Your new role
Southend City Council are looking to appoint a part-time (20hrs per week), permanent Adoption Support Co-ordinator as part of the Letterbox Scheme.The main purpose of this role is to assist adopted children exchange information with their birth family, so that they can maintain some form of contact. This will help the children have a sense of their identity, whilst still feeling accepted and part of their new adopted family.The post holder will be required to meet with birth relatives and adopters face to face or virtually, to help improve participation and quality of the Letterbox scheme, as well as support with the initial assessment of suitability for Keeping in Touch (Direct Contact).They will ensure the smooth running of the day-to-day functions of the Letterbox scheme, making sure service users receive appropriate confidential information in a professional and timely manner.There will also be a need to participate in the training of prospective adopters to bring awareness around the benefits of the Letterbox exchange with children, and the benefits this brings to the placement, as well as assisting with the running of support groups for birth families, adoption activity days and the adoption children’s events
Within this position, hybrid working opportunities are available. However, you are required to be on-site at the Civic Centre a minimum of 2 days a week.
What you'll need to succeed
To be successful in this position, you must have knowledge and experience of adoption services. Be able to make reference to Adoption Support Regulations and have awareness of current legislation, such as the Children Act, Every Child Matters and Public Law.You will need to have empathetic interpersonal skills that will enable you to engage service users, including some vulnerable adults (birth relatives) to produce appropriate exchanges for the child.
What you'll get in return
When joining the council, you can enjoy a range of benefits including: 25 days annual leave, flexible working and excellent training and development opportunities. They aremitted to ensuring that you are supported in this varied and challenging role with the appropriate level of training.