List of Agency Decision Makers, Designated Managers and Nominated Officers

RELATED CHAPTER

Delegation of Authority to Foster Carers and Residential Workers Procedure

NOTE

Consent to life-ending withdrawal of medical support for a child will require an application to the High Court even if all relevant parties are in agreement. Legal advice must be sought as a matter of urgency.

AMENDMENT

In January 2024, this list was updated.

Designated Managers with Specified Area of Responsibility

Caption: designated Managers
     
Designated Managers with Specified Area of Responsibility Post Title and Contact Details

Agency Decision Maker (Adoption)

The Agency Decision Maker who makes decisions on all adoption matters (some of which will be made on the basis of a recommendation of the Adoption Panel).

Post title: Director of Children and Family Services
Secondary: Service Manager Fostering and Permanence

Contact details: Anne Stoker
Secondary contact: Debbie Michael

Agency Decision Maker (Fostering)

The Agency Decision Maker who makes decisions on fostering matters (on the basis of recommendations of the Fostering Panel).

Post title: Director of Children and Family Services
Secondary: Head of Looked After Children and Care Leavers

Contact details: Anne Stoker
Secondary contact: Karen Alderton

Designated Manager (Adoption Panel Appointments)

The manager who can authorise appointments to the Central List of Adoption Panel members.

Post title: Head of Looked After Children and Care Leavers
Secondary: Service Manager Fostering and Permanence

Contact details: Karen Alderton
Secondary Contact: Debbie Michael

Designated Manager (Adoption Support)

The manager who can authorise the level of adoption support to be provided to children, adopters (including financial support) and their family or birth family members.

Post title: Head of Looked After Children and Care Leavers
Secondary: Service Manager Fostering and Permanence

Contact details: Karen Alderton
Secondary Contact: Debbie Michael

Designated Manager (Care Plans)

The manager who can authorise the final Care Plan to be taken before the Court within Care Proceedings.

Post title: Service Managers

Contact details: Luis Herrero
Linda Read
Chistine Askey
John Lawrence-Jones
Matt Gratton
Liz Wood
Debbie Michael
Michelle Ferdinand

Designated Manager (Care Proceedings)

The manager who can authorise the initiating of Care Proceedings.

Post title: Director of Children and Family Services
Secondary: Delegated chair of Placement Panel (Head of Service)

Contact details: Anne Stoker

Designated Manager (Change of Name)

The manager who can authorise the change of name of a Looked After Child.

Post title: Head of Looked After Children and Care Leavers
Secondary: Service Manager LAC

Contact details: Karen Alderton
Secondary: Liz Wood

Designated Manager (Contact with Parents)

The manager who can authorise the suspension or termination of contact between a Looked After child and his or her parents (subject to the Court's approval after 7 days for children on Emergency Protection Orders, Interim Care Orders or Care Orders).

Post title: Head of Service or Service Manager

Contact details: Rashmi Patel
Linda Read
Chistine Askey
Karen Alderton
Liz Wood
Debbie Michael
Luis Herrero
Mirjan Dhamo
Karen Alderton
Matt Gratton
John Lawrence-Jones

Designated Manager (Death or Serious Injury to a Child)

The senior manager who should be notified in the event of death or serious injury to a child.

Post title: Executive Director: People and Director of Children and Family Services

Contact details: Tony Theodoulou and Anne Stoker
(follow the Need to Know process)

Designated Manager (Decision to Look After)

The manager who can authorise a child becoming Looked After.

Post title: Director of Children and Family Services
Secondary: Delegated chair of Placement Panel (Head of Service)

Contact details: Anne Stoker
In an emergency or out of hours, a decision can be made by the respective manager on call – service manager or above

Designated Manager (Emergency Protection Orders)

The manager who can authorise an application for an Emergency Protection Order (excluding ex parte)

Post title: Director of Children and Family Services
Secondary: Head of Service

Contact details: Anne Stoker
Secondary: Rashmi Patel
Karen Alderton
Mirjan Dhamo
Maria Anastasi

Designated Manager (Emergency Protection Orders – Ex Parte)

The manager who can authorise an application for an Emergency Protection Order ex parte.

Post title: Executive Director: People
Secondary: Director of Children and Family Services

Contact details: Tony Theodoulou
Secondary: Anne Stoker

Designated Manager (Emigration)

The manager who can authorise the placement of a Looked after child outside England and Wales.

Post title: Executive Director: People
Secondary: Director of Children and Family Services

Contact details: Tony Theodoulou
Secondary: Anne Stoker

Designated Manager (Exemptions and Extensions from Fostering Limit)

The manager who can authorise any exemptions from the usual fostering limit for foster carers living in the local authority area.

Post title: Head of Looked After Children and Care Leavers
Secondary: Service Manager Fostering and Permanence

Contact details: Karen Alderton
Secondary contact: Debbie Michael

Designated Manager (External Placements)

The manager who can authorise placements of Looked After children with external providers of residential care or foster carers from an independent fostering agency.

