About Us
Adoption South East (ASE) is a regional adoption agency delivering adoption services on behalf of four local authorities (Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex and Brighton and Hove) under a partnership agreement. Although our staff are all employed by the partner local authorities we exist as a separate organisation, with our own ASE management structure. This vacancy is hosted by West Sussex County Council, whose terms and conditions of employment would apply.
As an Adoption Social Worker, you will work for ASE and be at the forefront of Adoption work across the region. You will work in one of our specialist hubs and with parents and professionals to improve outcomes for adopted children. This is a really exciting time to join ASE as we continue to deliver high quality services across our region.
To learn more about us and our work please visit our website: www.adoptionsoutheast.org.uk
ASE works across the combined footprint of the four local authorities, from the London borders in the North all the way down to the South Coast. We place up to 100 children in adoptive families each year as well as supporting families in the early stages, and later during the children’s growing up years, recognising that as well as joy, adopting brings challenges.
For further information about us and about working in Children’s Social Care at West Sussex County Council, please visit Careers in children's social work in West Sussex.
The Opportunity
Salary: £44,844 - £48,193 per annum inclusive of market supplements
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: Full time – 37 hours per week
Location: Hybrid role - Based County Hall North, Horsham
This social work position is in our Adoption Support Hub.
As a social worker in ASE’s Adoption Support Service, you will deliver a broad spectrum of support to parents addressing the unique needs of children who join their family through adoption. This might be through direct work with parents by way of 1-1 sessions on ASE’s Advice Hub, advising parents of services they can access and discussing ASE’s early support offer and training offer. You will also be working with families to make a family plan following an assessment of their family’s adoption support needs. The aim of the services is to work with parents to support them in parenting their children who might have some complex needs. We are ideally looking for someone who has over 3 years post qualifying social work experience and experience working in a similar area of work.
Our team, which consists of Social Workers and Managers employed by all four local authorities, apply hybrid working models, meaning that although you would have an administrative base in Horsham, team members work largely remotely, making best use of technology, but with the option to touch base at any of our offices across the region. Regular team meetings are conducted both online and in person at a central base.
This is an opportunity to join a supportive and committed team of adoption professionals, with the added benefit of development opportunities. If you are a qualified social worker and you share our commitment to children and families, we would be delighted to hear from you.
What you’ll need to succeed
For this role you will be expected to demonstrate relevant advanced theoretical social work concepts, practices and detailed organisational knowledge relating to the provision of a professional social work service dealing with very complex issues e.g. attachment, impact of developmental trauma & child development. You will need a good understanding of adoption, and/or have the transferrable skills to work in the field of Adoption. You will need to be able to produce high quality written work and present confidently in meetings and panels. You will also need to be able to work alongside families, offering support and learning during their adoption journey. There is a regular and intrinsic requirement to communicate in English with members of the public.
Key Skills:
* Able to analyse and interpret complex information and data, prioritise needs and formulate plans for intervention and service provision.
* Able to work proactively as a member of the team to make accurate assessments of needs and negotiate and implement effective outcomes.
* Able to work in partnership with carers, colleagues and external agencies to deliver an effective service.
* Able to communicate clearly and effectively in both written and oral format, including the ability to explain complicated information to a wide range of people and use negotiation and persuasion skills to encourage others to adopt a course of action they may not wish to take.
* Able to recognise limits of own accountability and responsibility and seek appropriate support, advice and supervision.
Qualifications and/or experience:
* A recognised Social Work qualification e.g. Degree in Social Work, Post Graduate Certificate in Social Work, DipSW, CQSW or equivalent as recognised by the relevant professional body.
* Completion of relevant post qualifying training.
* Evidence of at least three years’ experience post qualification. (Desirable)
* Registration with the relevant professional registration body and maintaining registration with that body.
* Knowledge of theoretical social work concepts and practices, with demonstrable examples of dealing with a breadth of complex issues and situations, for example, attachment, impact of developmental trauma and child development, motivational interviewing, relational practice, solution-focussed interventions and systemic working. A good understanding of anti-oppressive, anti-discriminatory and anti-racist practice in social work.
* Experience of effective partnership working and forming effective working relationships with individuals and colleagues, focusing on the needs and handling conflict and disagreement.
* Experience of effectively coaching and supervising others, acting as practice role model and promoting exemplary practice.
* Experience of managing levels of risk within a caseload of complex cases.
* Readiness to work towards Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS) qualification at Stage one or equivalent.
* Valid, full driving licence.
Key responsibilities
Prepare for and work with individuals, families, carers, groups and communities to assess their needs and circumstances, implementing a range of therapeutic interventions to support change. Use professional knowledge to negotiate with and on behalf of people who access the service, promoting most efficient use of resources to produce the appropriate outcome.
Further Information
The reference number for this role is CAFHE05543.
For an informal conversation or further information regarding the role, please contact Toni Davey at toni.davey@westsussex.gov.uk or Jo Elsey at Jo.elsey@eastsussex.gov.uk. For issues or queries regarding your application please contact kerry.joad@westsussex.gov.uk.
To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and cover letter. In your cover letter outline your motivations for applying and explain how you meet the key skills listed in full and the experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to Social Work England registration, an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check. You must be able to travel throughout the county including to locations that are not always accessible by public transport.
Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.
We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.
KJ
Job Reference: CAFHE05543
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