Our Team

Bishop Mark Tanner was born in Canada in 1970. He went to Loughborough Grammar School and has a degree in mathematics from Oxford, a degree in theology and ministry from Durham, and a Master’s degree in applied theology from Liverpool.

Before ordination in 1998, he was a youth worker at Holy Trinity, Coventry. He trained for the ministry at Cranmer Hall.

Bishop Mark was ordained deacon in Chester Cathedral and served his title at St Mary’s, Upton, on the Wirral, before moving to Doncaster as Vicar of St Mary’s and thence to Holy Trinity, Ripon, where he also served as Area Dean and as an army chaplain.

Bishop Mark was also an honorary canon of Durham Cathedral until his appointment to Berwick in 2016, and is a member of the Ministry Council.

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Our former President, The Rt. Revd. Julian Henderson, Bishop of Blackburn retired in July 2022.

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Bishop Paul was educated at Kingston Grammar School and received a BA in English and history with honours from Nottingham University in 1977. Bishop Paul became the Bishop of Durham in the Diocese of Durham in January 2014. Bishop Paul was previously Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham.

Bishop Paul also acts as an “Advocate for Children” amongst the bishops of the Church of England and regularly visits Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda.

Bishop Paul is married to Rosemary and they have four grown-up children (Caroline, David, Andrew and Sarah).

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Sir Mark Hedley is a former barrister and High Court Judge who made legal history in 2010 by being the first judge to allow journalists into the Court of Protection.

Sir Mark was involved in adoption issues for more than 40 years and his own family also both fostered and adopted.

Sir Mark is also the Diocese of Liverpool Chancellor, a role he has had since 2002. He retired from his long legal career in 2013 and we are delighted that he brings his wealth of experience to Adoption Matters as our charity Patron.

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Norman is a qualified social worker whose career in social work began in 1979.

Norman joined Adoption Matters in 1985, and as Chief Executive led the agency through significant growth and success until he retired at the end of 2022.

Norman tirelessly campaigned to raise the profile of adoption and the status of the Voluntary/Independent Adoption sector.

His contributions and achievements included:

• Overseeing the successful mergers between Adoption Matters and Blackburn Diocesan Adoption Agency in 2007 and DFW Adoption, Durham in 2018
• An honorary MA from the University of Chester (2012) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to social work, adoption services and the family
• A CBE awarded in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours in, ‘recognition of his outstanding contribution and distinguished service to adoption services and the family’

He was involved in a number of key National initiatives and working groups on adoption including:

• Tim Loughton’s Ministerial Advisory Group and the Conservative Party Review of Adoption working party
• the Adoption Stakeholder Group
• The Prime Minister’s Expert Working Group on Adoption and the Adoption Implementation Group which became the Adoption Leadership Board
• Formerly a Trustee, Executive Member and twice chair of the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Children England and British Association Adoption and Fostering (BAAF).
• Contributed to several publications including: Barriers to Adoption? Variations In The Use of Adoption By Local Authorities; When Two Become One – A Guide To Merger For Voluntary Sector Organisations Working With Children And Families and No Place Like Home: Improving Adoption Services

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Carolyn is a practising family barrister at Cobden House Chambers in Manchester specialising in all aspects of Children’s proceedings. This includes representing Local Authorities, parents, grandparents, Guardians, Children and the Police in public  Care and Adoption cases and private law disputes.

Carolyn was elected to the General Synod in November 2015 and is a member of the Legal Aid committee as well as being director of CIDARI the Blackburn Diocese Multi –Academy Trust and Chairman of its Our People Committee.

As Chair of Adoption Matters Board of Trustees, Carolyn is very passionate about the vision and achievements of Adoption Matters.

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David is former Director of Education for Cheshire who was awarded the OBE in 2014 for his ‘contributions to education’ over his long career. David worked in several local authorities across England and was Director of Education for 15 years.

David had a long involvement in the promotion of education partnerships, chairing partnerships of schools and colleges in Blackburn with Darwen and Oldham.

David teaches at the University of Chester and is also actively involved in charity work. As well as being Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees at Adoption Matters, David chairs the board of trustees for his local church.

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Joe is Registered Nurse who now works at the University of Chester following a 26 year career in the NHS. An adoptive parent of two girls for which he is eternally grateful to Adoption Matters.

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Annesley was Managing Director of two large manufacturing subsidiaries of International Companies for thirty years.

Now retired, Annesley currently holds many board positions in charities and not for profit organisations to assist with Compliance, Governance and Probity.

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Dave is the Diocese of Blackburn Vision Coordinator and Deputy Diocesan Secretary and a member of the Bishop’s Leadership Team.

