Legal consultant

The Coram Group
Coram is a progressive and responsive group of children’s charities, which draws upon a distinguished history and reputation for contemporary practice in creating better chances for children. With some 700 staff, a distinctive headquarters near King’s Cross and service delivery teams across the UK, the Coram group works across the care, welfare, rights and education of children. Coram strives to be a credible, respectful, professional, dynamic and committed organisation and these values infuse all we do to promote resilience for children.

CoramBAAF
CoramBAAF is the leading professional membership body in the UK for developing policy and practice for children and young people in care. It is dedicated to improving the outcomes of children and young people in care in England and with strong links to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. CoramBAAF operates to support and represent members, champion best practice and provide high quality policy and practice guidance, advice, training and resources.

The Policy, Research and Development (PRD) Team
As a professional membership organisation CoramBAAF is responsible for delivering high quality evidence-based policy and practice advice and updates to its members and other relevant stakeholders, including central and local government.

The PRD team consists of consultants who specialise in different forms of family placement from an interdisciplinary perspective including social work, legal, health and research. Core to the team’s role is the contribution to membership services and products, including publications, conferences, briefings, practice notes and forms. The team also convenes several advisory committees and practice forums that support and inform our work.
The team works in a hybrid way. This post can be home or office based, with some attendance in the office expected if based at home.

Purpose of the role:

• Work on legal matters relating to children in care and adopted children and adults as part of a job share with the current legal consultant.
• To develop policy and practice in relation to adoption, fostering, kinship, adoption support and wider family placement issues in accordance with member needs and recognised good practice.
• To have responsibility for specific initiatives to support the work of member agencies.
• To attend or chair agreed practice forums, and act as link consultant to the Legal Advisory Committee.

Main duties and responsibilities

Leadership and direction:

• To keep abreast of developments in the children’s social work sector relevant to legal matters relating to adoption, fostering, kinship, adoption support and wider family placement issues including legislative and policy developments nationally and regionally.
• To contribute to CoramBAAF’s positions regarding policy and practice in relation to adoption, fostering, kinships, adoption support and wider family placement issues in general.
• To write and contribute to high-quality briefings, practice notes and good practice guides for those involved in adoption, adoption support and wider family placement.
• To represent CoramBAAF on relevant external steering and advisory groups as appropriate.
• To devise new forms and tools as needed and contribute to the revision of existing forms pertaining to adoption and wider family placement.

Policy and practice development:

• To have an awareness of the needs of CoramBAAF’s members working adoption, fostering, kinships, adoption support and wider family placement issues and respond to these, by providing expert advice and practice guidance.
• To work collaboratively with partners in advocating for and influencing best practice.
• To work with colleagues to advocate for legislative and policy changes and influencing best practice.
• To respond to national consultations as necessary and assist in responding to media enquiries.

Specific member services:

• Brief CoramBAAF members on issues relevant to CoramBAAF’s work adoption, fostering, kinships, adoption support and wider family placement issues.
• Contribute to the development of CoramBAAF’s annual programme of training and events.
• Attend and make presentations/deliver training and workshops at events as appropriate, both those organised by CoramBAAF as well as external bodies.
• Co-ordinate the legal group and the legal group advisory committee.
• Write legal notes for publication in CoramBAAF’s quarterly journal ‘Adoption and Fostering”.
• Respond to legal enquires from CoramBAAF staff and its members in England.
• Chair, manage and develop agreed CoramBAAF practice forums, including setting agendas, inviting contributors and overseeing publicity.

Project management:

• Ensure robust project management on agreed projects.

General

• To treat everyone with respect, dignity and fairness and to acknowledge and celebrate diversity.
• To recognise and challenge all forms of discrimination and prejudice in the workplace and within all the services provided.
• To maintain confidentiality of information and process data in line with current best practice and adherence to data protection legislation.
• To adhere to Coram policies and procedures.
• To undertake any other tasks appropriate to the role.

Person Specification

Qualifications, skills and personal attributes:

• To be a qualified solicitor, barrister or legal executive.
• Relevant post qualifying legal practice experience.
• Extensive knowledge of family and/or childcare law and knowledge of adoption law.
• An understanding of the central and local government structure with which adoption and fostering operates, particularly the legal aspects.
• Experience of writing to a high standard for a wide range of audiences.
• Up-to-date knowledge of developments and current good practice in adoption, adoption support and wider family placement.
• An understanding of central and local government structure and the voluntary and independent sector within which family placement services are delivered.
• Excellent communications skills – verbal, writing and delivering presentations.
• Facilitation skills including experience of chairing and facilitating different types of meetings and events.
• Proficient use of appropriate IT systems including Microsoft Office and remote video meeting/conferencing platforms.
• Creativity including proposing and developing ideas for new approaches, products and services.
• Good organisational skills including the ability to prioritise tasks and to meet deadlines.
• A courteous manner and a customer focused approach.
• Commitment to the implementation of Coram’s equality, inclusion and diversity policies and procedures.