Social Worker – Adoption in Merseyside

Liverpool City Council; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days holiday

Agile working

Local Government Pension Scheme

Training opportunities

Health & Wellbeing programme

Cycle to Work

Salary sacrifice car lease

Family friendly policies

Discounted gym memberships

Employee volunteering scheme

Job summary

Liverpool City Council’s Adoption in Merseyside service is recruiting an Adoption Social Worker (Recruitment & Assessment Team) to join our regional team. The post, based at Edge Hill Customer Resource Centre in Liverpool, covers recruitment, preparation, assessment, matching and support across Merseyside.

You will be a SWE-registered social worker with strong safeguarding knowledge, excellent communication and the ability to build relationships with partners and multi‑agencies.

Qualifications

• Qualified SWE registered social worker with experience in children's services.
• Strong knowledge of safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance.
• Ability to develop and maintain relationships with key partners and multi‑agencies.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; experience in direct work with children and families.

Responsibilities

• Recruitment, preparation, assessment, matching and support for adoption.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key partners and multi‑agencies.
• Provide timely and effective intervention to support children.
• Contribute to ensuring safe, stable homes for children and families.

Skills

Excellent communication

Relationship building

Multi-agency collaboration

Strong safeguarding knowledge

Education

SWE registered social worker

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Edge Hill Customer Resource Centre, 80-82 Wavertree Road,

Job Reference liverpoolcitycouncil/TP/691/2229

Number of Positions:

1

Contract Type:

Permanent Full Time

Grade 7 to 8

Working Hours:

35

Location:

Edge Hill Customer Resource Centre, 80-82 Wavertree Road,

Closing Date:

27/09/2026

Job Category:

Social Work

Region / Division:

Liverpool

Business Unit:

Job Introduction

Job title:Adoption Social Worker (Recruitment & Assessment Team)– Adoption in Merseyside

A bit about us:

Liverpool is home to vibrant, energetic, and engaged communities, people who take real ownership of their local area and are passionate about making our city a better place. We've got ambitious targets to meet and we need people who are driven , dynamic and ready to deliver the very best for our communities . Public service is more important than ever, and this role represents a real opportunity to make a difference to our communities by transforming the way we work and placing our residents at the heart of everything we do.

Working at Liverpool City Council provides an opportunity to contribute to your community and make a positive impact on the lives of residents. Our values shape how we work to deliver public services, and how we communicate with the residents we serve. We care about the best outcomes for local people, through our public services.

We are proud of our world-famous thriving city with its rich culture, as well as affordable housing, good schools, beautiful green spaces – there’s really something for everyone!

Our Practice Model – “Our City, Our Children, Together ” – was chosen by colleagues, parents and carers, children, and young people to reflect our collective commitment to working collaboratively, it is more than just a practice model, it is a shared vision. Every part of this model has been co‑produced with the people who access and deliver our services. It represents our values, our relationships, and our belief that, by working together, we can create the best outcomes for children, young people, and their networks . This is a model we can be proud of and one that truly belongs to all of us.

Join a service that's really making a difference. Liverpool Children's Services is proud to be rated "Good" by Ofsted, with inspectors recognising the positive impact of our work for children, young people and families across the city.

Liverpool City Council Children and Young People's Services has recently undergone its Ofsted ILACS inspection, achieving a positive outcome across all four judgement areas (three judgement areas securing a ‘Good’ outcome), with inspectors praising stronger social work practice, a more stable workforce, and improved outcomes for children, young people and their networks. The Ofsted report specifically highlighted "improvements to Liverpool's social work workforce, with the council moving from relying predominantly on temporary staff to employing a majority permanent workforce. Reduced workloads have enabled practitioners to develop more meaningful relationships with children and families, while social workers told inspectors they felt well supported and appropriately challenged by managers, with morale described as high ."\

Jenny Glennard, Corporate Director of Children and Young People’s Services, said the inspection reflected both the commitment of the workforce and a renewed focus on children and young people's experiences . "I am very proud of our workforce, our schools, and our partners who work tirelessly to support the children of the city . There is always more to do, and we will continue to build on this progress."

