Adoption Social Worker

Islington Council; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority is seeking a qualified and experienced Social Worker for its Adoption Support team in London. The role involves providing essential support to adoptive families and individuals, facilitating therapeutic sessions, and conducting assessments. Candidates must have at least 2 years of relevant experience and an understanding of the challenges in adoption processes. The position offers a hybrid work model, competitive pay, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion within the workplace.

Benefits

Up to 31 days leave per year

Flexible working arrangements

Learning and development opportunities

Competitive pay and London Living Wage

Local government pension scheme

Cycle to Work scheme

Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years of experience in front-line children's social work.
• Experience with children with permanency plans.
• Ability to manage complex cases and written assessments.

Responsibilities

• Support adoptive families, adults, and birth families.
• Arrange therapeutic support for families.
• Help maintain contact between birth and adoptive families.

Skills

Empathy

Communication

Assessment

Advocacy

Education

Qualified Social Worker, registered with Social Work England

Job description

About The Role

Adopt London North is the Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) for 6 North London boroughs - Haringey, Enfield, Camden, Hackney, Barnet, and Islington (our host borough). On behalf of our boroughs, we provide all adoption services which include:

• Providing support to adoptive families, adopted adults and birth parents (Adoption Support team)
• Recruiting, assessing and supporting prospective adoptive parents (Recruitment and Assessment team)
• Family finding and transition planning for children with an adoption plan (Family Finding team).

Adopt London North (ALN) is a group of around 40 friendly and supportive staff, based in our dedicated office space in the Laycock Centre, N1 1TH (just 2 minutes’ walk from Highbury & Islington station). Our staff group is very stable, and you will benefit from working in a team of experienced and specialist adoption social workers.

Adopt London North is part of a wider partnership called Adopt London that covers 24 London boroughs and over 160 staff. We work together to develop and share best practice, and to connect people impacted by adoption across London. We have exciting, shared projects in place to develop our practice across early permanency, matching practice, models of adoption support, and our ‘Black Adoption Project’ which is committed to reducing disparities for Black children in adoption by addressing systemic and cultural barriers throughout the system.

You can find out more about Adopt London here: https://adoptlondon.org.uk/ and about the Black Adoption Project here: https://adoptlondon.org.uk/want-to-adopt/our-children/black-adoption-project/

The role

We are looking to recruit a Social Worker to our Adoption Support team.

The Adoption Support team runs a busy service supporting adoptive families, adopted adults, and birth families. Work includes arranging therapeutic support under the Adoption & Special Guardianship Support Fund, case working with families who need advice, support and advocacy, accessing and sharing adoption records with adopted adults, and helping birth families and adoptive families remain in contact. The team also provides support through groups run for a range of clients including adopted children, adopted adults and parents of adopted teenagers.

We give the opportunity for staff to express an interest in moving to a different team within Adopt London North as spaces in the service become available, to ensure you are provided with a broad range of opportunities to develop your knowledge and expertise.

Working Arrangements

We have a flexible hybrid working style. You will be required to work from the office several times a week and will also undertake meetings with clients in the office and in their homes, but you will have flexibility to choose whether you prefer to be home or office-based on other days. We have regular training and development days, and there are opportunities to specialise your skills through delivering training and workshops, facilitating group work, and taking part in practice development projects.

About You

To be considered for this role you will need to demonstrate (in both your application and your interview):

• You are a qualified and experienced Social Worker, registered with Social Work England.
• You have at least 2 years’ experience of working in front-line children’s social work teams, including some experience of working with children with permanency plans.
• You have an understanding of both the benefits and the challenges that different permanency arrangements, including adoption, can bring to a child.
• You are committed to providing support to families and adopted people, and have empathy for the challenges they may face.
• You have experience of undertaking complex written assessments, and making recommendations to the court and / or decision‑making panels.

