Senior Social Worker - Adoption

Southampton City Council; Southampton; On-site; GBP 49,000 - 53,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Local government pension

25–31 days holiday

Flexible working options

Training and development

Health and wellbeing support

Armed Forces Covenant

Staff discounts

Volunteer days

Job summary

Southampton City Council is seeking an experienced Child’s Adoption Social Worker to join the Adoption Team in a specialist permanence role, guiding children through care proceedings, placement and family finding with a focus on their wishes and identity.

You will have a recognised social work qualification, current Social Work England registration and at least three years of post-qualifying experience in statutory children and families social work, including work with trauma and transitions.

Qualifications

• Recognised social work qualification and current Social Work England registration.
• Minimum three years' post-qualifying experience in statutory children and families social work.
• Experience with trauma, development and transitions in children’s lives.
• Ability to prepare high-quality reports for formal decision-making.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a multi-agency network.

Responsibilities

• Contributing specialist adoption knowledge during care proceedings and permanence planning.
• Supporting Child Permanence Report and Agency Decision Maker processes.
• Undertaking statutory case responsibility following the granting of a Placement Order.
• Family finding and contributing to matching decisions.
• Direct work and preparation with children.
• Supporting children, foster carers and adopters through introductions and placement.
• Completing statutory visits, assessments, reviews and case management.
• Identifying emerging risks and helping to put support in place to promote placement stability.
• Completing life journey work, life-story books and later-life letters.
• Contributing to keeping-in-touch arrangements; and
• Working closely with birth families, foster carers, adopters and the wider professional network.

Skills

Assessment skills

Analytical skills

Report writing

Collaboration

Education

Social work qualification

Registration with Social Work England

Job description

Social Worker – Adoption

Could you help a child understand their past, prepare for their future and experience the security of a permanent family?

We are looking for an experienced and child-focused Social Worker to join our Adoption Team in the role of Child’s Adoption Social Worker.

This is an opportunity to undertake a specialist role supporting children throughout their adoption and permanence journey, from involvement during care proceedings and permanence planning through to family finding, matching, introductions, placement and the granting of an Adoption Order. Your involvement will also support children beyond the Adoption Order through high-quality life-story and identity work.

About the role

As a Child’s Adoption Social Worker, you will build meaningful relationships with children and help them make sense of their experiences, understand the plans being made for them and prepare for significant changes in their lives.

You will undertake direct work with children, ensuring their wishes, feelings, identity, important relationships and individual needs remain at the heart of planning and decision-making. You will support children through the emotional impact of separation, goodbyes and transitions, recognising the impact that trauma, abuse, neglect, loss and separation can have on a child's development and relationships.

Responsibilities

• contributing specialist adoption knowledge during care proceedings and permanence planning;
• supporting Child Permanence Report and Agency Decision Maker processes;
• undertaking statutory case responsibility following the granting of a Placement Order;
• family finding and contributing to matching decisions;
• direct work and preparation with children;
• supporting children, foster carers and adopters through introductions and placement;
• completing statutory visits, assessments, reviews and case management;
• identifying emerging risks and helping to put support in place to promote placement stability;
• completing life journey work, life-story books and later-life letters;
• contributing to keeping-in-touch arrangements; and
• working closely with birth families, foster carers, adopters and the wider professional network.

About you

You will be an experienced statutory children's social worker who is passionate about achieving positive and lasting outcomes for children.

You will need:

• a recognised social work qualification and current registration with Social Work England;
• a minimum of three years' post-qualifying experience in statutory children and families social work;
• strong assessment and analytical skills;
• experience of developing and progressing plans for children and families;
• experience of working with children who have experienced trauma, abuse, neglect, separation or loss;
• an understanding of child development and the impact of children's early experiences;
• knowledge and understanding of adoption, permanence planning, family finding, matching and transitions;
• the ability to prepare high-quality reports for formal decision-making; and
• the ability to work collaboratively and effectively within a multi‑agency network.

Why this role?

Adoption social work offers the opportunity to combine high-quality statutory social work with relationship-based and direct work with children.

You will have an important role in ensuring that each child's history, identity, experiences, strengths, relationships and needs are properly understood and reflected throughout permanence planning, family finding, matching and their move to an adoptive family.

We are looking for someone who

Is child-focused, reflective and professionally curious. You will be able to respectfully challenge assumptions, work collaboratively with others and use supervision constructively. You will take responsibility for the quality of your work while keeping the child's needs and experiences central to decision-making.

If you are an experienced children's social worker looking for an opportunity to develop specialist permanence and adoption practice, while continuing to work directly with children and make a lasting difference to their lives, we would welcome your application.

Practical requirements

The role requires an Enhanced DBS check and is designated as a contractual car user.

What we can offer you:

Salary: The salary band for this role is £48,738 - £53,052 per annum. The starting salary is £48,738 with annual progression through the salary bands.

Here at SCC we have a range of different benefits, a few examples can be found below.

• Excellent local government pension with 15.2% employer contribution
• Generous holiday 25–31 days, based on role and service
• Flexible working options (role-dependent)
• Family-friendly policies - Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared/Unpaid Parental Leave, Time off for Dependents
• Training and development, including coaching and mentoring
• Health and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme, Menopause Pledge, Mental Health First Aiders and access to a variety of staff networks
• Veteran-friendly employer with the Armed Forces Covenant
• Retail discounts and savings through the Southampton City Council benefits platform
• Discounted memberships at local sports and fitness centres
• Sustainable travel benefits - low emission car scheme, cycle to work, season ticket loans
• Death in service benefit of x3 salary, and optional salary sacrifice shared cost AVC (additional voluntary contribution)
• Employee volunteering scheme with 2 paid days leave to volunteer

For further information on our benefits package please visit: Employee benefits (southampton.gov.uk)