List of Agency Decision Makers, Designated Managers and Nominated Officers
Scope of this chapter
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.
Related guidance
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The manager who can authorise the marriage/civil partnership of a Looked After child.
Post title: Executive Director: People
Secondary: Director of Children and Family Services
Contact details: Tony Theodoulou
Secondary: Anne Stoker
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
The manager who can authorise a passport application for a Looked After child.
Post title: Team Manager
Contact details:
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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: Director of Children and Family Services or nominated chair of Placement Panel (or service manager in case of emergency)
Contact details: Anne Stoker
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
Post title: Heads of Service
Contact details: Mirjan Dhamo
Rashmi Patel
Karen Alderton
Maria Anastasi
Post title: Head of Safeguarding
Contact details: Maria Anastasi
Post title: Service Manager Business Operations
Contact details: Shelley Aldridge
Post title: Heads of Service
Mirjan Dhamo
Rashmi Patel
Karen Alderton
Maria Anastasi
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
Last Updated: October 16, 2025
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