Our commitment to supporting the diversity of our workforce

We are committed to ensuring that our communities are represented across our workforce at all levels. We are taking concerted, meaningful and intentional action to create an inclusive culture because we believe this is at the heart of enabling diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking, to thrive in our organisation. We are aware of systemic oppression and its impact on individuals and communities in terms of unequal access to services and opportunities. As such, we are taking positive action to challenge all forms of discrimination and injustice. As part of our ‘Black Adoption Project’, we provide confidential, therapeutically supported Safer Spaces sessions on a monthly basis to Black staff.

We welcome questions and requests for discussion about the roles available. Please email Teresa Stratford, Service Manager ([e-mail]) to arrange a time to speak.

Working for the team, service and our organisation

Islington is a place rich with diversity and culture. As a council our sense of purpose couldn’t be clearer: we serve. It’s in the logo. We are committed to challenging inequality in the borough and as one of the largest employers we know that to look after the place and the planet we have to look after our people. Together we can change the future.

We are determined to create a more equal Islington, where everyone who lives here has an equal chance to thrive.

To do this, everyone who works at Islington Council lives by a set of values which guide us in everything that we do: collaborative, ambitious, resourceful, and empowering. They spell out ‘CARE’, which is what we think public service is all about.

Our offer to you

We are committed to challenging inequality in the borough and as one of the largest employers we know that to look after the place and the planet we have to look after our people.

• Up to 31 days leave per year, increasing to 36 days after five years of local government service
• A range of flexible working arrangements to maintain a healthy work‑life balance, as well as a 35‑hour working week
• Learning and development opportunities to maximise your potential
• Competitive pay and a commitment to paying all staff the London Living Wage at minimum
• Excellent local government pension scheme
• Cycle to Work scheme and discounted gym memberships
• Local discounts from restaurants, shops, health and beauty therapists, and more!

Please note

Priority will be given to those at risk of redundancy within Islington Council. Current employees who are part of the redeployment pool must meet the essential criteria for shortlisting to be prioritised.

Workforce Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

We are dedicated to creating an inclusive and equitable workforce, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

Our workforce strategy places equality, equity, diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything we do, reaffirming our commitment to fostering a culture of inclusion. We strive to create an environment where all colleagues feel they belong and can safely express their thoughts, ideas, and challenges, without fear of judgement or discrimination.

We maintain a zero‑tolerance approach to any unlawful discrimination, harassment, or victimisation on the grounds of any protected characteristics under the 2010 Equality Act, including, but not limited to, race, disability, sexual orientation, sex, religion and belief, age, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy, and maternity. Any incidents of discrimination will be promptly investigated and addressed in line with our HR policies to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all colleagues.

We use data to identify and address disparities, ensuring that our policies and practices are transparent and impactful in promoting a diverse representation of backgrounds and perspectives at all levels of the organisation. We look at inequality through an intersectional lens, recognising that different aspects of someone’s identity can combine to create unique experiences of discrimination and disadvantage.

We know that advancing diversity and inclusion is a continuous journey, and we must listen to our colleagues and learn where we can further improve. We work closely with our Colleague Forums and Trade Unions, supported by active allies from our Corporate Management Team, to monitor and evaluate our practices, identify barriers, and empower colleagues to promote equality and inclusion in the workplace.

Every one of us has a role to play in making Islington Council a truly inclusive workplace. By living out our CARE (collaborative, ambitious, resourceful and empowering) values every day and embedding the principles of equality, equity, diversity and inclusion in our work, we can all actively contribute to empowering people and creating a more equal Islington.

Pre‑Employment Checks

Any offer of employment will be subject to the successful completion of required pre‑employment checks. These may include:

• Proof of address
• Evidence of any name changes (if applicable)
• Right to work in the UK
• Overseas criminal record check (if applicable)
• Satisfactory references
• Occupational Health clearance
• Evidence of professional qualifications or registrations
• DBS check at the appropriate level (if applicable)

Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expects all staff, and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts are subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

The post is subject to

an enhanced DBS check with children barred list, Social Work England/HCPC registration, qualifications check and 3/5 years referencing.

Disability Confident Scheme

Islington Council operates a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria and we are committed to providing support to applicants who request reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process and throughout their career with us.