Prior to joining the Diocese in early 2016, Dave spent twenty-four years in various senior strategic planning and asset management leadership roles at United Utilities and Manchester Airport Group.

Dave is an adoptive father of two teenage children and spent nine years as a trustee on the board and finance sub-group of another voluntary adoption agency until his retirement in summer 2017.

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Catherine is a practicing solicitor at Anthony Collins Solicitors in Manchester specialising in the commercial and governance aspects of charity law.

Prior to qualification Catherine gained degrees in English Literature, Human Rights and Law and now mentors students aspiring to be lawyers.

Catherine is passionate about children and families charities and spent 6 years as a volunteer supervisor of a child contact centre in Chester before joining the board of Adoption Matters.

As an adopted child herself, Catherine is delighted to be assisting Adoption Matters  in realising its vision.

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Lynn has over 30 years’ vast experience working in Financial Services, specialising in the not for profit sector.

Lynn has a maths degree and is a chartered management accountant holding both the ACMA and CGMA credentials

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Jamie is a senior sales consultant at a FTSE 250 IT services firm, and has a degree in Politics and Sociology from the University of Warwick.

Jamie was adopted through Adoption Matters and is therefore extremely passionate about the success of the charity.

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Barry practised as a solicitor in Newcastle upon Tyne for 50 years until early 2020 when he retired as a consultant. He had been senior partner of his firm for 25 years. An expert in Medical Law and Ethics, he was Trust Solicitor of Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust from its creation.

Barry has specialised in family and child care law, fostering and adoption. He was a founder member of the Law Society Children Panel and continues as an Interviewer and Assessor of the Panel. He sat as a Deputy District Judge for 10 years and has been sitting as an Employment Judge in Newcastle and London since 1991.

Barry was Panel Solicitor of DFW for over 20 years as well as solicitor for two other adoption and fostering agencies.

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Yvonne has had a varied career which includes working with the police, the Home Office and most recently as a non-executive director on the Animal Health and Welfare Board for the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs.

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Ravi is a consultant paediatric ENT surgeon at the Sheffield Children’s Hospital. He is currently the Clinical Lead for Children’s Surgery and Anaesthesia for South Yorkshire and Bassett Law ICS.

Ravi is also the Hon Sec to the British Association for Paediatric Otorhinolaryngology. Ravi is married to Fiona and they have 2 gorgeous children, Daisy and Noah.

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Paul has worked in the field of children’s services since 1995. Paul qualified as a Social Worker in 1999 and following a short ‘apprenticeship’ in child protection, moved to work in adoption.

Paul worked as a Social Worker and manager in a number of Local Authority Adoption teams before joining Adoption Matters in early 2012. Paul has worked with both adopters and children requiring adoptive placements extensively during this time.

Paul manages the teams covering an area from Warrington/Wigan across to Yorkshire and the North East region. Paul is a Panel Adviser to the Blackburn and Durham adoption panels, and the lead for the agency’s post qualifying training programme.

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Jacqui has a Diploma and an MA in Social work has worked with children and families for over 20 years. Since 2004, Jacqui has worked specifically in adoption, recruiting, assessing and supporting adoptive families; and family finding for children who need adoptive families.

Prior to joining Adoption Matters in 2015, Jacqui managed a Local Authority Adoption team. Jacqui is the Panel Adviser for our Chester Panel and as one of the Head of Services’ for our mainstream adoption services, she oversees social work practice in the South of the Agency’s coverage which includes Wirral, Cheshire, South Manchester, Staffordshire, Shropshire and Wales.

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Karen joined Adoption Matters in 2010. Karen is part of the Strategic Management Team and is also responsible for the Business Section of the organisation which includes Finance, HR, adoption admin and IT.

Karen is currently in the process of completing her CIMA qualification.

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Since starting work at Adoption Matters in 2012, Gaynor has adapted her skills for a different sector and the benefit of the agency, successfully bidding for Government funding to support the work, particularly in the areas of Adoption Support and Bespoke Family Finding.

Gaynor is fully involved in the agencies partnership activities and in exploring ways to develop and grow these collaborative ventures. Gaynor also manages the Marketing and Fundraising Team and has overseen developments and improvements in the agency’s external communications and customer care, challenging processes and procedures to ensure the best possible service to our families.

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Anne has been privileged to work in the field of adoption and adoption support since 1994. Anne has worked as an Outreach Worker, Social Work Practitioner, and as Practice Manager for a highly regarded Local Authority in Cheshire before moving to join the Centre for Adoption Support (CfAS) in 2015.

