Author: Adoption Routes

Adoption Panel Chair

Frances Nicholson has worked as a social worker, mainly in Children and Families Services for 40 plus years in several roles.

Since the current Adoption Order became operant in 1989, I have worked in all aspects of adoption services, including placing children for adoption, assessing adoptive families, providing advice and support for birth and adoptive families pre and of post the Courts granting of Adoption Orders, and assisting adopted adults with access to their adoption records and reuniting with birth family members where this is requested and possible. Since circa 2005,I have also been involved in regional ,strategic input to policy and legislation in relation to adoption and children .Most recently I was the Professional Social Work Adviser as the Adoption and Children Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 had its passage through the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Over the years, I have presented the circumstances of children, families for approval and proposed placement matches to adoption panels, I have been a member of adoption panels and have chaired 3 different adoption panels. I strongly value the availability of the right, stable, caring, lifelong adoptive home for children who cannot be parented by their biological parents.

Together with my husband, who also was a long serving social worker, we parented 3 biological grown up children. We have learned to appreciate grownups sometimes welcome aspects of parental counsel too! Laterally we have enjoyed the arrival of 2 grand-daughters and a grandson. Thankfully they live nearby, and we can help with day care and in turn benefit from the attendant exercise routine, when their parents are at work.

In any spare time, I enjoy all types of music and will attend concerts and more recently rejoined a choir. Since retiring from the structure of a daily work pattern, I had hoped to increase time for reading, walking and Pilates but these hopes require further attention.

Panel Advisor

Qualifications:   BA; Diploma in Social Studies; CQSW.

Experience:   40+ years experience in adoption.  I enjoy working with people and making families.

What do you like to do in your free time?  Walking – often with my dogs, gardening.

All time favourite TV show? Grace and Frankie.

Agency Decision Maker

Lynda began her career as a social worker in 1971 with the Country Antrim Welfare in the Family & Child Care Team based in Lisburn.

In 1986, having been a Senior Social Work Team Leader in both Lisburn and South Belfast, she moved to Barnardo’s NI as a Project Leader to establish Northern Ireland’s first professional foster care service for ‘hard to place’ young people.

In 1987 she became Director of Barnardo’s Northern Ireland, a position she held until 2019.

Key milestones included becoming a founding member of Focus on Children, a member of the Washington Peace for Children delegation and addressing the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation in 1996.

In 1997 Lynda was nominated as the Chair of the Victims Education Bursary by the Northern Ireland Office.

Lynda also acquired £7million inward investment for Barnardo’s NI from Atlantic Philanthropies to adapt, license and implement a number of evidence-based programmes to scale in the UK.

In 2006, Lynda was awarded the CBE for services to families and children in Northern Ireland.

Memberships have included the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland, the Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership, the Atlantic Grantee Network (All Ireland) and various inter-departmental groupings.

Interests? Nothing too adventurous, travel, reading, cooking and eating.

Favourite TV show? This Is Us – of course about adoption and family history.