Social Worker Adoptions - Canterbury

Oranga Tamariki; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 81,000 - 98,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work options

Wellbeing for staff

Opportunities for development

Supportive team

Job summary

Oranga Tamariki – The Ministry for Children is seeking a positive, hardworking social worker for the National Adoption Service in Christchurch. You will assess and support adoption cases, work with birthparents and adoptive families, and contribute to high-quality service delivery in Aotearoa.

We value initiative, strong written and verbal communication, and ongoing learning. The role requires knowledge of adoption policies, and flexibility to work afterhours as needed, with a competitive NZD

Qualifications

• Registered with the Social Work Registration Board and hold a current Practice Certificate.
• Knowledge of and interest in adoption social work in Aotearoa.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Commitment to ongoing learning and service delivery improvements.

Responsibilities

• Supporting adults who have historically placed a child for adoption and those who were adopted.
• Training, educating and assessing adoptive applicants for domestic and international adoptions.
• Assessing applicants who are having a child through a surrogacy arrangement - both domestically and internationally.
• Writing reports to the Court.
• Writing home studies for intercountry adoptions and related documentation.
• Working with birthparents who are exploring adoption and supporting placement in adoptive homes.

Skills

Active listening

Verbal communication

Written communication

Report writing

Critical thinking

Resilience & empathy

Job description

• Permanent - Full-time opportunity
• We're offering a competitive salary starting from $81,206 to $97,557, depending on experience

The National Adoption Service is looking for a positive thinking, hardworking social worker who has passion about adoption social work in Aotearoa. You will have excellent assessment skills, strength with written and verbal communication, and are open to ongoing learning and service delivery improvements. You will be a person who is able to work well on your own and who is a team player. Commitment to your job and showing initiative will come naturally to you.

Mō te tūtūd| About the role

The National Adoption Service is a service unit of Oranga Tamariki—the Ministry for Children. The Adoption Service is focused on putting our clients at the centre of everything we do. We are a supportive team who are committed to ensuring that people involved with our staff have a high-quality service delivered to them at all times.

Adoption Social work has responsibilities to provide services under the Adoption Act 1955, Adult Adoption Act 1985, and Adoption (Inter-country) Act 1997.

The Adoption Service work includes:

• Supporting adults who have historically placed a child for adoption and those who were adopted
• Training, educating and assessing adoptive applicants for domestic and international adoptions
• Assessing applicants who are having a child through a surrogacy arrangement - both domestically and internationally
• Writing reports to the Court
• Writing child study requests and home studies for intercountry adoptions
• Working with birthparents who are exploring adoption
• Supporting the placement of children in adoptive homes

We are looking for candidates that demonstrate the following:

• Registered with the Social Work Registration Board and hold a current Practice Certificate
• Knowledge of and interest in adoption social work in Aotearoa
• Exceptional listening skills and proven ability to quickly build rapport with people from diverse backgrounds
• Strong cultural competency and be a promoter of working with Oranga Tamariki's practice framework
• Critical thinking - you know how to gather information and make good evidence-based decisions
• A high degree of both verbal and written communication skills which includes formal report writing
• Resilient, motivated and caring nature with a positive "can do" attitude
• Enthusiasm for and commitment to continuous learning
• Flexibility to work afterhours as required
• Good computer navigation and typing skills
• A full, valid and clean New Zealand's driver's licence and the ability to travel as required

Nō u te rourou | What's in it for you?

We are a values-based Ministry that offer's flexible work options, a commitment to kaimahi wellbeing, opportunities for development and a supportive team. For a full list of our employment benefits please visit the working with us section of our careers page, or clickhere

This role will offer the right candidate the ability to work with a Service that is committed to professionalism, excellent client service and the ability to find creative solutions to challenges, in a role where no two days are the same. If you are looking for a role where your voice will be listened to, your input valued and a strong client-centred commitment is important in your day-to-day job, then we would like to hear from you.

Oranga Tamariki offer an impartial remuneration package ranging from $81,206 to $97,557 depending on experience and offer progression annually for experience through tenure.

Reference # 42848

Location(s) Christchurch

Expertise Social Work, Care Services, Management, Other, Services for children and families, Youth Justice