Social Worker – Adoption Team

Priority Candidates will be considered in the first instance

Leigh Town Hall

Market Stret

Leigh

WN7 1DY

Salary: Grade 9, £39,862 - £45,019 per annum.

37 hours per week

We're on a journey to build a workforce reflective of our Borough.

We are committed to fostering diverse teams where everybody can bring their authentic selves to work and feel that they belong. If you want to work for a Council where everybody is encouraged to meet their full potential and make a difference in our neighbourhoods, we would love to hear from you!

Your role:

You will join a busy and creative team as an adoption childcare social worker and will work alongside Family safeguarding social workers who are responsible for children’s cases in care proceedings. You will have an active role in permanence planning for children and will track those children whose plans may become adoption, beginning family-finding at an early stage and, where adoption plans are confirmed, becoming the allocated caseworker from the point of Placement Order onwards.

You will have responsibility for all family-finding, linking, matching and placement tasks for the child and will need to be creative and inventive in preparing children for the changes that will affect their lives, as well as undertaking the statutory requirements for looked after children. You will support the child and their adoptive family up to the making of an Adoption Order.

You will need to liaise with a variety of adoption agencies, including our own Regional Adoption Agency, to ensure our children have the best opportunity to be matched with the right family. You will also work with children’s families, foster carers, education, health and other agencies to ensure we give Wigan children the best opportunities for permanence.

About you:

You will have 3 years post qualifying experience in Adoption or can evidence relevant adoption experience.

You will display great inter-personal skills with children, families and colleagues.

You will have a knowledge of Adoption and Children Act 2002 as well as Adoption support Regulations 2005

You will be expected to travel to anywhere within the UK to place children for adoption.

You will have knowledge and experience of the UEA model of introductions.

About us:

Wigan Council has been voted ‘Overall Council of the Year’ at the APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) Awards. We are signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment ensuring that your service will be continuous or 'unbroken' between the supporting organisations.

The Progress with Unity plan is a place movement for change for the next decade, bringing a new era for Wigan Borough. It draws on the strengths of our individual organisations, recognising that together we can achieve much more for our communities by delivering on our 2 place missions; create fair opportunities for all children, families, residents and businesses and make our towns and neighbourhoods flourish for those who live and work in them.

Based in Leigh Town Hall, The Adoption Team in Wigan is an established team of social workers who are highly experienced in adoption and family finding work and who are passionately committed to the children we work with. You will be expected to place the child at the centre of everything we do

The Adoption Team work in a hybrid manner, which includes working from the office, from home and visiting children in their foster or adoptive homes.

Supported by the team manager and advanced practitioner, there will be opportunities to develop your practice with regular peer supervision along with access to a wide variety of training opportunities to enhance your knowledge and experience in all areas of social work and focusing primarily on the changing landscape of adoption.

Here at Wigan, we are proud to support flexible working patterns, when the service can accommodate this. We also take a blended approach to where we work, depending on the work we do. This may include working from home, the office, or the community. We like to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment by giving them the opportunity to access a range of exclusive rewards and benefits click here to find out more about working for #TeamWigan.

To be appointed to this role you must be able to prove your right to work in the UK. Please visit the link below to check you qualify to apply. Please note, at present we are not a licenced sponsor. Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Prove your right to work to an employer

For further information, please contact:

Vicky Foster - Team Manager - Vicky.foster@wigan.gov.uk

Joanna Duckworth Current AP - j.duckworth@wigan.gov.uk

Jodie Laing AP J.laing@wigan.gov.uk

Interview date: To Be Confirmed

This position is subject to Enhanced Disclosure Procedures plus child barred list check

The employer is committed to safeguarding