This achievement reflects the dedication, passion and expertise of our workforce, and our commitment to delivering high-quality services that help children thrive . If you're looking to build your career in a supportive and ambitious organisation who are striving for excellence, we'd love to hear from you!

A bit about us:

Adoption in Merseyside (AiM) is a regional adoption agency that covers four local authorities – Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley and Wirral. The successful candidate will be seconded into Knowsley as the host authority

Adoption in Merseyside provides a full adoption service and is dedicated to finding loving, stable homes for Merseyside’s children and providing first class support to our adopters.

Adoption in Merseyside’s comprehensive service includes full support from experienced adoption social workers and specialist support workers who deliver a wide range of general advice and information to direct work with children and young people including full adoption assessments, as well as training for parents and group work, including support meetings. This post is within the Recruitment & Assessment Team which has responsibility for recruitment, preparation, assessment, matching and support.

• You will be a qualified, SWE actively registered social worker and experienced within Children’s Social Care as a social worker, preferably within adoption
• You will have a robust understanding of all Children’s Safeguarding legislation, particularly in relation to Adoption, along with strong knowledge of all statutory guidance, regulations, frameworks and processes
• You will need to have the ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with key partners and multi-agencies across Merseyside to achieve the best possible outcomes
• The role will include a strong focus on a relationship approach, so you will need to have excellent communication and interpersonal skills and good experience in direct work, with knowledgeable of innovative ways of implementing intervention techniques and support
• You will be part of a specialist team, you will work to support provision of timely and effective intervention. Your role will be to contribute to every child being able to grow up safely and reach their full potential

Our offer to you:

• At least 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays rising to 32 after 5 years’ service (pro rata if part time) - option to purchase further days
• Agile working (role dependent) - a “Flexibility First” approach to agile working, where flexibility is the norm rather than the exception
• Part of the Local Government Pension Scheme – option to join the AVC Scheme
• Progression -opportunities and training through a wide range of high quality learning
• Health and Wellbeing - offer including Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work and Travel Pass Schemes
• Drive Time –a salary sacrifice car lease scheme
• Family friendly policies with enhanced leave
• Discounted Gym Memberships
• Employee Volunteering Scheme

Next steps:
Closing date: midnight on Sunday 27 September 2026
Shortlisting date: Wednesday 30 September 2026
Interview date: Tuesday 13 October 2026
Interview type: Face to face

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early. Once the role has closed, you will not be able to submit an application, and we are unable to reopen the vacancy for you to complete it. We strongly recommend submitting your application well in advance of the closing date to avoid disappointment.

If you would like any further information or an informal discussion, please contactElaine Jamieson, Recruitment and Assessment Team Manager Adoption in Merseyside – [e-mail]

Liverpool City Council is committed to fostering a workforce representative of the communities we serve . As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we believe in appointing candidates based on their skills, experience, qualifications, and abilities. To support this commitment , we guarantee an interview to candidates from under-represented groups who meet the minimum essential criteria for the role .

If you require any reasonable adjustments in line with the Equality Act 2010, such as an application form in a different format or additional time to complete your application, please contact us at [e-mail] .

Although we advertise on Jobs Go Public, and other websites, your application process will be directed to our Tribepad system. Please note that all communication regarding your application for this post will be sent to the email address that you have registered on Tribepad, including your invite to interview if you are shortlisted. Please check your emails regularly, including Spam/Junk, after the closing dates for notifications. Please ensure you complete your full profile, work and education history in Tribepad.

Eligibility to work in the UK will be verified in the final stages of the selection process. All candidates must either already have a right to work in the UK before commencing employment or meet the Home Office criteria for Visa sponsorship. Candidates who require sponsorship should evaluate the Home Office eligibility criteria for a Skilled Worker visa before applying.