Melissa Shackleton Trustee Expand How did you become involved with adoption and Adoption UK? I am a grown up adoptee and have followed Adoption UK on Facebook and simply saw a Trustee role advertised and thought why not go for it! Previously I wasn’t even aware that the support services existed. Any specific skills or areas of expertise relevant to the work of Adoption UK? My career has been in Marketing and E-commerce with a luxury retailer and I have no experience of working within the charity sector. But my experience of building a brand from the very beginning means that I am resourceful in my thinking and understand how to grow awareness of brands through campaigns and PR activities. Focusing on stories and good content can make a real difference to brand reach. Coming from a commercial background, membership growth at Adoption UK is an area which my past experience can really help. As an adoptee who had very little awareness of Adoption support services previously. I would like to help Adoption UK become more widely known and help not just families who are going through adoption but older children and young adults.
Tony Eastwood Trustee - Finance Scrutiny Committee Member Expand How did you become involved with adoption and Adoption UK?My wife and I adopted three siblings in 2012 through our local council’s adoption placement service and soon after joined an Adoption UK local support group run by volunteers, where we met peer adopters and were able to share stories and talk to people who understood our situation. More than seven years later and with time to spare and (I thought) skills to offer, I approached Adoption UK to see if there was anything I could do to help them in repayment for their early support to my family, leading to me becoming a Trustee of Adoption UK in September 2019 and Chair of Adoption UK’s Finance & Scrutiny Committee. Any specific skills or areas of expertise relevant to the work of Adoption UK?Aside from having been through the adoption screening process and being a parent to thee wonderful, but at times challenging, children I have observed over time family, friends and professionals in the education system fail to fully understand the long term effects of trauma and insecure attachment in early childhood on adopted children’s self-esteem and ability to learn and the style of parenting that is often needed to employ with adopted children. I therefore have the personal experience to understand the mission of Adoption UK and am pleased to be a part of the Board of Trustees. In my professional life I work in an industry that is subject to a great deal of regulation and which requires good governance and oversight and I work regularly with senior leadership teams and Boards of companies. Charities are similarly subject to specific requirements and regulations across the UK and need an equivalent level of scrutiny and oversight, which I hope I will be able to meaningfully contribute to in the coming years. How do you want to see Adoption UK develop over the next five years?I would wish Adoption UK to continue to build its membership base and volunteer groups to foster an even greater sense of community and shared experience among adopters, adoptees and prospective adopters. I also support the Adoption UK aim to become the partner of choice to governments, local authorities and schools for advice, guidance and support in relation to the types of issues we see in adopted (but also in birth family) children. Finally, I would want Adoption UK to continue its excellent advocacy and research work, with more well researched, well presented and impactful reports around this topic to influence the decision makers in the sphere of children and young persons welfare, care and protection, especially for those who have suffered abuse, neglect or trauma in their early lives.