The CfAS reputation for excellence was a key factor in Anne’s decision to join and help develop the service.

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Amanda is a Senior Adoption Social Worker in our Blackburn team.

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Amy has been a Social Worker since 2005, and has spent the majority of her working life in the adoption field. Amy has performed a number of roles, such as assessing families, placing children and within an Adoption Support team.

Amy has also managed different teams within Local Authorities before joining Adoption Matters in 2017, where she is currently working as an Adoption Team Manager within the domestic mainstream adoption service.

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Amreen qualified as a social worker in 2000 with a Post-graduate Diploma in Social Work. Amreen previously worked in a generic Children and Families Team for a Local Authority before specialising in working with Looked After Children with a plan for adoption.

Amreen joined the agency in 2004 as an Adoption Practitioner recruiting, assessing and supporting adoptive families, but she is now a Team Manager and also runs our Bespoke Family Finding Service for children with a range of needs.

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Bernadette is a qualified children’s social worker with experience in safeguarding, disability and fostering services.

Bernadette has been working within adoption for the last twelve years and has experience in assessment, family finding, early permanence and adoption support.

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Charlotte is one of our Adoption Enquiry Advisers based in Chester. Charlotte handles all of our adoption enquiries, speaking to lots of individuals and couples who are interested in adoption or simply just have some queries.

Charlotte, together with her colleague Joanna, also host and coordinates all of our online adoption events. If you are enquiring with us, you are sure to speak to either Charlotte or Joanna.

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Carmel joined the Adoption Matters Concurrent Planning team as a Social Worker in February 2018. Carmel has always had an interest in Concurrent Planning.

Carmel was fortunate to have worked on the Goodman Concurrent Planning team some years back before it folded in 2009, but was delighted to be reunited with former colleagues who were on the Adoption Matters Concurrent Planning team.

Carmel believes it is a joy and at times humbling to work with families who choose to adopt via the Concurrent planning route, in order to provide a stable nurturing start for young children.

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Claire is an Adoption Social Worker in our Chester team.

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Charlotte is a Social Work Assistant in our Concurrent Planning team.

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Catherine is an Adoption Social Worker at Adoption Matters. Catherine joined the organisation in April 2021. Before this, Catherine worked for Local Authorities for 10 years in various social work roles, working with children and families and latterly in a fostering team and then an adoption team.

Catherine also sits on an adoption panel. Catherine is very passionate about supporting adoptive parents to be as prepared as possible for the challenges adoption brings, particularly issues around Therapeutic Parenting, identity and contact.

Catherine is married with two children and enjoys singing and yoga in her spare time.

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Diane started to work for Adoption Matters in September 2020 in the Concurrent Planning team as a Social Worker.

Outside of work, Diane loves to spend time outdoors with her daughter and puppy on adventures such as camping.

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Elizabeth has been a qualified social worker since 1996 and has worked as an adoption practitioner since 2013 and is now an Adoption Team Manager. She currently works within our Yorkshire team and is very experienced in the assessment of adopters, as well as in family finding and supporting matches.

Elizabeth is also the lead presenter of preparation courses in the Yorkshire area.

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Elaine is an Adoption Social Worker in our Chester team.

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Fiona started at Adoption Matters in the Summer of 2012 as a Senior Practitioner, but she is now one of our Adoption Team Managers with several lead responsibilities.

Fiona is also a member of the Adoption Panel, which she really enjoys contributing to. Fiona’s background is working in safeguarding and family placement.

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Gemma joined Adoption Matters as an Adoption Social Worker in March 2018. Prior to this, Gemma worked for a voluntary organisation as a school social worker and for an Independent Fostering Agency as a supervising social worker.

Gemma has also worked as a social worker for Wakefield and Bradford Local Authorities in the Children and Families’ Teams and in the Adoption Team as a Family Finder, she has been qualified for 19 years and has always worked with children and families.

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Gethin worked for DFW Adoption for 8 years before joining Adoption Matters when the agencies merged in 2019. Before that Gethin worked in a Local Authority Adoption team.

Gethin has been an adoptive parent for more than 32 years, and an Adoption Social Worker for over 18 years, but continues to get satisfaction in helping new adopters find the joy in becoming parents, often for the first time, and supporting them to provide all the love, nurture and understanding that adopted children need to develop and grow.

Gethin is also a social work representative on panel and enjoys delivering preparation training to new applicants, where he can share a little of his own experience of some of the challenges adoption brings, but also how rewarding becoming an adoptive parent can be.

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Gemma is a Social Work Assistant based in Blackburn.

