Social Worker/Care Manager - Qualified
Job Reference:
Salary Range: £40,643 - £45,077 pro‑rata, per annum (actual salary £24,714 - £27,411 per annum) plus Market Supplement of up to £3,000 pro‑rata, per annum
Work Location: Countywide, Hampshire (office base Glen House, Swanwick)
Hours per week: 22.5
Contract Type: Permanent
Closing Date: 24 April 2026
Interview Date: 11 May 2026
The Role:
Are you a Social Worker who is passionate about supporting families? You could help us transform the lives of adopted children and young people.
Adopt South, the partnership Regional Adoption Agency for Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton, has an exciting opportunity for a qualified Social Worker to be part of our Adoption Assessment and Support team.
We offer a holistic approach to helping families and children when they have challenges and need our support.
What you'll do:
Based at Glen House in Swanwick, you will work directly with families to positively transform the lives of adopted children. Your passion, enthusiasm, and collaborative style will play a crucial role in ensuring successful outcomes for our parents and children.
What we’re looking for:
Having extensive experience and strong assessment skills, you will meet with families to complete Suitable To Adopt Report Assessments, deliver robust support plans, and conduct development work and training of prospective adopters.
Your experience and skills will also contribute to our training and workshop objectives, peer‑to‑peer support groups, and family fun events.
This varied role is a fantastic opportunity for a social worker professional with three years' experience, who has empathy and creative thinking. We will support your learning and development, so you will be confident in introducing innovative therapeutic approaches and ideas that support families and our adoptive community.
About Adopt South:
Adopt South is a regional adoption agency, launched in April 2019. The agency is formed through partnership between Hampshire County Council, Isle of Wight Council, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council, with support from voluntary adoption agencies, Adoption UK, Barnardo’s and PACT.
Adopt South fulfils all aspects of its statutory duties as a regional adoption agency, to ensure matching is as quick as it can be, to improve the life chances of adopted children and to improve adopter recruitment and adoption support.
Adopt South’s Adoption Stage 2 Service involves the full assessment of prospective adopters and supporting them as adoptive families after children have been placed with them.
The focus of our work is to assess the suitability of individuals who wish to adopt. We need to ensure they have the abilities and understanding to care for children that have experienced adverse childhood experiences. Should we assess them to become prospective adopters we then support them from when a child is placed with them, through to the Adoption Order. Along the way it is important that we work with prospective adopters to develop and continue their learning. To ensure our services are accessible to adoptive families, this role does include the provision of workshops and events that are held on evenings and weekends and are shared across the team.
Above all, you will be determined to make a difference for both the service and the children and families who need it. You will know what excellent practice looks like and will be able to improve outcomes for children and adopters. Most importantly however, you will have a passion for supporting children and families to ensure that they thrive and flourish.
Hampshire County Council is recognised nationally as one of the highest performing local authorities in the UK. A modern, forward‑looking local authority, it offers a pleasant, supportive, and collaborative working environment.
Hampshire County Council is also a flexible employer interested in making the most of your skills and offers a great work life balance. We invest in you through our internal development programmes and training and offer a competitive salary and benefits package.
This post is subject to a Criminal Records Check. As such, please note that under safer recruitment requirements for Children’s Services, references will be requested prior to interview.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Hampshire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment.
In order to combat discrimination, no unnecessary conditions or requirements will be applied which could have a disproportionately adverse effect on any one group. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership and pregnancy or maternity, unless a Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR) applies.
We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.
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