Job summary
This is not a Wiltshire Council vacancy therefore please contact Adoption West for further information.
Salary: £37,336 - £39,186 pro rata
Hours: 18.5 hours a week
Closing date: Thursday 11thJuly 2024
Interview date: Monday 22ndJuly 2024
Location: Flexible: An office base in Bristol or Gloucestershire and working from home
Adoption West is a Regional Adoption Agency and registered Voluntary Adoption Agency commissioned by Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Councils. Adoption West provides a range of adoption services including:
- The recruitment and assessment of prospective adopters
- Family finding services for children requiring permanency via adoption
- Post adoption support services
- Services to birth family and adopted adults
This is an exciting time to join Adoption West as we build on the solid foundations already in place and our Good rating from Ofsted. As part of an internal restructure, our functions going forward will be service led across the region, rather than office/hub based.
Main duties of the job
Main Duties:
- Providing advice and support to adoptive families
- Assessing the support needs of adoptive families
- Working with children and families with complex needs
- Providing therapeutic support to families either directly or via ASF applications
You will need:
- A Social Work Qualification (degree or equivalent) and current registration with Social Work England
- Experience of working as a Social Worker or having had a student social work placement with children and families
- An understanding of early life experiences such as trauma or abuse and the impact they can have on children and young people throughout their lives
- The ability to analyse complex information to make recommendations and informed decisions
- The ability to work both as part of a team, sharing knowledge and managing cases
- The ability to use your own initiative and work independently
- Experience of managing your own caseload and working to deadlines
About us
Adoption West:
- is an organisation with a wealth of experience and has a learning culture committed to enabling the post holder to grow and develop in their role.
- provides support through supervision and training.
- offers flexible working arrangements, including job shares
- provides a Local Government Pension Scheme and access to the Child Care vouchers scheme.
This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and will require an Enhanced DBS check before appointment can be confirmed. Confidentiality: Employees are expected to maintain the required level of confidentiality at all times in relation to their work.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Specific duties and responsibilities include:
- The assessment of adopters and the matching and placements of children for adoption:
- Undertaking assessments of prospective adopters and presenting assessments to the
Adoption Panel
- Provide support to prospective adopters during and after approval, including through the
LAC reviewing process.
- Contributing to the development and training of adopters.
- Assessment of adoption support needs giving due consideration to the wishes and opinions
of the child and the adoptive family, the nature of the problem that has called for adoption
support:
- To draw up support plan and implement, with the child and adoptive family, an appropriate
action plan to come to terms with or ameliorate the identified problems.
- To convene and chair case specific and other liaison/multiagency meetings as
appropriate.
- All children in need procedures are completed in a timely manner.
- Applications sourced and made to the Adoption Support Fund.
- Providing an efficient home finding service that meets the needs of children needing
adoptive placements within prescribed timescales:
- To provide consultation to Social workers who are placing children for adoption
- To work jointly with social workers to assess appropriate matches for children needing
adoptive placements.
- To support and promote the development of a dedicated adoption team identity and
shared objectives within a changing and developing environment which include:
- To contribute to the timeliness of the Prospective Adopter Reports (PARs), Adoption
Support Assessments and Non Agency Adoptions.
- The team continues to provide and develop the adoption support core offer as outlined in
the adoption passport.
- Looked after children and adoption regulations requirements are completed within timescales.
- Provision of birth records counselling and supporting adopted adults to access birth records.
- Participate in the teams duty rota.
- Model and provide good equalities practice. Value diversity within the team and in
contact with other professionals, children, young people and families.
- Operate within the County policy and regularly updates him/herself with social work
methods, new legislation and procedures, including Children's Act 2004 and Every Child
Matters.
- To secure the effective involvement of parents/carers, children and young people in the
development and evaluation of services.
- Through liaison with other professionals build positive working relationships to ensure
effective joint working practices.
- Acquire and maintain local knowledge including links with and information of statutory
and voluntary groups in order to maximise co-ordination and joint working to improve
outcomes for children.
- To fully engage and prepare for own supervision and appraisal through self-evaluation,
ensuring that continual professional development is evidenced.
- To assist the Manager and ATM in the robust management of resources within the team
by ensuring quality and value for money in service delivery.
- Able to travel throughout the Adoption West area
Able to work outside normal working hours on a planned basis and at short notice.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Specific duties and responsibilities include:
- The assessment of adopters and the matching and placements of children for adoption:
- Undertaking assessments of prospective adopters and presenting assessments to the
Adoption Panel
- Provide support to prospective adopters during and after approval, including through the
LAC reviewing process.
- Contributing to the development and training of adopters.
- Assessment of adoption support needs giving due consideration to the wishes and opinions
of the child and the adoptive family, the nature of the problem that has called for adoption
support:
- To draw up support plan and implement, with the child and adoptive family, an appropriate
action plan to come to terms with or ameliorate the identified problems.