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Helen is a Social Worker in our Concurrent Planning Team. Helen joined Adoption Matters in March 2017. Prior to working for Adoption Matters, Helen worked in a Local Authority as a Family Finder for an Adoption team and as a Social Worker in a Children with Disabilities team for a different Local Authority.

Before qualifying in 2008, Helen worked and volunteered with older people and children and adults with disabilities.

Outside of work Helen is married with two lovely girls, she loves reading, doing puzzles, musicals and spa days. On Helen’s bucket list is to visit every European capital city and to read the top 100 books! Helen also loves animals and has a grumpy cat, but one day she would love to have a chow chow!

Helen is passionate about adoption, and has personal experience.

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Hazell qualified as a Social Worker in 2014 and has previously worked in Safeguarding, but she is now part of our domestic adoption team as an Adoption Social Worker.

Hazell has been with Adoption Matters since 2018.

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Hayley has been a Social Work Assistant with Adoption Matters since June 2022, but she has worked with our Concurrent Planning team since January 2022 as a Student Social Worker.

Hayley graduated from her Masters in Social work in July 2022. Previously, Hayley completed her first social work placement at a Drug and Alcohol Recovery Centre and she has previously worked with adults with physical disabilities and learning disabilities. Hayley has also previously volunteered with young carers.

In her free time, Hayley enjoys going for long walks with her two dogs. To relax in the evenings, Hayley enjoys reading books and making wax melts.

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Irene has been a Social Worker for many years, qualifying in 2004. Irene worked in Child Protection for 2 years before moving to the adoption service in a Local Authority, where she stayed for 5 years.

After completing the Child Care Award in 2011, Irene became a Senior Practitioner at DFW Adoption. In 2014, she became a Team Manager.

Irene is also the Panel Advisor for the Durham Adoption Panel and she became a member of the Social Work Management Team following the merger of DFW Adoption and Adoption Matters on 01 March 2019.

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Julie qualified as a Social Worker in 1999 and has over 20 years experience of children and families social work ranging from Safeguarding, Family Support and Adoption.

Julie has prior experience of Concurrent Planning; having previously been employed by Manchester Adoption Society within the Goodman Team (Concurrent Planning).

Julie has always been passionate about Concurrent Planning and achieving Early Permanence for children and as a result joined the agency to work within the Concurrent Planning Service in January 2015, she became a Concurrent Planning Team Manager in March 2016.

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Joanna is one of our Adoption Enquiry Advisers. Joanna handles all of our adoption enquiries, speaking to lots of individuals and couples who are interested in adoption or simply just have some queries.

Joanna, together with her colleague Charlotte, also host and coordinates all of our online adoption events. If you are enquiring with us, you are sure to speak to either Joanna or Charlotte.

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John is a Social Worker in our Concurrent Planning team.

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Since Julie completed her Masters degree in Social Work in 2007, she has worked in the field of Children’s Services. Julie’s roles have included working in Safeguarding, Children with Disabilities and in a Therapeutic Residential Unit.

Julie has been privileged to have worked in the area of adoption since 2013 and her present role is a Senior Adoption Social Worker in the Blackburn team.

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Jan is based in the Durham office and she previously worked for DFW Adoption before they merged with Adoption Matters. Jan was on the Business Administration Team for 18 years, but she is now a Social Work Assistant.

Jan’s main role is helping adopted adults access their birth records, however working alongside their allocated Social Worker, she also helps prospective adopters to get through the first stage of the adoption process.

In addition to this, Jan helps children already in the family to prepare to welcome a new family member through adoption.

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Joanne is our Practice Development Manager.

Joanne qualified as a Social Worker in 1997, initially working within Child Protection, before moving to work in Fostering and Adoption in 2001.

Joining Adoption Matters in 2015, Joanne has had experience of many aspects of fostering and adoption. This includes three years as a Fostering Panel Member and as an Independent Chair of Fostering Annual Review Panel.

Joanne has experience in both fields in recruitment and assessment, supporting placements, delivering training and supporting adoptees accessing their adoption records. She has specialised in adoption since 2012 and is a Preparation Training Group Leader.

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Kate is an Adoption Social Worker in our Durham team.

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Kelly is a Senior Adoption Social Worker in our Blackburn team.

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Lisa works within our Manchester team, she qualified as a Social Worker in 2007 and has previously worked in Safeguarding and more recently in Assessing and Supporting Foster Carers.

Lisa joined Adoption Matters in April 2021.

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Lesley is one of our Adoption Practitioners in our Chester team.

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Michelle is an Adoption Social Worker from Durham. Michelle joined Adoption Matters in March 2021.