Mike Rebeiro Chair Expand How did you become involved with adoption and Adoption UK? My wife and I adopted two siblings in 2007 and they are growing up into great young adults. But from our own experience we know that adopters, special guardians and their children need ongoing support. This is an exciting opportunity to bring together my personal and professional interests in support of the work of an organisation that is already making a big difference to some of the most vulnerable children in the UK. Adoption UK does a fantastic job of supporting families, giving them a safe place to connect, and providing a powerful advocacy voice with both central and devolved government. After a near 30 year career in corporate law I’m happy to be able to use my skills and experience to support Adoption UK in this vital work, so that all of our children can grow to have happy and independent adult lives. Any specific skills or areas of expertise relevant to the work of Adoption UK? Adoption UK puts adopters and their children at the heart of all it does, from services to advocacy. As an adopter myself, I fully support that approach and am looking forward to building on it for the future. The vast majority of Adoption UKs trustees are adopters themselves and or were adopted, so we share many of the same challenges and joys as the community we seek to support. We are looking at a range of ways to engage with adopters and special guardians more directly and consistently, to make sure everything we do is grounded in reality and designed to make the biggest possible difference to families’ lives. During my legal career I played an active role in the firm’s LGBT and BAME employee groups, and am passionate about diversity. For the past decade I have also been busy volunteering for organisations that work with disadvantaged children. At Action for Children I helped to raise £12 million as co-chair of an annual corporate sleep-out event, Byte Night. I was a trustee of Drive Forward Foundation – a charity that helps young care leavers into full time employment.How do you want to see Adoption UK develop over the next five years? The last year has brought many challenges for adopters and special guardians. Adoption UK has done a marvellous job of adapting to the needs of the community it serves. I think we will need to continue to find new ways of doing things and providing our services digitally as we adapt to a “new norm”. Adopted and SGO children face particular challenges in education and we will continue to work with schools and governments to ensure that their needs are met. We need to ensure that Adopters from a BAME background are not unfairly prejudiced by either the adoption process or the support that they can seek. In England, we will need to continue to work with the newly established Regional Adoption Agencies to ensure that adopters are being well supported before and after the transition from local authorities. Finally, we need to engage more fully with the challenges that adoptive and SGO families have in juggling home life with work – this has become sharpened with so many of us working from home in lockdown. We will need to engage actively with the business community to raise awareness of the issues we face.
Anna Jaques Vice Chair Expand How did you become involved with adoption and Adoption UK? I became a Mum to my son in 2013 and while the road leading to and leading from that point was (and still is!) challenging, it remains the absolute pinnacle of my life choices. He brings me joy, he gives me grey hair and wrinkles, he makes me laugh, he makes me cry, but I wouldn’t change a thing! My son is now 15 and watching him grow and develop is a beautiful experience. Since he arrived, I have supported with information events and training for prospective adopters, written a children’s book about adoption and supported colleagues and friends who have started their own adoption journey. In 2024 I joined an adoption panel as an independent member. Any specific skills or areas of expertise relevant to the work of Adoption UK? When I am not Mum, my ‘day job’ is as a HR Director and combined with my adoption experience, I bring 20+ years of HR skills and knowledge to Adoption UK. I am also an accredited Coach. I am a passionate advocate for adoption, especially the adoption of older children and have a particular interest in life-story work and neurodiversity. I chair the People & Culture committee for AUK and am one of two Vice Chairs, supporting Mike in his role as Chair. How do you want to see Adoption UK develop over the next five years? I am really proud to be part of the Board of Trustees of Adoption UK at this point in the journey of this amazing charity. I would like to see our work influencing policy and funding decisions for our children. I think the communications we are sharing with the public, with educators, with politicians etc are very powerful. The experience of adopting is such a special one, unique to every child and every parent, but if we can share more stories with others, and advocate loudly for our children and their families, I would feel very proud in five years time.
Jordina Walker Advisor Expand How did you become involved with adoption and Adoption UK? (c. 100-150 words) I first came across Adoption UK when I saw the advertisement for the trustee role. Having seen friends go through the adoption process, it is clear that adoption is a life changing event which people need significant support going through. Adoption UK’s mission is one that I see as very important and is something that I can stand by and promote to ensure that adoptive families have the best support that they deserve. Any specific skills or areas of expertise relevant to the work of Adoption UK? (c. 150-200 words) From working as a solicitor for over ten years in financial services, I have significant experience in working in the corporate sector and I believe that the skills I have developed over this time can be used to benefit the work of Adoption UK. In particular, I developed an employee network for black, Asian and minority ethnic members of staff to help improve BAME’s staff’s experience in the company. My experience as a trustee in another charity has allowed me to learn about the specific issues of working with senior leadership in a charity and the nuances of the support, accountability and skill support that trustees provide. How do you want to see Adoption UK develop over the next five years? (c. 100-150 words) I have a keen interest in diversity and inclusion and am looking forward to working with the team to make impactful change in this area. In the coming years I am excited about the work that Adoption UK will do in providing more support and advocacy on behalf of BAME children and families to help to improve their experiences of adoption while becoming more widely known for the invaluable work that the charity is doing.
