Adoption Team Manager

Hull City Council; Bolsterstone; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 53,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

LGPS pension

Annual leave 23+ days

Job summary

Hull City Council is seeking an experienced Team Manager for the Adoption Service in Hull. The post leads recruitment and assessment of adopters, family finding for children in need of adoption, and post-order support while ensuring high-quality service delivery.

The role involves managing a social work team, driving performance, and ensuring compliance with statutory duties, with collaboration across One Adoption North and Humber regional agencies to improve outcomes for children and families.

Qualifications

• Experience in adoption services and leadership is desirable.
• Ability to lead, develop and motivate a social work team.
• Commitment to safeguarding and high-quality service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Provide duty, assessment and family support services for birth families, adopted children and adopters.
• Lead recruitment and assessment of prospective adopters and family finding for children.
• Chair multi-agency meetings and advise Adoption Panel on matters of permanency.

Job description

Number of Vacancies: 0 Time Type: Full time Worker Type: Regular Proposed Interview Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026 Hours of Work: 37 Hiring Manager: Suzanne Pinder Contact Number: 01482 615717

Job Description Summary:

This is a full time permanent position. We are seeking an experienced and motivated Team Manager to join our Adoption Service. The successful candidate will lead key areas of adoption practice, including the recruitment and assessment of prospective adopters, family finding for children requiring adoption, and the provision of Adoption Agency Advisor responsibilities to both the Local Authority and Adoption Panel. The post holder will also have responsibility for Non-Agency Adoption work. Hull City Council is a partner within One Adoption North and Humber Regional Adoption Agency, a collaborative partnership comprising five local authorities: Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, York, and North-East Lincolnshire. As Team Manager, you will play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality adoption services across the region. You will work closely with the Adoption Support Team Manager in Hull and colleagues across One Adoption North and Humber to promote best practice, drive service development, and ensure positive outcomes for children and families. This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled leader who is passionate about adoption and committed to achieving permanence for children through effective partnership working, innovation, and high-quality service delivery.

If the postholder requires a Standard or Enhanced DBS disclosure the candidate is required to declare full details of everything on their criminal record unless the conviction/s and/or caution/s are considered “protected” in line with filtering rules for DBS checks.

ROLE AND PURPOSE

Manage the adoption and post order service, providing a duty, assessment and family support service to birth families, adopted children, adopters, and those affected by adoption and those children subject to Residence Orders, Special Guardianship Orders and Child Arrangement Orders ensuring high quality provision in line with legislation, national performance indicators and minimum standards

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

1. Strategy – To manage the adoption service, provide a duty, assessment and family support service to birth families, adopted children, adopters, and those affected by adoption ensuring high quality provision in line with legislation, national performance indicators and minimum standards
2. Customer Focus - To promote and safeguard the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and following Hull Safeguarding Board procedures
3. Performance Management - Adoption is a regulated and inspected service therefore the post holder is required to prepare and contribute to the inspection process, and to monitor the performance of the Adoption Team against minimum requirements
4. Leadership - Motivate and lead a social work staff team to ensure casework is effectively managed and that the provision of services meets the minimum standards and requirements set by Central Government. The service functions within legislative requirements
5. Statutory Obligations - Adoption is a regulated and inspected service therefore the post holder is required to prepare and contribute to the inspection process
6. Make budgetary and other decisions in respect of children within the scheme of delegations
7. Chairs multi agency meetings and gives expert advice to colleagues and the Adoption Panel on adoption matters and other permanency orders
8. Makes decisions on a range of adoption and post order support issues within the scheme of delegations
9. Recruit, appoint and supervise staff, including the Adoption Panel members, to ensure that professional standards are maintained and that training and development needs are met in line with departmental policies and objectives
10. Ensure all procedures are followed and there is regular auditing of case files to ensure the quality of work and record keeping. To ensure that assessments are robust and follow guidance issued by the Department of Education NC2000.Adoption and Post Order Team Manager.docx

Compensation Grades: GRADES 11. Pay Ranges: £50,269.00 - £53,460.00 Job Classifications: 3- Not Politically Restricted - Designated As Not Politically Sensitive (Politically Restricted Posts), 5- Enhanced & Childrens Barring List - (Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)), Casual - (Travel Allowance Policy), No - (Childcare Disqualification Requirement), OSP - Other Support Staff (School WorkForce Census), Post Fulfilling Statutory Duty - (Statutory Post)

Benefits of Working of Hull City Council:

• A competitive salary
• An excellent pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Initially 23 days annual leave depending on length of service. You will also get eight public holidays per year, and three additional days off, one in May/August and one during the Christmas/New year period
• Career development and learning experiences from a range of training courses and learning methods
• Supportive and forward-thinking culture
• Great career development opportunities

We are committed to increasing the diversity, equality, and inclusion within our workforce to represent the people we serve and build an environment in which everyone can feel like they belong. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply. We adopt a ‘name blind’ approach to shortlisting. Recruiting managers will not have access to personal information, including your name and contact details, until a shortlisting decision has been made. Equality monitoring information is not accessible by recruiting managers at any stage. We reserve the right to amend the dates associated with this advert, which may include closing the advert early where required. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. Online searches, including social media, may be carried out as part of the recruitment process.

By joining our team you will be making a tangible difference to the lives of people in Hull. Working with people who are as passionate about our place and public services as you are.

https://www.hull.gov.uk/jobs/welcome-hull-city-council/introduction-working-hull-city-council