work in the role.

Job location: Panel sessions are held online. Training sessions based in Reading and London. All opportunities with PACT are based in the UK.

Pay Rate: 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.

Interviews will be held on: Wednesday 17 December 2025.

Hours: The time commitment will be approximately 2 to 4 panel sessions per year as Vice Chair, and 4 to 5 sessions as a Panel Member. Attendance at 2 training sessions per year is required. Early applications are encouraged as we may review and appoint on an earlier basis if a successful candidate is secured.