Family Support Worker

Job Introduction

About Us

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of the continued development of Adopt Thames Valley (ATV) Regional Adoption Agency. ATV launched in December 2017 and is the shared Adoption Service for Bracknell Forest, Oxfordshire, Reading Borough Council (Brighter Futures for Children), The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead (Achieving for Children), Swindon Borough Council, West Berkshire Borough Council and Wokingham Borough Council.

About the Role

Organisation: Adopt Thames Valley (hosted by Oxfordshire County Council)

Team: Adoption Team

Work base: Woodley, Berkshire 

Hours: 22 hours per week

Contract Type: Temporary to cover maternity leave

The team is very friendly and supportive, as well as being hard-working and very committed to adoption work. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in adoption and permanence to further their career and specialism.

Your responsibilities will include: 

• To be a point of contact and provide assistance to social workers with prospective adopters in Stage one of the assessment process. To help with various checks, and weekly tracking of the process.  
• To support and deliver training, and attendance at training and virtual training.
• To support the family finders in the adoption team with organising photographs and videos of children where needed, and in preparing family finding profiles  
• To assist in preparation of profiles of children, liaising with the adoption team children's social workers and foster carers.  
• To help ensure there is timely and efficient exchange of information on behalf of the adoption team, regarding children for whom adoption placements are sought.  To help with monitoring and administration of inter-agency placements.
• With adoption team social workers, to represent the agency at profiling events, exchange days and adoption fun days, as needed.
• Record any contacts on the electronic case record system to the agreed standard and within timescales.    
• To work with the Team Managers, or Information Analyst, regarding collection of family finding and adopters data.  Assist with preparation of reports on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis.   
• To support families after children are placed alongside their Social Worker.

The nature of this post will require flexibility to meet urgent work needs as they arise. This will inevitably entail some work outside normal office hours. The job description therefore is not intended to be exhaustive. The post holder will be expected to adopt a flexible attitude to the duties which may have to be varied after discussion, subject to the needs of the Service and in keeping with the general profile of the post.

About you

We are seeking a passionate and motivated person with experience of working with children and families who is able communicate and collaborate with a wide range of people, in a wide range of situations and build effective working relationships internally and with partner agencies.

The applicant will need to evidence a high standard of education and have good written and verbal skills. They will need to understand the needs of children who require an adoptive placement. The successful applicant also need to have excellent computer skills.
   

Rewards and benefits

As part of our team, you’ll benefit from:

• Vivup benefits platform
• Vivup highfive recognition platform
• Cyclescheme (for eco-conscious commuters)
• Electric vehicle lease scheme
• Discounts at local retailers
• Salary finance options
• Up to 33 days of annual leave (including bank holidays)
• A competitive 19.9% employer pension contribution rate

Our commitment to:
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peer support, education and safe spaces for all.

Our commitment to:
Guaranteed Interview Schemes

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job. We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships. We are also committed to helping and supporting those transitioning from HM Armed Forces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.

Our commitment to:
Safeguarding

Oxfordshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.

Our commitment to:
Flexible Working

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi-time, part time working, job sharing, nine-day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.

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If you encounter any technical issues with the application system, please contact us at: careers@oxfordshire.gov.uk