Anju Mahbubani Trustee Expand How did you become involved with adoption and Adoption UK? My journey into adoption started twelve years ago when I adopted my son at three years of age. It was a momentous moment and although it has been a rollercoaster journey, I wouldn’t change it for the world. Not only did it make me a parent but it opened my eyes to how much support these children need. My experience led me to sit on the adoption panel for South London for a number of years, I was honoured to be part of helping other children find their forever families. I have also spent time as a volunteer for an adoption agency within the Marketing and External affairs division. As a voice and passionate advocate for Adoption, I have spoken at adoption gatherings and prep groups for prospective adopters. When I heard Adoption UK were looking for Trustees, I felt this was an opportunity to use my skills and knowledge to help other children and families on their adoption journey. Any specific skills or areas of expertise relevant to the work of Adoption UK? My day job as Commercial Director within luxury retail gives me the knowledge of managing a business, developing a strategy and leading a team to deliver. Bringing these skills to Adoption UK allows me to support in many areas where the leadership team requires. How do you want to see Adoption UK develop over the next five years? I hope to see Adoption UK continue to advocate and provide support for children and adults following adverse childhood experiences. The long term affects of trauma and insecure attachment in adopted children need to be strongly voiced and I am keen to campaign for change. There is much to be done and as a Trustee I hope I can be a part of delivering this.
Dani Stuart Trustee Expand How did you get involved with adoption and Adoption UK? I am an adult adoptee with lived experience of being adopted and hope to become an adopter too one day. Lived experience aside I have been involved with adoption in various capacities such as in my role as an Adoption Ambassador for Scottish Adoption. This role broadened my knowledge of adoption and opened many doors for me. Through this role, I co-facilitated a teen group for young people who are adopted. Additionally, I was privileged to work with an extraordinary group of adopted young people on a Digital Life Stories Project in partnership with the Scottish Book Trust. I have loved and learnt a lot from all these experiences and was keen to represent the voices and lived experiences of the adoptees I have worked with and give them the platform they deserve. Consequently, when I heard about the Trustee role at Adoption UK I jumped at the opportunity! Any specific skills or areas of expertise relevant to the work of Adoption UK? As a teacher I am used to advocating for young people and listening to what they have to say. Moreover, I have seen first-hand the impact that Adverse Childhood Experiences can have on a young person and am used to discussing such matters and addressing any arising issues sensitively.Additionally, due to various experiences such as co-facilitating a podcast 'takeover' for the Adoption and Fostering Podcast and delivering training sessions at Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies (CVAA) conferences I have experience and skills pertaining to public speaking surrounding adoption.Moreover, I have additional language skills which are relevant to the work of Adoption UK such as those related to using person centred and inclusive language. These skills were bolstered during my time completing an Equality and Diversity Internship wherein I was responsible for completing Equality Impact Assessment forms (EqIA) for various pieces of policy.I have also, for my work as well as my own edification, undertaken numerous training courses such as on safeguarding, child protection, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Early Trauma. I believe that much of what I have learnt from these courses will be relevant and beneficial to the work of Adoption UK. How do you want to see Adoption UK develop over the next 5 years? Over the next five years I want to see Adoption UK ensure that it is the adoptee who is at the centre of everything that Adoption UK does. Additionally, I want Adoption UK to actively seek ways to develop with the times to continue to accurately reflect the current wants and needs of those it represents. To ensure this happens I believe that the voices of young people and lived experience needs to be actively included in contemporary discourse. I also want to see Adoption UK continue to advocate for equality by further developingeffective strategies to ensure that LGBTQIA+ and BAME adopters are not unfairly prejudiced at any point during the adoption process or thereafter. In addition, I want to see Adoption UK continue to campaign for parity between adoptive and non-adoptive parents, such as by improving employment rights and financial support for new parents who are self-employed adopters.