- To convene and chair case specific and other liaison/multiagency meetings as
appropriate.
- All children in need procedures are completed in a timely manner.
- Applications sourced and made to the Adoption Support Fund.
- Providing an efficient home finding service that meets the needs of children needing
adoptive placements within prescribed timescales:
- To provide consultation to Social workers who are placing children for adoption
- To work jointly with social workers to assess appropriate matches for children needing
adoptive placements.
- To support and promote the development of a dedicated adoption team identity and
shared objectives within a changing and developing environment which include:
- To contribute to the timeliness of the Prospective Adopter Reports (PARs), Adoption
Support Assessments and Non Agency Adoptions.
- The team continues to provide and develop the adoption support core offer as outlined in
the adoption passport.
- Looked after children and adoption regulations requirements are completed within timescales.
- Provision of birth records counselling and supporting adopted adults to access birth records.
- Participate in the teams duty rota.
- Model and provide good equalities practice. Value diversity within the team and in
contact with other professionals, children, young people and families.
- Operate within the County policy and regularly updates him/herself with social work
methods, new legislation and procedures, including Children's Act 2004 and Every Child
Matters.
- To secure the effective involvement of parents/carers, children and young people in the
development and evaluation of services.
- Through liaison with other professionals build positive working relationships to ensure
effective joint working practices.
- Acquire and maintain local knowledge including links with and information of statutory
and voluntary groups in order to maximise co-ordination and joint working to improve
outcomes for children.
- To fully engage and prepare for own supervision and appraisal through self-evaluation,
ensuring that continual professional development is evidenced.
- To assist the Manager and ATM in the robust management of resources within the team
by ensuring quality and value for money in service delivery.
- Able to travel throughout the Adoption West area
Able to work outside normal working hours on a planned basis and at short notice.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Professional Social Work qualification.
- HCPC registered.
- Have up-to-date knowledge of relevant legislation and guidance in relation to working with, and the protection of, children and young people.
- Thorough understanding of the needs of children in care.
- Knowledge of Adoption Regulations (England) 2011, Adoption National Minimum Standards and associated guidance.
- Up to date knowledge of key childcare legislation, policies and practices central to the implementation of a professional social work service on behalf of the council.
- Knowledge of Every Child Matters, the five outcomes and shared processes.
- Knowledge and ability to put into practice a range of theories, models and interventions and to assess impact for the service user.
- Knowledge of assessment processes including the contribution provided by other agencies, timescales and their impact on council and Government performance targets and indicators.
- Post qualifying experience of direct work with children, young people and families.
- Experience of working with children in care, their families and foster carers.
- Experience of completing assessments, reports and plans for children identified as vulnerable and in need.
- Proven record of challenging poor performance and evidence of improving performance.
- Ability to give objective timely advice.
- Knowledge and evidence of assessment skills, including engaging with users of services, other professionals and agencies to achieve a holistic assessment.
- Excellent report writing skills.
- Further information is available in the role description.
Desirable
- A post qualifying award in Social Work.
- A Practice Teachers Award.
- Training qualification.
- Experience of delivering training.
- Experience of assessment of Adopters or providing adoption support services.
- Experience of supervision.
- Experience of staff/students supervision or consultation.
- Supervision skills.
- Experience of delivering training.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Professional Social Work qualification.
- HCPC registered.
- Have up-to-date knowledge of relevant legislation and guidance in relation to working with, and the protection of, children and young people.
- Thorough understanding of the needs of children in care.
- Knowledge of Adoption Regulations (England) 2011, Adoption National Minimum Standards and associated guidance.
- Up to date knowledge of key childcare legislation, policies and practices central to the implementation of a professional social work service on behalf of the council.
- Knowledge of Every Child Matters, the five outcomes and shared processes.
- Knowledge and ability to put into practice a range of theories, models and interventions and to assess impact for the service user.
- Knowledge of assessment processes including the contribution provided by other agencies, timescales and their impact on council and Government performance targets and indicators.
- Post qualifying experience of direct work with children, young people and families.
- Experience of working with children in care, their families and foster carers.
- Experience of completing assessments, reports and plans for children identified as vulnerable and in need.
- Proven record of challenging poor performance and evidence of improving performance.
- Ability to give objective timely advice.
- Knowledge and evidence of assessment skills, including engaging with users of services, other professionals and agencies to achieve a holistic assessment.
- Excellent report writing skills.
- Further information is available in the role description.
Desirable
- A post qualifying award in Social Work.
- A Practice Teachers Award.
- Training qualification.
- Experience of delivering training.
- Experience of assessment of Adopters or providing adoption support services.
- Experience of supervision.
- Experience of staff/students supervision or consultation.
- Supervision skills.
- Experience of delivering training.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
