A well-respected Rabbi and County Councillor in Hertfordshire has been appointed to Norwood’s Advisory Council. Rabbi Alan Plancey, 70, is Emeritus Rabbi at Borehamwood & Elstree Synagogue, having been its Minister for 30 years. He is also a member of The Cabinet of the Chief Rabbi and represents Borehamwood North on Hertfordshire County Council, where he sits on the Cabinet Panels for Children's Services & Corporate Parenting and Education & Skills.
Rabbi Plancey was invited to join the honorary body due to his outstanding commitment to children and family services, his strong ties with the growing Jewish community in south Hertfordshire, his knowledge of communal issues and his local authority expertise.
The Norwood Advisory Council comprises a select number of people who are national and international experts in their particular fields of work and whose expertise, in areas such as child and adult social care, special educational needs and law, is relevant to one or more of the Charity’s services or functions. The Council meets quarterly and advises Norwood’s Directorate and Trustees on strategic and specialist issues, including the Government’s agenda on matters important to the Charity’s work.
Other members include Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the University of Cambridge and a leading world expert on autism, Ruth Fasht OBE, a former Norwood Director of Children & Family Services who is well-known in the field of child and family welfare, and Dr Danya Glaser, a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Great Ormond Street Hospital and former President Elect of International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.
Rabbi Plancey said: “Norwood provides an outstanding service to the Community and I hope in time, more people will know about the wonderful things it does. I am honoured and excited to become part of the team and I am looking forward to playing a role in building a close relationship between Norwood and the community in South Hertfordshire.”
Elaine Kerr, Norwood’s Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted that Rabbi Plancey has agreed to join our Advisory Council. His expertise and knowledge of the growing Jewish community in south Hertfordshire will be invaluable to Norwood, as it develops its life-changing work in this area in response to the mounting needs of local families who require our support.”
David Ereira, Chairman of the Advisory Council, added: “Rabbi Plancey is well-respected throughout the Community and will be an important ambassador for Norwood. During his long career, he has demonstrated his outstanding commitment to children and family services, as well as his understanding of communal matters and local authority issues, and I am pleased to welcome him to the Advisory Council.”
