Social Worker - Adoption Team

Luton Borough Council; Luton; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job description

About The Job

Salary: £37,938 - £40,476 a year plus £5,500 market supplement and £963 essential car user allowance (subject to criteria)
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: Permanent

Join Our Adoption Team as a Social Worker!
Are you passionate about making a life-changing difference in the lives of children and families? Our Adoption Team is seeking an experienced and dedicated Social Worker to support our mission of creating safe, loving, and permanent homes for children.

Key Responsibilities

• Recruit, Assess, and Prepare: Work closely with prospective adoptive parents, conducting interviews, compiling reports, and providing expert advice to assist the Panel in making informed decisions.
• Support Matching and Placement: Help approved adopters find the right match, providing support during introductions, placement, and the adoption process, including court representation and training as needed.
• Permanency Planning Leadership: Play a key role in permanency planning by guiding and supporting child care social workers with decisions and processes related to adoption.

If you're ready to make a difference and want to be part of a supportive, professional, and diverse team, apply today!

Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.

About You
We are looking for a compassionate and experienced professional who is ready to make a lasting difference in the lives of children and families. If you are a qualified social worker with:

• Extensive Experience: Significant post-qualifying experience in the social or health care field.
• Strong Decision-Making Skills: Confidence in making professional judgments in multidisciplinary settings.
• A Solid Understanding of Child Care and Adoption: Including knowledge of child care and adoption legislation, and the lifelong impact adoption has on adopted people, their families, and birth families.
• Expertise in Communication: Familiarity with theories and techniques for effectively communicating with children.
• In-Depth Knowledge of Legislation: Comprehensive understanding of statutory responsibilities and quality standards in Adoption Services.

We do ask that you have DipSW, CQSW, or an equivalent recognised professional qualification.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a collaborative environment, has a passion for child welfare, and wants to be part of a team that creates life-changing outcomes for children and families.

If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you!

About Us
Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.

The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?

Application process
Because of the nature of this job, it will be necessary for the appropriate level of criminal record disclosure to be undertaken. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and convictions; and also any adult cautions (simple or conditional), and spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). A person’s criminal record will not in itself prevent a person from being appointed to this post. Applicants will not be refused posts because of offences which are not relevant to, and do not place them at or make them a risk in, the role for which they are applying. However in the event of the employment being taken up, any failure to disclose such offence, as detailed above, will result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority.

Additional Information
We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:

• From 25 to 32 days’ annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
• Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
• Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
• Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
• Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
• Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
• Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
• Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
• Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
• Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel
• Friday Funday Socials - One Friday every 2 months where we encourage our staff to get together to socialise after work