Regional Adoption Agency Advisor

Job Introduction

Staffordshire County Council, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council have come together in an innovative and forward-thinking partnership.

Together4Children operates through a hub and spoke model enabling local authorities to benefit from core central functions and networked regional delivery, whilst retaining direct service delivery functions within their own borders. This ensures the partnership reflects the local context, adapted to meet the needs of local children and families, and maintains clear links to local Children & Families Services.

The Together4Children partnership provides the Regional Adoption Agency for the partner Local Authorities. By working together, we aim to:

• make best use of our collective resources to recruit, assess and support prospective adopters and foster carers across the region.
• improve the quality and speed of matching for children through better planning and by having a wider choice of families.
• provide high quality support to children and their families delivered through a combination of direct provision and effective partnerships.
• provide all children and their families with the right support at the right time through a consistent permanency support offer available across the region.
• respond to the regulatory requirements in respect of Adoption (including Non-Agency Adoptions and Intercountry Adoption).

Main Responsibility

You will:

• act as the designated Adoption Agency Adviser for a designated Regional Adoption Panel.
• provide expert Adoption Agency advice to agency decision-makers in relation to children with a potential plan of adoption.
• quality assure Child’s Permanence Reports to ensure legal and regulatory compliance.
• provide support and constructive challenge in relation to adoption practice to Social Workers, Team Managers, Senior Managers, Agency Decision-Makers (ADM's) and  other key stakeholders across Together4Children Partner Local Authorities.

The Ideal Candidate

You'll have:

• a comprehensive working knowledge of the Children Act (1989), Adoption and Children Act (2002), National Minimum Standards (2003), Adoption Agencies Regulations (2005), Statutory Guidance on Adoption (2013), Care Planning and Placement Review Regulations 2010 and their relevance for Adoption Panel practice.
• post qualifying experience in children’s social care (5+ years) including experience of adoption practice.
• experience of undertaking a Management/Senior Practitioner/Senior Social Worker role within children’s social care.
• experience of undertaking assessments of children with a plan for adoption.
• experience of arranging and coordinating activities such as adoption panels. 
• experience of direct supervision of staff or students.
• extensive knowledge and understanding of appropriate other relevant legislation, regulations and guidance which informs care planning for Looked After Children.

For further information about this role please contact amy.baddeley@staffordshire.gov.uk

About Staffordshire County Council

We are no ordinary county council:

Our Values:

The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively.

Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy:

We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future.

We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too. 

Our benefits:

We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance. 

In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire

Our recruitment process:

As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post. 

As you’ll know safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and young people/vulnerable adults is important to us and that’s why this position is subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. If applicable you should disclose details of unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions in your application form.