Personal Advisor - Children's Social Care

Devon County Council; England; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority organization in the UK seeks two dedicated Personal Advisors to support young people aged 16-25 in care or leaving care. The successful candidates will provide high-quality social care, focusing on life chances, safety, and independence skills. Ideal candidates will have relevant experience and a deep understanding of child development issues. This is a fantastic opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the community. Generous leave and flexible working opportunities are offered.

Benefits

Generous annual leave

Free onsite parking

Flexible working opportunities

Employee Assistance services

Local Government Pension Scheme

Retail discounts

Cycle to work scheme

Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice scheme

Qualifications

• Previous experience of working directly with young people.
• Knowledge of applicable legislation including the Children Act (1989).
• A sound understanding of child development issues for children in care.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality social care support to young people.
• Manage and monitor a workload of cases effectively.
• Write timely reports including plans and assessments.

Skills

Experience working with young people

Understanding of child and adolescent development

Excellent interpersonal skills

Negotiation and conflict management

Empathy and understanding

Flexible working hours

Job description

Team: Care Experienced, South & West Devon. Based at Follaton House, Totnes.

We are looking for two Personal Advisors to join our Care Experienced team in providing social care support to 16-25 year olds living in or, leaving care in the South & West Devon locality.

About the Role

We are seeking two dynamic and dedicated people to join our Care Experienced team within the South & West Devon locality as Personal Advisors. The successful candidates must have a natural ability to develop trusting and supportive relationships with young people between the ages of 16-25 years who are living in care or leaving care.

Personal Advisors provide high quality and effective social care support to young people and young adults to promote, support and improve their life chances, safety, accommodation needs, education and employment, finance and independence skills.

You will be required to manage and monitor a workload of cases as directed and organise work activities, taking into account the need to prioritise tasks and responsibilities and ensure that statutory and service responsibilities are undertaken within timescales. You will also be responsible for writing timely reports for young people, including plans, risk assessments and referrals.

About You

• Previous experience of working directly with young people, families and carers, to identify needs alongside experience of implementing service plans on the basis of the assessed needs
• Knowledge of applicable legislation including the Children Act (1989), The Children Leaving Care Act (2000) and the Children and Social Work Act (2017)
• A sound understanding of child and adolescent development and the particular difficulties and disadvantages associated with transition to adulthood for children in care
• The ability to negotiate, challenge and manage conflict whilst exercising individual judgement. It is important that you can be empathetic and understanding, as well as persistent and tenacious.
• A non-judgemental and unbiased approach
• Excellent interpersonal skills for listening and offering practical, honest solutions to support and enable positive changes.
• A flexible approach to working hours. You will need to travel around the county and to other parts of the country when required

This is a fantastic opportunity to expand and further your career in Social Care. If you feel that you have the relevant experience, knowledge and skills necessary to make a real difference, we would love to hear from you.

Please visit our Promise to Children in Care page. It offers a clear and heartfelt insight into who we are and what we stand for as corporate parents, and outlines what our children want from you!

About Us

Devon County Council is committed to supporting and improving the life chances of young people living in and leaving local authority care, in accordance with the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000.

We are committed to assisting Care Leavers to develop their independence and to help them become confident, successful and contributing citizens in their community.

Benefits

• Generous annual leave
• Free onsite parking
• Flexible working opportunities and promotion of a healthy work-life balance, including working from home where possible – Please visit for more information
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee well‑being services
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Discounts at over 900 national & local high street retailers through our benefits platform
• Cycle to work scheme
• Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice scheme

To find out more about this role or to arrange an informal discussion please contact Team Manager for Care Experienced (South & West) Matt Thompson -

Applications close on 31 December 2025 and shortlisted applicants will be contacted to arrange interview dates promptly.

Interviews may take place throughout this advert campaign and if sufficient applications have been received, this advert may close early - therefore apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Internal Applicants: Please use your iTrent Employee Self Service (ESS) details to log in and apply.

Please Note: At this time, we are only accepting applications from candidates who are currently residing in the UK and are unable to consider overseas applications.

Additional Information

• DCC embraces the positive benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to providing an environment that is inclusive and safe. We welcome applications from people who share our commitment to stop discrimination, challenge inequality and promote diversity across Devon. The Council offers flexible working arrangements in terms of when and where people work hybrid working, part‑time, condensed hours etc. More information can be found on our
• We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment
• This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English
• Personal data we collect from you will be processed in accordance with the
• This role requires a DBS disclosure

REQ008964 - Children's Social Care