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Nikky joined Adoption Matters in 2014 and has been working as a Social Work Assistant since 2018.

Nikky works with prospective adopters through Stage 1 and also completes our direct work (PCFA) with birth/adopted children of families wishing to adopt during Stage 2, in order to be a voice for the child(ren).

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Rachael retrained as a Social Worker in 2007 and became a qualified Social Worker in 2010.

Rachael has experience of working in Safeguarding and Fostering and Adoption. She has been working within adoption since 2012 and has a experience in recruitment of adopters, assessment, family finding and Early Permanence.

Impressively, Rachael won Social Worker of the Year in 2017 after being nominated by adopters who she had previously worked with.

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Ruth is a Senior Adoption Social Worker in the Yorkshire and Humber Team, but she previously worked within our Concurrent Planning service for a year. Ruth joined Adoption Matters in July 2018.

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Ruth joined Adoption Matters in 2012 after working in a Local Authority adoption team.

Prior to this, Ruth worked in a Care Management team for the same Local Authority. Ruth is a Senior Adoption Social Worker and works in the areas of Chester, Merseyside and North Wales.

Ruth is also an adopter of 3 children.

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Rhiannon is a Social Work Assistant and is based at our Hale office. Rhiannon joined Adoption Matters in September 2022.

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Sally joined the agency in April 1982 and is one of our Social Work Assistants in our Chester team.

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Sally is an Adoption Social Worker based at our Leeds office. Sally joined Adoption Matters in September 2021.

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Sally has been a qualified Social Worker since 1994, specialising in the area of adoption for over 20 years.

Sally is the Team Manager for the Blackburn team and she is also a member of the Adoption Panel. As well as this, Sally is the co-ordinator of the agency’s Intercountry Adoption service.

Sally is also the Chair of Blackburn with Darwen Council Fostering Panel.

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Sarah is a Senior Adoption Social Worker and is based at our Chester office.

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Sue joined Adoption Matters in July 2017 and is based at our Stoke-on-Trent office as a Senior Adoption Social Worker. However, Sue is classed as part of our Manchester team.

Sue has worked in Fostering and Adoption Teams in a number of Local Authorities across the North West for over 30 years. Sue’s main role involves preparation and assessment of prospective adopters, family finding and early support of placements.

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Tracy is the Adoption Team Manager of our Yorkshire team.

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Victoria is a Senior Adoption Social Worker based in Blackburn.

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About Me

I have been privileged to work in the field of adoption and adoption support since 1994. I have worked as an Outreach Worker, Social Work Practitioner and as Practice Manager for a highly regarded Local Authority in Cheshire, before moving to join the Centre for Adoption Support (CfAS) in 2015. The CfAS reputation for excellence was a key factor in my decision to join and help develop the service.

Outside of work

I enjoy spending quality time with my family and friends. I enjoy socialising, dining out and going to live indoor and outdoor music events. Over the past 10 years I have been blessed with the arrival of 6 beautiful grandchildren, I simply adore my role as Nannie Annie!

What do you love most about what you do?

It is a real privilege to work with such a strong and passionate adoption support team, who are exceptionally dedicated and skilled. I also really value the opportunity to work alongside so many caring and committed families and being part of their support network. I enjoy working with skilled and experienced colleagues both within Adoption Matters and with commissioning Local Authorities/Regional Adoption Agencies, working together to provide a comprehensive range of quality support services, in order to deliver the best possible outcomes for our children and young people.

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About Me

I have a Masters Degree in Education and a Masters in Social Work.

I worked as a Lecturer and Manager in Further Education for 20 years before adopting my two sons. My interest in adoption then grew, resulting in retraining to be a Social Worker. I spent my student placement with the Centre for Adoption Support before joining as an Adoption Practitioner and then Team Manager in 2019.

Outside of work

My leisure time is spent with my family and our dog, we spend a lot of time at our caravan in Anglesey.

What do you love most about what you do?

I enjoy meeting lots of people and no day is the same. The best part is being able to use my training and my experience as an adopter to help other parents and their children in a range of different ways.

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Nadine manages and supervises our Sessional Therapists, as well as providing consultation to Local Authorities. Nadine is a Clinical Psychologist with over 30 years experience of working with children, young people and their families and joined the agency in 2014.

Prior to that she was the Clinical Lead for the Therapeutic Foster Care team on the Wirral. Previous posts included work with adopted children and their families; CAMHS Services and Forensic Services.

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About Me

I have worked within children’s services since 1995. I joined the Centre for Adoption Support in 2015 and it has been a privilege to work alongside a highly skilled, knowledgeable and experienced team within such an innovative service.

