Social Worker - Adoption

About the role

The salary for this position is £20.97 - £22.40 per hour, plus an annual leave allowance. 

Adoption South East (ASE) is a regional adoption agency that launched on April 1st 2020, providing adoption services on behalf of Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex and Brighton and Hove local authorities. We already have nearly 100 staff working in ASE, but we are searching for Bank Social Workers to join our friendly and supportive Woking team.

ASE operates a 'hub and spoke' model, meaning that whilst some back-office functions operate from Lewes in East Sussex, we have 4 spokes - one in each local authority, delivering services directly to the public. In this instance, the successful applicant would be employed on Surrey County Council terms and conditions, with an administrative base at Quadrant Court in Woking.

The role is that of a sessional or bank Social Worker, meaning that cases are allocated on an adhoc basis, typically when team capacity has been reached. As such, this role may interest somebody looking for occasional or part time work rather than a full time role. Work likely to be offered includes adoption assessments, non-agency (step parent) assessments and adoption support assessments and you should be a confident and experienced adoption practitioner, able to work autonomously but with oversight by managers.

During the Covid19 pandemic our staff have been working from home and we have adapted our services accordingly to maintain services. This has been possible given investment in technology, with a recent roll out of Windows10 devices and adoption of MS Office365. We have learnt a considerable amount about the benefits of working virtually supported by MS Teams and we expect to continue to work in a remote manner as we move through the Covid Recovery Process. 

To be shortlisted for interview your CV and personal statement will clearly evidence:

• That you are a qualified Social Worker, with a minimum of 3 years post qualifying experience
• Registered with Social Work England
• Have a broad knowledge of social work practice and legislation, including safeguarding
• Strong commitment to securing permanency for children through adoption
• Experience of completing adoption assessments within a Local Authority, Regional Adoption Agency or Voluntary Adoption Agency setting
• Use of research and evidence-based practice
• Commitment to inclusive practice
• Ability to work autonomously
• Hold a full UK driving licence
• A satisfactory Enhanced DBS check would also be required as a condition of employment.

To learn more about us, please visit our website. 

At Surrey, our values and behaviours are just as important as our skills and abilities. They shape who we are as an organisation. Find out more about the values we follow.

For more information please find the full job description below and refer to this before submitting your application. We also invite you to read our Life at Surrey handbook to see insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.

Additional information

This is a rolling advert and interviews will therefore be offered on an ongoing basis. 

An Enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

Contact details

For an informal discussion please contact Suzanne Chambers (Service Manager) or Debra Hale (Team Manager) on 01932 794340. 

We look forward to receiving your application. Please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Benefits

From flexible working to job sharing we are committed to providing a healthy work life balance. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit MyBenefits for Surrey County Council staff.

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.