It was my pleasure last week to co-host a session looking into the adoption process with Judge Isobelle Plumstead.

Our adoption services are just another example of the incredibly important role that the County Council is sometimes asked to play in the lives of our residents. Of course our part in the adoption process is just one piece of the jigsaw, and that is why our session with others last week was invaluable.

Between us and the courts, the time it takes to formally agree an adoption can end up being far too long. Judge Plumstead and I spoke to a collection of county council and judiciary representatives with the express aim of speeding up the adoption process and improving the experience for those involved. I also wanted to send out a clear message that I personally supported new and better ways of working together which included establishing something called concurrent planning.

Luckily I haven’t got too much experience of being in court rooms, so it was quite novel for me when I was invited to host the session from this position, with Judge Plumstead in the clerk’s seat to my front.