Outside of work

Above all else, I enjoy spending time with my family out and about having fun. Sport has always been a passion of mine and I love playing hockey. There’s nothing better to clear my head than whacking a hockey ball for my local club at the weekend!

What do you love most about what you do?

I enjoy the variety that comes with my role and I never get bored! I can be delivering a workshop one day, seeing families for consultations the next and supporting the fabulous CfAS Choir the day after that. It’s incredibly rewarding to work alongside families who use the CfAS service, some of whom are experiencing real challenges. To even play a very small part in supporting children and families to deal with such challenges and witness their resilience is an honour and I believe I learn just as much from them as they do from our service.

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About Me

I qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 2008 and have worked in various different settings over the years, more recently spending nearly 9 of those years working in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). I am also a qualified Yoga Teacher, Teen Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher and have completed my training in yoga for children.

I am so excited to be part of the Centre for Adoption Support service. The team are so incredibly skilled and experienced. I feel extremely lucky to be a part of the service and uphold the ethos that every child is completely unique and has their own set of individual strengths and needs.

Outside of Work

I love to spend time with my family and friends. I have a love of the countryside and being outdoors, walking and exploring new places. Animals have always been a huge part of my life; from dogs to chickens, rats to guinea pigs, rabbits to horses and more. I practice yoga and meditation as part of my daily routine and love sharing yoga and movement practices with others. I am always up for adventures and trying new activities – most recently I have found a new love of paddle boarding.

What do you love most about what you do?

It is a privilege to work with every single child and their family, each being so beautifully unique. I would have to say that this is what I love most.

Over the course of my career, I have become passionate about Sensory Processing and understanding how this impacts upon how we can function and cope in a complex world. My other area of passion lies within body-based work such as Yoga and Movement, Emotional Freedom Technique (tapping) and other practices that support us to re-connect our body and mind.

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About Me

I have been a children and families Social Worker for over 25 years and a qualified Play Therapist for over 18 years, working within numerous settings, such as Barnardo’s projects, community projects and working within schools.

I really value working alongside the multi-skilled and multi-disciplinary team within CfAS. I feel that we contribute and work closely and positively with all of our colleagues across Adoption Matters to try and provide the best possible range of services and support at differing parts of every adopter(s) unique adoption journey. I feel proud to be part of the Post Adoption Support that we provide within CfAS, recognising the joys and challenges of this life long journey.

Outside of Work

I love going on walks, being in the outdoors, but I especially love going to the beach with my family and friends. I also love reading and watching films. Unfortunately, chocolate is my downfall!

What do you love most about what you do?

Having worked with children and families who have experienced numerous losses and transitions, I endeavour to work from an Attachment and Trauma informed perspective in all the work that I do with my families. I also approach the Post Adoption Support that I provide from a strengths perspective, recognising the skills, qualities and resilience of children and their adoptive parent(s). I feel that it is a genuine privilege when people share their thoughts, experiences and perspective on their lived experience with me. We all have so much to learn from each other.

I feel that there is such a healing power to play. I try to integrate this wherever possible into the commissioned sessions, consultation sessions, webinars and discussions that I have with families, helping children to meet in a moment with their loved ones, in a less resistant part of their brain. To enjoy moments of fun and reciprocal joy is so powerful and crucial in building attunement and connectivity.

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About me

I am an Occupational Therapist and Sensory Integration Practitioner with experience gained from a broad range of settings (NHS, Social Care and Third Sector). In my career I have worked with all ages (small children through to older adults) who have been exposed to complex trauma and are needing a focus on emotional regulation to live happier and fuller lives.

My post graduate training is within body-based approaches to mental health, with a focus on Sensory Processing and attachment-based issues. As an Ecotherapist, my treatment plans often use the powerful effects of nature to bring about a sense of calm and wellbeing. Being able to work holistically makes me proud to work for Adoption Matters, with its long history of high quality care for children and families.

Outside of work

I spend most of my spare time with my own young children and family. We like to go adventuring, building dens and camping out. I also spend much of my weekends watching various football practice sessions, with a flask of coffee in hand. When I get the chance, one of my favourite things to do is listen to live music and I really enjoy attending local festivals and gigs.

What do you love most about what you do?

I am very lucky to say that I love being an Occupational Therapist. Being able to offer a sensory integration and processing lens to the assessment process is often a missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle that can have such a positive impact on the children that we work with.

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About Me

I qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 1994 and have worked in a variety of clinical areas and organisational settings, but I have to admit that working in Post Adoption at the Centre for Adoption Support is my all time favourite role.

