Team Leader – Post Adoption and Aftercare

ABOUT US

The Catholic Children’s Society (CCS) has been supporting children and families since 1859. Today we are one of the largest providers of mental health services to schools in London and offer a range of family support services. 

Our legacy includes placing over 6,000 children with adoptive families and we now proudly operate an Ofsted-rated Outstanding Voluntary Adoption Support Agency.  Our ‘Pathways’ service supports individuals who were adopted through CCS or lived in our children’s homes, and their families. We help them access records, explore their past and reconnect with birth relatives, achieving “an exceptional level of user satisfaction” (Ofsted).

OUR VALUES

We work with individuals of all faiths and none. Our work is underpinned by our core values of integrity, compassion, inclusion and partnership.  There is no requirement or expectation that candidates for this role are Catholic. 

ABOUT THE ROLE

This is an exciting opportunity to lead our Post Adoption and Aftercare team and make a real difference to people’s lives. Facing an unknown past can be daunting. You will lead a team of experienced social workers to ensure service users access a high-quality, sensitive and compassionate service.

This is a challenging, varied and deeply rewarding role. You will be responsible for managing referrals, overseeing casework, supervising staff, and ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation and standards. You will also act as the Ofsted Registered Manager for our Voluntary Adoption Support Agency.

This role would suit a dynamic and empathetic individual who is passionate about helping people find out more about their past and achieve a greater understanding of their early life and family background.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for someone with a strong background in adoption or post-adoption work, who is ready to lead a small, dedicated team. The successful candidate will:

•    Be a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England.
•    Have at least five years’ experience of working in the field of adoption and/or post adoption, with a minimum of two years’ experience in post adoption.
•    Have experience of managing a team, including providing supervision to other social workers.
•    Have excellent knowledge of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 and related regulations.
•    Be highly organised, with excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

WHAT YOU WILL GET IN RETURN

•    Salary of £58,000 p.a. (pro rata)
•    The option to work either 35 hours or 28 hour75s per week.
•    Generous annual leave allowance of 30 days p.a. (pro rata) plus bank holidays
•    11% employer pension contribution
•    Access to a staff Health Plan and Employee Assistance Programme
•    The opportunity to wake up each morning and feel you are making a positive difference!

LOCATION

We have a lovely office at 73 St Charles Square, London W10 6EJ (private off-street parking is available for staff). Hybrid working options will be considered, with the expectation that staff attend the office at least two or three days per week.

APPLICATION PROCESS

We are actively interviewing for this role, so please submit your CV and covering letter as soon as possible.

Please ensure you include a concise cover letter that clearly sets out why your skills and experience make you suitable for this role and what motivated you to apply.
 

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

This is an exciting opportunity to lead our Post Adoption and Aftercare Team and make a real difference. Facing an unknown past can be daunting. You will lead a team of experienced social workers, ensuring service users access a high-quality, sensitive and compassionate service.
This is a challenging, varied and deeply rewarding role. It would suit a dynamic individual who is passionate about helping people find out more about their past and achieve a greater understanding of their early life and family background.


DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Be the Ofsted ‘Registered Manager’ of the Voluntary Adoption Support Agency and undertake all relevant duties, including preparation for Ofsted inspections.

2. Have responsibility for the successful delivery of our Post Adoption services provided under Schedule 2 and Section 98 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002.

3. Provide timely access to records to those brought up in CCS’s children’s homes, and their descendants.

4. Manage referrals, allocate cases to team members and maintain and monitor a waiting list as necessary.

5. Deal with enquiries from former child migrants and their descendants who were sent to Australia/Canada, recognising the additional dimensions of this important area of our work.

6. Undertake your own casework, while also delivering outstanding managerial support and supervision to team members.

7. Be responsible for the recruitment, training and management of the team including administrative staff, volunteers and professionally qualified staff.

8. Report directly to the CEO and advise on best practice, ensuring all relevant policies and procedures are up to date and followed.

9. Liaise with, and take appropriate referrals from, other agencies supporting individuals where CCS hold relevant records.

10. Ensure the wellbeing of service users is at the forefront of all we do, including signposting to external support services as required.

11. Embrace a proactive safeguarding approach, recognising the complexities of working with adults who may need care and support and responding appropriately in line with CCS Adult Safeguarding policies and procedures.

12. Build links with other agencies providing a similar service and develop a strong knowledge of where to signpost in cases where we were not the Appropriate Adoption Agency.

13. Develop background information on various former children’s homes to enhance the quality of information that can be provided to individuals, particularly where no case records remain.

14. Maintain the CCS archives, including leading on audits and supporting the digitisation of these records where appropriate.

15. Ensure statistics and casework are recorded appropriately and provide reports for senior managers and trustees on service delivery as required.

16. Ensure processes are in place for effectively recording service user feedback, evaluating this with the team and senior managers to support the continuous improvement of the service.

Note: Fundamental to fulfilling the responsibilities of this post is the ability to respond flexibly and positively to support our organisational goals and business needs. This job description is a guide to the level and range of responsibilities which the post holder will initially be expected to undertake. It is not exhaustive and will be subject to review/change to meet evolving circumstances and demands. It will not form part of the post-holder’s contract of employment.


PERSON SPECIFICATION


Qualifications and Experience:

• A qualification in Social Work and registration with Social Work England
• An appropriate Management qualification (or willingness to enrol on a course within 6 months and complete within 3 years, paid for by CCS)
• At least five years’ experience of working in the field of adoption and/or post adoption, with a minimum of two years’ experience in post adoption.
• Experience of managing a team, including providing supervision to other social workers.

Knowledge and skills:

• Excellent knowledge of the Adoption National Minimum Standards.
• Strong working knowledge of relevant legislation, including the Adoption and Children Act 2002 and the Adoption Support Agencies (England) Regulations.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communications skills.
• Outstanding organisational and administrative skills, with the ability to multi-task and manage competing demands.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Strong IT skills and proficiency in using Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel.
• Respect for our organisational values and the Catholic ethos that underpins the work of CCS (please note there is no requirement or expectation that the post-holder is Catholic).