Post title: Director of Children and Family Services
Secondary: delegated chair of Placement Panel (Head of Service)

Contact details: Anne Stoker
Mirjan Dhamo
Karen Alderton
Rashmi Patel
Maria Anastasi

Designated Manager (Fostering Panel Appointments)

The manager who can authorise appointments to the Central List of Fostering Panel members

Post title: Head of Looked After Children and Care Leavers
Secondary: Service Manager Fostering and Permanence

Contact details: Karen Alderton
Secondary: Debbie Michael

Designated Manager (Leaving Care)

The manager who can approve a Pathway Plan.

Post title: Team Managers in the Leaving Care Team

Contact details: Melissa Halls
Daniel Hastick
Zebba Malik

Designated Manager (Marriage)

The manager who can authorise the marriage of a Looked After child.

Post title: Executive Director: People
Secondary: Director of Children and Family Services

Contact details: Tony Theodoulou
Secondary: Anne Stoker

Designated Manager (Notifications)

Where a Looked After Child from another local authority has been placed in the area, the manager to whom the notification should be sent.

Post title: Business Support Team Manager (LAC)

Contact details: Shelley Aldridge

Designated Manager (Passports)

The manager who can authorise a passport application for a Looked After child.

Post title: Team Manager

Contact details:

Designated Manager (Placement Orders)

The manager who can authorise an application for a Placement Order.

Post title: Service Managers

Contact details: Debbie Michael
Matt Gratton
Linda Read
Chistine Askey
Liz Wood
John Lawrence-Jones
Michelle Ferdinand
Luis Herrero

Designated Manager (Private Fostering)

The manager who can impose requirements of private foster carers, impose requirements on private foster carers or decide to prohibit someone from acting as a private foster carer.

Post title: Service Manager Fostering and Permanence

Contact details: Debbie Michael

Designated Manager (Secure Accommodation)

The manager who can authorise:

A placement of a Looked After child in secure accommodation for up to 72 hours without a Secure Accommodation Order; and/or

An application for a Secure Accommodation Order; and/or

A child's continued secure placement on the recommendation of the Secure Accommodation Review Panel; and/or

Applications to renewal Secure Accommodation Orders on the recommendation of the Secure Accommodation Review Panel.

Post title: Executive Director: People and
Secondary: Director of Children and Family Services

Contact details: Tony Theodoulou
Secondary: Anne Stoker

Designated Manager (Special Guardianship)

The manager who can authorise Special Guardianship as the permanence plan for a Looked After child.

Post title: Service Managers

Contact details: Matt Gratton
Debbie Michael
Luis Herrero
Linda Read
Chistine Askey
John Lawrence-Jones

Designated Manager (Special Guardianship Support)

The manager who can authorise the level of special guardianship support to be provided, including financial support to special guardians.

Post title: Head of Looked After Children and Care Leavers
Secondary: Service Manager Fostering and Permanence

Contact details: Karen Alderton
Secondary: Debbie Michael

Nominated Officer (Disruption of Education)

The manager who can authorise the change of placement affecting a Looked After child in Key Stage 4.

Post title: Director of Children and Family Services or nominated chair of Placement Panel in conjunction with the Virtual Head (Suzanne Rowson)

Contact details: Anne Stoker
Secondary: Heads of Service
Karen Alderton
Mirjan Dhamo
Rashmi Patel
Maria Anastasi

Nominated Officer (Fostering for Adoption)

The person who can authorise Fostering for Adoption.

Post title: Head of Looked After Children and Care Leavers
Secondary: Service Manager Fostering and Permanence

Contact details: Karen Alderton
Secondary: Debbie Michael

Nominated Officer (Out of Area Placements)

The manager who can authorise the placement of a Looked After child outside the area of the local authority.

Post title: Executive Director: People
Secondary: Director of Children and Family Services

Contact details: Tony Theodoulou
Secondary: Anne Stoker

Nominated Officer (Immediate Placement of a Looked After Child with Connected Person)

The manager who can authorise the placement of a Looked After child with a family or friend (‘Connected Person’) who is not already approved as a foster carer.

Post title: Director of Children and Family Services or nominated chair of Placement Panel (or service manager in case of emergency)

Contact details: Anne Stoker

Nominated Officer (Placement of a Looked After Child subject to Care Order or Interim Care Order with Parents)

The manager who can authorise the placement of a Looked After child with a parent, person with Parental Responsibility or person who held a Residence Order/Child Arrangements Order specifying with whom the child was to reside immediately before the Care Order.

Post title: Executive Director: People
Secondary: Director of Children and Family Services

Contact details: Tony Theodoulou
Anne Stoker

Nominated Officer for agreeing consent to medical treatment

Post title: Heads of Service

Contact details: Mirjan Dhamo
Rashmi Patel
Karen Alderton
Maria Anastasi

Nominated Officer as custodian of the Child Protection Plan list

Post title: Head of Safeguarding

Contact details: Maria Anastasi

Nominated Officer for notification for children on a CP plan moving into Enfield

Post title: Service Manager Business Operations

Contact details: Shelley Aldridge

Nominated Officer for signing off travel abroad

Post title: Heads of Service
Mirjan Dhamo
Rashmi Patel
Karen Alderton
Maria Anastasi

Designated Manager (Deprivation of Liberty applications)

The manager who can authorise a Deprivation of Liberty application in respect of a looked after child.

Post title: Heads of Service
Mirjan Dhamo
Rashmi Patel
Karen Alderton
Maria Anastasi