My interest in Post Adoption Support grew following becoming an adoptive parent over 10 years ago. I began working part time for the Centre for Adoption Support in 2018 and feel greatly privileged to have had the opportunity to support so many wonderful children and their amazing parents. Working for such an innovative service within such highly skilled and enthusiastic team is inspiring, not only within my work role but also my chosen and most valued role of adoptive parent.

Outside of work

I love spending most of my spare time with my family, often in the outdoors walking our dog. However, I have recently been attempting to learn to play the Celtic Harp, although I think I am some way off from being ready for my first recital.

What do you love most about what you do?

As an Occupational Therapist, I enjoy using my knowledge and skills in Sensory Processing to be able help families identify their children’s sensory challenges and support them with helpful strategies, both during workshops and within Therapy Sessions. Using Theraplay Informed Practice, it enables me to help families build stronger attachments, building loving and trusting relationships within the enjoyment of a playful and fun setting. Being able to support people with needs that I have some personal insight into is what makes this role so enjoyable and rewarding.

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About Me

I have been a qualified Social Worker for over 13 years, having worked as a Social Work Assistant prior to this for a number of years. My previous experience has been mainly in Local Authorities, working first with Carers, then in an Adults Team, and a Children with Disabilities Team. Prior to joining Adoption Matters, I was in a Local Authority Adoption Team; assessing adoptive parents, family finding and linking and matching children, as well as working with young people and their families in adoption support.

I currently work in Post Adoption Support and Intermediary services. I found I wanted a new challenge; it had always been a dream of mine to work with adopted adults and birth families and hence, I happily took the opportunity of this fascinating role.

Outside of work

I love spending time with my family, I have two very fun and energetic young sons who keep me on my toes! We enjoy getting out into the countryside where we live and having family days out. I am a keen photographer, love to travel and I like to cook and bake and explore new places. I have recently discovered Pilates which I love; it is definitely harder than it looks!

What do you love most about what you do?

No day is the same! It is a very specialised role which can be emotional at times. I love the complexity of Post Adoption work and I am passionate about delivering high quality Post Adoption services to adopted adults and birth families. I am keen to develop services further and I am excited about the opportunities this may present.

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About Me

I joined CfAS in November 2016, having previously worked in another Voluntary Adoption Agency. I have been a Social Worker for many years (too many to admit to) and I have been fortunate to have had a varied career working both within the Local Authority, the Independent Sector and the Voluntary Sector. The majority of my social work experience has been with children and families and mental health.

I totally embrace the CfAS statement of “one size does not fit all” in adoption support.

Alongside being a working mum, I am a parent of five adopted children. As I am sure you can appreciate there is never a dull moment in our house.

Outside of work

I am a very keen tennis player. I once gave myself a tennis marathon challenge of playing 54 matches across 4 leagues in the summer period. I am also a member of a book club and I enjoy walking and visits to the theatre.

What do you love most about what you do?

Within my role I enjoy supporting adopted parents and being a strong advocate for their needs. From a Practitioner point of view, I have a passion for delivering Theraplay as a proven intervention with adopted families to build up attachment with their children.

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About Me

I began working within the field of Post Adoption in 2005. I joined CfAS in April 2018 because of it’s fabulous reputation in adoption support.

Outside of work

I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I have three beautiful daughters, full of energy, who like to keep me on my toes!!

I enjoy spending time in the great outdoors, walking and often getting lost in some fields as my children and husband haven’t noticed me lagging behind!!! I love to cook and sew. I thoroughly enjoyed making my children’s clothes when they were younger.

What do you love most about what you do?

I love meeting people and learning, everyone is so different and knowledgeable. It is so nice to work within adoption to see the commitment families have and the determination parent(s) have in wanting the best possible outcome for their children, who have often come from a very difficult background. Prior to working at CfAS, I worked in a Local Authority and was fortunate enough to support all those affected by adoption from birth parents, birth grandparents to adopters and last, but by no means the least, the children.

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About Me

I’m Ronnie and I’m one of the Therapeutic Social Workers at CfAS. I have worked in adoption for over 20 years, both in Assessment and Post Adoption Support. I have particular interests in training, the impact of exercise on mental health, and the Nurtured Heart Approach.

Outside of work

I enjoy travelling, gardening, reading and spending time with my family.

What do you love most about what you do?

I really like talking about the Nurtured Heart Approach (ask my colleagues!) and meeting lots of our families at training when they first start planning to adopt as well as later on when they come to talk about their particular children.

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About me

I qualified as a Social Worker in 2000 and have worked in both the Local Authority and the Voluntary Sector.