Justin North Trustee Expand How did you become involved with adoption and Adoption UK? I am an adult adopted person raised in a family of four children where three of us were adopted, each of us being brought into the family at birth. I have an interest in supporting the emotional wellbeing of adopted adults as they move through the various stages of their own lives and begin to build their own relationships and families – from navigating identity formation, to dealing with familial dynamics inherent in adoption journeys. I am passionate about advocating for policy enhancement that promotes adoptees' rights to personal health data, while also providing adults subjected to forced adoptions (and their immediate family members or descendants) with the appropriate support. Any specific skills or areas of expertise relevant to the work of Adoption UK? I work closely with the leadership teams of large international corporate entities on operational strategy and process efficiency, and I have a keen interest in change management and behavioural science and the application of these areas in commercial contexts. I currently sit on the Advisory Board for BARBRI Global as the company seeks to promote greater social mobility within the legal profession. My role is to help open doors, create partnerships, and connect the company with key corporate stakeholders. I have also held roles on the advisory boards of Maanch - the first global impact platform to facilitate funding to worthy projects using the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - and The Legal Forecast - a not-for-profit peer to peer organisation run by early-career professionals who are passionate about disruptive thinking and access to justice. I love making connections and aim to do so many, many times as part of my role with Adoption UK. How do you want to see Adoption UK develop over the next five years? Over the coming five years, I hope to see Adoption UK provide a dedicated support service for not just adopted children, but for adopted adults as well so that this community can receive support for the unique challenges that they face at various stages of their lives. By identifying, studying and acknowledging the needs to adult adoptees throughout every age and stage of their lives, Adoption UK can provide support across all elements of the adoption lifecycle and proactively provide assistance and support. I would also like to see Adoption UK build and maintain closer ties to the business community through corporate partnerships and collaborations, fostering mutual support and leveraging resources for greater societal impact.
Ans Aspden Trustee Expand How did you become involved with adoption and Adoption UK? My involvement is personal. As an adopted adult, my life-journey has shaped who I am today – I was cared for by foster parents at birth before being adopted by my loving family as a young baby in 1971. In my early 30s, after a decade-long search, I reunited with both birth parents, a chance encounter with a taxi driver playing a crucial role. Inspired and supported by After Adoption during my search, I volunteered with Adoption UK Cymru for many years. As an ambassador, I ran peer support groups for adopted adults and spoke publicly at AUK events in order to help raise awareness of the complexities surrounding adoption. Now, as a Trustee of Adoption UK, I'm proud to work with a dynamic team, leveraging my background to support others on their adoption journeys and help to shape the organization's strategic direction as well as advocating initiatives that raise awareness of adoption. Any specific skills or areas of expertise relevant to the work of Adoption UK? I'm the CEO of a bespoke IT Consultancy which is first and foremost, a People-centered business. I am responsible for setting our strategic direction steeped in tech innovation whilst keeping our company values and culture true as we scale. I believe passionately in a Partnership ethos and thrive on working with inspiring people to innovate and enable meaningful difference. Coupled with my professional expertise, this is one area which I'm particularly looking forward to working with Adoption UK by having new conversations, building new partnerships and helping to open new doors. Thinking of 'Together We're Family' - I'm married to Dave, am a Mam to 5 grown-up children and a Mam Mam to 4 - almost 6 - grandchildren. My family are my world and together, we continually adapt to the joys of modern day parenting (ah the joys of social media, both a blessing and a curse). Every day is most certainly a learning day! How do you want to see Adoption UK develop over the next five years? By 2029, I’d hope to see Adoption UK expanding support services tailored to the diverse needs of those touched by adoption. For adult adoptees in particular, this could take shape as a new support system focusing on themes like identity, reuniting and searching - which will be informed by research from the AUK Adoption Barometer. With my digital creative hat on, AI and new technology will be embraced by Adoption UK, where we can leverage the power of data-driven insights to begin the revolution of how adoption support services are delivered which will enhance the quality, accessibility and efficiency of these services. On a wider note, I'd envision that businesses will be actively playing a significant role in creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for those touched by adoption. Initiatives such as Employer's Toolkits will have been continually improved and rolled out across the UK.