Adoption Social Worker

Help children find the security, belonging and lasting family relationships they deserve. As an Adoption Social Worker, you will work with prospective adopters, children and partner professionals to support well-planned, timely adoption journeys and positive outcomes for children who cannot return to their birth families. You will recruit, assess and prepare prospective adopters, contribute to family finding and matching, and provide support to approved adopters and adoptive families. Combining thoughtful assessment with purposeful direct work, you will keep children's needs, identities and experiences at the centre of permanence planning. The post is based at the Civic Centre, with hybrid working arrangements.,

• Recruit, assess and prepare prospective adopters, completing Stage 1 and Stage 2 adoption assessments to agreed standards and timescales.
• Contribute to family finding, linking and matching children with adoptive families, keeping children's individual needs and permanence plans central to decisions.
• Prepare clear, analytical reports and attend and present at Adoption Panel, providing professional advice and evidence to support robust decision-making.
• Provide support to approved adopters and adoptive families, working with colleagues and partners to identify needs and coordinate appropriate post-adoption support.
• Participate in activity days, exchange events and family-finding initiatives, building effective relationships that help children achieve permanence without avoidable delay.
• Maintain accurate records, review plans and outcomes, follow safeguarding procedures and contribute to regional and national adoption performance expectations.
Why Join Us?
• Make a lasting difference to children's lives by helping secure stable, loving adoptive families.
• Work across adopter recruitment, assessment, matching and support, bringing your skills to each stage of the adoption journey.
• Develop your professional practice through supervision, learning and partnership working within our Adoption Service., Any offer of employment will be subject to the successful completion of required pre-employment checks. These may include:
• Right to Work in the UK.
• Proof of address.
• Satisfactory references.
• Occupational Health clearance.
• Evidence of relevant professional qualifications or registrations.
• A DBS check at the appropriate level.
  
  Stoke-on-Trent City Council's diverse and talented workforce is its greatest asset. The skills, knowledge and experience of our employees are essential to delivering our ambitions for the organisation and the city. We want to be an employer people are proud to work for, where staff are supported, developed and rewarded in an inclusive way that helps them excel and deliver the high-quality services our residents need., We are growing and developing our Children and Families workforce as part of an ambitious programme of service transformation. We are looking for talented, committed and values-led professionals to join us., A recognised professional social work qualification and the ability to meet Social Work England registration and re-registration requirements and professional standards.
• Knowledge of children and families social care legislation and guidance, including safeguarding, care planning, fostering and adoption.
• Experience of direct work with children, young people and families, with the ability to build trusted relationships and support people through complex decisions.
• Strong assessment, intervention and case management skills, informed by child development, evidence-based practice and a clear focus on outcomes.
• Excellent communication and report-writing skills, with the confidence to present complex information and work collaboratively with carers, families and partner agencies.
• A reflective, restorative and child-centred approach, with sound professional judgement, strong organisation and a commitment to equality and continuing development.
  
  We are a city of strengths, with a proud heritage and bright future. Working for Stoke-on-Trent City Council is more than just a job; it is about making, protecting and improving services for local people, reducing inequalities and improving independence for those who live and work in the city. That is where you come in. We are looking for people of the highest calibre, with the skills, knowledge and experience to help us deliver our compelling vision., Your career matters here. At Stoke-on-Trent City Council, we are committed to helping our people thrive. From competitive pay and a supportive working environment to opportunities for development and career progression, we invest in our workforce because we know it is our greatest asset. We are building an inclusive organisation that reflects the communities we serve, where everyone is welcomed, valued and encouraged to make a difference., Stoke-on-Trent City Council is a unitary authority employing approximately 4,600 staff who deliver 700 services to more than 260,000 residents. Our city comprises of six towns: Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Stoke and Tunstall. We are a city of strengths, with a proud heritage and bright future. We have undergone significant changes over the last few years. New ways of working have already transformed many service areas and we are determined to continue to develop more innovative approaches to ensure that we can maximise the benefits of transformation.
Our city Although the 13th largest city in the UK, Stoke-on-Trent is rapidly outstripping a number of parts of the country with our economic growth and recovery. Stoke-on-Trent is a city with a strong sense of civic pride - we've been voted the kindest city in the UK - and a place where you'll receive a hugely warm welcome. We have a rich and diverse culture, steeped in our prestigious industrial heritage as the celebrated 'world capital of ceramics'. But we don't just want to celebrate our proud past - we firmly believe that Stoke-on-Trent's best years are ahead of it. We are determined to raise aspirations and match them with high-quality education and health provision, as well as improved opportunities to secure fulfilling and well-paid work. Through uniting social and economic opportunities, we are maximising the full power of the city council as a secure and steadfast institution within the city.


• A permanent role with a salary of £43,149-£46,579 per annum.
• 28 days' annual leave rising to 33 days after five years' continuous service, plus eight public/bank holidays.
• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Opportunities for professional development, learning and management development., When you work for Stoke-on-Trent City Council you'll be helping to improve the lives and wellbeing of our residents. We'll provide you with support, learning opportunities and flexible working options and some amazing benefits including; a competitive salary, generous holidays, an excellent defined local authority benefit pension scheme, annual leave purchase scheme, cycle to work schemes just to name a few. We also have access to lifestyle benefits which offer a wide range of discounts such as family days out, travel, retail and many more.
Our commitment to you Vibrancy and diversity are two of Stoke-on-Trent's greatest assets. A city founded on creative endeavour should value and celebrate the multitude of voices, ideas and identities that shape its culture. We are committed to creating a culture which is truly inclusive, where all staff feel valued, listened to, supported and able to do their work to the best of their abilities at all times. And we must ensure that our decisions and policies nurture and empower communities across our city and do not inadvertently disadvantage groups and individuals that we want to help to thrive. Our approach to Equality and Diversity is an invitation to all our communities to work with and for us so we can continue to improve how we deliver services residents need. Our employee networks are inclusive, open forums for colleagues with similar lived experiences. They allow staff to meet, support and mentor each other, alongside being a voice for under-represented groups to advise and support the organisation when developing policies and services.