Charity boss and adopter set to be named new chair of adoption leadership board
Fiona Simpson
Monday, December 14, 2020
The founding director of adoption charity Home for Good has been named as the new chair of the government’s Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board (ASGLB).
Dr Krish Kandiah will replace Andrew Christie who was appointed to the position by the Department for Education in 2016.
-
Blog: Highlighting concerns over Williamson’s adoption speech
-
Analysis: Tackling foster carer decline
Kandiah, who is an adoptive parent himself, is set to be announced as new chair of the ASGLB later today (December 14) by children’s minister Vicky Ford at the Coram British Association of Adoption and Fostering’s (CoramBAAF) 40th anniversary event.
Ford will say: “As we get closer to Christmas, a special time of year that brings everyone together, it is a terribly sad fact that there are some children who do not have a family to celebrate with. We simply cannot overstate how important a stable loving family is.
“I am delighted to announce Krish Kandiah as the new chair of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board, who will work with us to make improvements to the adoption system, boosting vital support for adopters and their families so every child can be placed in a loving, stable home.”
Described by the DfE as “a critical friend to the government on adoption policies for many years”, Kandiah is set to play a key role in the government’s latest adoption drive announced by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson during National Adoption Week in October.
Williamson called on local authorities to put an end to “snobbery” and “narrow-mindedness” over ethnicity and social class during the adoption process in a speech which split opinion across the sector.
There are currently 2,550 children waiting for adoption, according to latest government figures but only around 1,800 approved adopters.
Kandiah said: “Right now there are over 2,550 children waiting for adoption. Each one of them needs a unique loving family to commit to them for life despite all the trauma they have faced in the past and whatever their futures might hold.
“I count it a huge privilege to take on the chairing of the leadership board and am looking forward to working with colleagues to find parents for all the children that are waiting and to provide great support for all adopted families. I take on this role as an adopted father, a foster parent and a birth dad keen to find the right solution for every child."