Permanency Planning Manager

This role has a starting salary of £50,942 per annum, based on a 36-hour working week.

We are excited to be hiring a new Permanency Planning Manager to join our fantastic Corporate Parenting Service. The role is currently based in Walton on Thames, but the team is moving to Weybridge. It is a unique opportunity to drive forward permanence planning across the Local Authority. The role is hybrid, combining remote working and meeting with others from your teams online, as well as face to face across the different offices that teams are based in.

We have a real focus on child centred planning and the role combines looking at permanence in a variety of ways, including driving the plans for adoption, as well as supporting with discussions around return home where suitable. It's the ideal role for somebody who enjoys networking and working across different parts of the service.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Hybrid working

About the Team

The Permanence Manager has oversight of the permanence planning for children across two of Surrey's four quadrant areas and works alongside their counterpart for the other quadrants. The role is positioned within the Corporate Parenting teams and is part of the wider Looked After Children's teams. The role supports social workers, Team Managers and the wider system with tracking the permanence need of children in our care.

About the Role

As part of your role as a Permanency Planning Manager you will be working alongside and supporting social workers and managers to ensure that children achieve permanency as quickly as possible within the county. You will use your expertise in the area of Permanency Planning to help social workers to devise and review plans for children that consider all options to prevent delay in achieving their permanency. You will attend meetings such as Permanency Planning and permanency tracking meetings, liaise closely with our colleagues in our regional agency adoption and with our colleagues in health, legal services and fostering.

You will be assisting the agency decision makers and preparing and collating paperwork related to children with care plans of adoption. You will spend time ensuring that child permanency reports are of an excellent standard and you will have a keen eye for detail as you will be responsible for ensuring that there is accurate information regarding all looked after children and those subject to care proceedings and plans for their permanency.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• Relevant professional qualification and registration where required.
• Extensive, sophisticated and up to date working knowledge of relevant national and local policy, statutory guidance and legislation in relation to permanency and adoption, and the provision of Health and Social Care services.
• Ability to communicate effectively in highly charged, complex or challenging situations to a wide range of audiences for different purposes and at different levels, including public speaking.
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a wider service.
• Driving licence and access to a car

Contact us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 20/03/2024 with interviews to follow. We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.