In 2017, I joined the Centre for Adoption Support team as one of the Therapeutic Social Workers. I have a particular interest in Theraplay.

Outside of work

I enjoy spending time with my family and being outside, whatever the weather! I also like photography and gardening.

What do you love most about what you do?

It is such a privilege to work alongside families to help promote connections and strengthen relationships from what Theraplay terms ‘The inside out’. I enjoy being part of a supportive, knowledgeable and skilled team and learning from those around me. I appreciate being in a team that promotes creativity and innovation, striving to meet the needs of families and constantly evaluating the service to ensure that families feel like they are supported.

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Alicia is an Adoption Administrator. Alicia joined Adoption Matters in September 2019.

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Andy has worked in an IT support role since 1994 in several private sector organisations, both in support and management roles. From 2013, Andy’s previous role with a third-party company provided IT support for Adoption Matters before joining the agency in 2019, where Andy is employed as their IT Specialist, providing IT infrastructure management and dedicated end user support.

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Bekk is the PA/Administrator to the CEO. Bekk has worked at Adoption Matters since 2017.

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Brigid joined Adoption Matters in January 2023 after working in HR across different sectors including retail, charity and consultancy.

Brigid works alongside the HR Manager, Dianne, as HR Assistant.

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Working with our Centre for Adoption Support and Therapy services, Bev provides costings for support packages. Bev also liaises with local authorities and schools.

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Daniella joined Adoption Matters in January 2020 and is part of our Finance Administration team.

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Debby joined Adoption Matters in May 2019, prior to this she spent over 30 years working in Insurance and Risk Management.

Debby manages the Finance Section and also oversees IT and facilities management

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Dianne is our HR Manager and is based at our Chester office.

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Emma joined Adoption Matters in 2003. Emma is responsible for managing the administration team and completing the agency’s statistics.

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Emily started working for Adoption Matters in May 2020 as one of our Adoption Administrators.

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Jo joined Adoption Matters in June 2023.

Jo works as a Minute Taker and Administrator in the Business and Development Section.

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Jackie has been part of the Adoption Matters team since 2014. Jackie is now one of our Administration Team Supervisors.

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Kathryn is an administrator for Adoption Matters and our Centre for Adoption Support. Kathryn has been supporting the team since April 2015. Kathryn holds a NVQ Level 4 in Business Management and enjoys creative writing, camping and spending time with her family.

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Loraine is one of our Senior Adoption Administrators. Loraine joined Adoption Matters in 1979.

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Lisa runs the monthly payroll for all of the staff here at Adoption Matters. Lisa also provides financial and administrative support for our Therapy Service.

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Lynn is part of our Administration Team, as one of our Administration Team Supervisors. Lynn joined the agency in 2014.

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Rebecca is a Senior Adoption Administrator at Adoption Matters. Rebecca has been with the agency since 2014.

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Sarah has worked with the agency since 2017. Sarah is a Senior Administrator for the Centre for Adoption Support who provides a wide range of support for families. Simultaneously, Sarah works for the Post Adoption service which supports adopted adults and their birth relatives to access their historical records and facilitates an intermediary service.

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Daniel joined Adoption Matters in 2018, following his graduation from the University of Chester with a Sports Journalism degree. Daniel works closely with our Marketing Manager Jenny on all aspects of marketing, social media and PR functions.

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Since starting work at Adoption Matters in 2012, Gaynor has adapted her skills for a different sector and the benefit of the agency, successfully bidding for Government funding to support the work, particularly in the areas of Adoption Support and Bespoke Family Finding. Gaynor is fully involved in the agencies partnership activities and in exploring ways to develop and grow these collaborative ventures. Gaynor also manages the Marketing and Fundraising Team and has overseen developments and improvements in the agency’s external communications and customer care, challenging processes and procedures to ensure the best possible service to our families.

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Jenny is a Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) qualified marketing professional with over 23 years experience working in marketing roles in both the private and public sector. Passionate about using marketing skills to make a difference to vulnerable children’s lives, Jenny worked within Local Authority fostering, adoption services and corporate marketing/PR teams for over 14 years before joining Adoption Matters in January 2015. Jenny is responsible for all marketing, communication and PR functions.

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Annie O’Neill worked in commercial business rates for 36 years, before turning to the Adoption Sector, having adopted two children herself.

She is a strong advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and feels very passionate about helping families navigate their way through their adoption journey.

As Adoption Matters’ Fundraising and Relationship Manager, she is keen to raise both funds and awareness for the sector, and welcomes approaches from both the public and business world with any fundraising ideas.

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