Job summary
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This is not a Wiltshire Council vacancy therefore please contact Adoption West for further information.
Salary:£46,946 - £49,067 (inclusive of a 5% market supplement agreed until the end of March 2026)
Hours:37 per week
Contract: This post will be covering maternity leave and a secondment. The post will be for up to 1 year. The postholder will manage staff in both the Gloucester and Trowbridge offices.Job share applications will be considered.
Closing date:Thursday 26 June 2025 at midday
Interview date:Friday 4 July 2025
Location:An office base in one of the offices within the Adoption West region (Bristol, Gloucester or Trowbridge) and working from home.
Main duties of the job
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.
About us
Adoption Support Deputy Team manager
Main duties
- Responsible for supervising Adoption Support social workers in assessing the support needs of adoptive families.
- Contributing to developing and improving the Adoption Support services across the region.
- Deputising in the absence of the Team manager.
You will need:
- A Social Work Qualification (degree or equivalent) and current registration with Social Work England.
- At least two years experience relevant to adoption within the past five years.
- In-depth knowledge and experience of childcare law and practice.
- The ability to analyse complex information to make recommendations and informed decisions.
- 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.
Additional Information:
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
- Supervision and appraisal of designated staff as agreed with the manager ensuring that this is in
accordance with the supervision and appraisal policy. To ensure supervisees work within the relevant
legislation, guidance and departmental procedures.
- Set and monitor standards and performance in line with Departmental internal and external indicators
with supervisees
- Maintain up to date knowledge of all cases and projects held be supervisees. Undertake regular file
audits in accordance with Departmental policy.
- Responsibility to ensure that the team works within legislation and the relevant protocols for
information sharing and retention of records guided by the best interest of children and young people
and based on consensual model.
- To ensure the effective operation of a duty system to respond in a timely effective manner to all
enquires the service manages including enquiries to become an adopter, requests for adoption and
special guardian support, schedule 2 work and non agency adoptions.
- Prioritising enquiries in accordance with identified need and allocate work; make judgments in respect
of intervention, assessments and child protection and closure of cases.
- Operate within the Departmental policy and procedures. To keep up to date with national initiatives,
legislative changes, practice developments and best practice in the adoption field and identifying their
implications, working with all staff across services to implement the key changes that arise from these.
- Assist the team manager to implement and monitor the effectiveness of the adoption team
development plan and recruitment strategy.
- To have responsibility delegated by the team manager for the delivery of performance indicators in line
with set targets and Departmental expectations which may include:
- Timeliness of adoption enquiries, assessments and assessments for adoption support.
- Timeliness in home-finding for children being placed for adoption
- Increasing the number of adoptive placements
- To secure the effective involvement of prospective adopters parents/carers, children and young people
in the development and evaluation of adoption services.
- Model and provide good equalities practice and value diversity within the team and in contact with
other professionals, children, young people and families. Ensuring that the adoption service canrespond to and reflect the diversity of service users.
- To ensure the effective assessment and management of risk in safeguarding children and young
people through a robust adoption assessment and adoption support process.
- To ensure that complaints and allegations are dealt with in accordance with departmental procedures
- To assist the Manager in the robust management of resources within the Team by ensuring quality and
value for money in service delivery.
- Able to travel throughout Wiltshire and beyond as required to carry out the duties of the post
Specific requirements for this post
- 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
- Supervision and appraisal of designated staff as agreed with the manager ensuring that this is in
accordance with the supervision and appraisal policy. To ensure supervisees work within the relevant
legislation, guidance and departmental procedures.
- Set and monitor standards and performance in line with Departmental internal and external indicators
with supervisees
- Maintain up to date knowledge of all cases and projects held be supervisees. Undertake regular file
audits in accordance with Departmental policy.
- Responsibility to ensure that the team works within legislation and the relevant protocols for
information sharing and retention of records guided by the best interest of children and young people
and based on consensual model.
- To ensure the effective operation of a duty system to respond in a timely effective manner to all
enquires the service manages including enquiries to become an adopter, requests for adoption and
special guardian support, schedule 2 work and non agency adoptions.
- Prioritising enquiries in accordance with identified need and allocate work; make judgments in respect
of intervention, assessments and child protection and closure of cases.
- Operate within the Departmental policy and procedures. To keep up to date with national initiatives,
legislative changes, practice developments and best practice in the adoption field and identifying their
implications, working with all staff across services to implement the key changes that arise from these.
- Assist the team manager to implement and monitor the effectiveness of the adoption team
development plan and recruitment strategy.
- To have responsibility delegated by the team manager for the delivery of performance indicators in line
with set targets and Departmental expectations which may include:
- Timeliness of adoption enquiries, assessments and assessments for adoption support.
- Timeliness in home-finding for children being placed for adoption
- Increasing the number of adoptive placements
- To secure the effective involvement of prospective adopters parents/carers, children and young people
in the development and evaluation of adoption services.
- Model and provide good equalities practice and value diversity within the team and in contact with
other professionals, children, young people and families. Ensuring that the adoption service canrespond to and reflect the diversity of service users.
- To ensure the effective assessment and management of risk in safeguarding children and young
people through a robust adoption assessment and adoption support process.
- To ensure that complaints and allegations are dealt with in accordance with departmental procedures
- To assist the Manager in the robust management of resources within the Team by ensuring quality and
value for money in service delivery.
- Able to travel throughout Wiltshire and beyond as required to carry out the duties of the post
Specific requirements for this post
- 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
Desirable
Qualifications
Essential
Desirable
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
Desirable
Qualifications
Essential
Desirable
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
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).
