Assistant Team Manager – Adoption

Social Care Today; Knaresborough; On-site; GBP 49,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

North Yorkshire Council's Adoption Team invites an experienced manager to lead and inspire a team of social workers and support workers, ensuring high-quality practice and excellent outcomes for children and families. You will oversee delivery of adoption services, coordinate with the Adoption Panel and ADM, and contribute to service development as the council plans 2027 changes.

A valid driving licence is required.

Qualifications

• Experience leading adoption social workers and support staff.
• Strong leadership and strategic planning skills.
• Knowledge of adoption best practices and policy context.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage Adoption Social Workers and Support Workers to ensure high-quality service delivery.
• Provide agency advice to the Adoption Panel and Agency Decision Maker (ADM).
• Represent the service in planning and implementing Children and Young People's Services initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Strategic planning

Job description

About The Service

You will have a significant role within the North Yorkshire Council Adoption Team (which is part of One Adoption North and Humber) delivering management duties and supervising frontline staff made up of social workers and support workers. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a leadership team within the adoption service and if you are passionate about inspiring staff, supporting best practice and achieving the best outcomes for our children and families, then this could be the job for you!

About The Role

You will have a good understanding of adoption and best practice within this field of work, combined with strong leadership skills. Adoption is a diverse area of practice within social work and every day brings new challenges and rewards. We are pleased to be offering this exciting opportunity to join our established and supportive team and to become an influential part of our highly regarded, high performing adoption service. Here at North Yorkshire Council, we are extremely proud of the work our Children’s Services do. One of the primary aspects of the role is to inspire, lead and manage Adoption Social Workers and Support Workers, to ensure the effective and consistent delivery of our adoption service to children and adoptive parents in accordance with the relevant policies, procedures and regulations. This is a diverse role which also includes providing agency advice to the adoption panel and to the Agency Decision Maker (ADM) in the context of plans of adoption for children. It is an exciting time in Children and Young Peoples Services in North Yorkshire as we plan our approach in respect of the Families First Partnership Programme and how we will be responding to the social care reforms. Work is underway to plan our approach and implementations for 2027. As a result of this, some realignment may happen with job roles in the future, we want to be transparent about this in respect of this role.

Contact

If you are a highly motivated leader with a ‘can do’ attitude and have a passion to achieve the best outcomes for children, then we would love to hear from you. For an informal discussion about this role please contact [e-mail], Adoption Service Manager.

Please note, for this role you must have a valid Driving Licence.

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Key Dates

Closing Date: 4th October 2026

Shortlisting: 5th October 2026

Interview Date: 14th October 2026

Company

North Yorkshire Council

Salary

From £48,738 - £53,051

Location

Knaresborough, North Yorkshire

Sector

Health and Social Care

Adoption & Fostering

Healthcare Management

Job Role

Manager