Job summary
*** WE ARE CURRENTLY UNABLE TO ACCEPT APPLICATIONS DIRECT ON NHS JOBS. IF YOU WISH TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE ROLE PLEASE APPLY ON OUR WEBSITE OR COPY AND PASTE THE LINK BELOW IN TO YOUR BROWSER ***
https://fa-euxi-saasfaukgovprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1001/job/5571/?utm_medium=jobshare/details?sType=NHSJobs#/reference/5571
This is not a Wiltshire Council vacancy therefore please contact Adoption West for further information.
Salary:£26,206.50 - £27,247.50 per annum
Closing date: Monday 22nd September 2025 at Midday
Contract type: Permanent
Hours: Part time 18.5 hours per week, Job Share
Shortlisting date: Monday 22nd September - PM
Interview date: Wednesday 1st October 2025
Location: Flexible. An office base in one of the offices within the Adoption West region (Bristol, Gloucester or Trowbridge) and working from home. However, will be required to travel across the region on occasions i.e. face to face meetings/training.
Main duties of the job
We are currently recruiting a part time Team Manager to join our Adoption Support Service.
Adoption West is a Regional Adoption Agency and registered Voluntary Adoption Agency commissioned by Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Councils. Adoption West provides a range of adoption services including:
- The recruitment and assessment and early support of prospective adopters
- Family finding services for children requiring permanency via adoption
- Post adoption support services
- Services to birth family and adopted adults
This is an exciting time to join Adoption West as we build on the solid foundations already in place and our Good rating from Ofsted. Our service functions operationally across the region, rather than locality based.
As the Team Manager you will lead a regional team responsible for supporting families post adoption order. This will include ongoing development of our support offer across the Adoption West region as well as supervision of deputy team managers and social workers. You will need to monitor service delivery and practice, as well as report on and measure performance against national standards.
You will report to the Service Manager and be supported by Deputy Team managers
About us
This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and will require an Enhanced DBS check before appointment can be confirmed.
Confidentiality: Employees are expected to maintain the required level of confidentiality at all times in relation to their work.
All candidates applying for Adoption West roles are assessed against the Behaviour Principals and Values (available below) during the interviewing process.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Specific duties and responsibilities include:
- Responsible for the quality assurance of the
work of the team which includes regular file audits, signing off assessment
reports, court reports and managing complaints.
- Lead responsibility to ensure that all Adoption
Standards are met.
- Act as the main contact person for the adoption
team in relation to complex adoption matters. Using expert knowledge and
experience to provide information, guidance and be the final decision maker
ensuring the best and most appropriate outcome for service users.
- Manage the overall work of the Adoption Support
teams, allocating cases and delegating agreed case responsibility and staff
supervision to the Deputy Team Managers as appropriate.
- Ensure formal supervision, consultation and
annual appraisal are conducted for all reporting staff. Responsible for
identifying and prioritising their training needs.
- Management responsibility of all case work and
other activities carried out by the staff in the team, e.g. assessments, ASF
applications and therapy reviews, support groups, safeguarding referrals.
- Take strategic and operational lead in
developing the adoption support service and to support the service director in
the production of the adoption service plan.
- Keep up to date with national initiatives,
legislative changes, practice developments and best practice in the adoption
field and identify their implications and, working with all staff across
services, implement the key changes that arise from these.
- Contribute to design and delivery of training to
adopters and professionals.
- Ensure the effective management of the letterbox
service providing indirect contact between adoptive parents, adoptive children
and birth families.
- Develop and promote direct contact arrangements
across the region.
- Identify gaps in adoption support services and
proactively lead on service developments.
- Lead and manage the implementation of new
services and initiatives to continuously improve adoption support services
ensuring best value for money.
- Maintain up to date data on adoption support services
and to provide regular management information reports to the Service Director to
assist in Adoption Wests reporting responsibilities to the Adoption Leadership
Board.
- Secure the effective involvement of
parents/carers, children and young people in the development and evaluation of
adoption services.
- Responsible for the budget management of and
accountable for the adoption support teams staffing and operational budgets,
including responsibility for managing within budget and exercising effective
financial management, to include reduction in external spending. Robust
management of resources by ensuring quality and value for money in service
delivery.
- Ensure that relevant management information is
provided concerning the activity of the adoption support team as required. This
includes performance indicators and targets required for local and national
reports.
- Advise and provide consultancy to childcare teams
and professionals on adoption support issues.
- Write reports for various stakeholders to keep
them abreast of adoption support matters and to present those reports in
person.
- As part of an Adoption Leadership team to
contribute to the management and review of any services commissioned by the
organisation.
- Ensure that complaints and allegations in
adoptive placements are dealt with under Child Protection Procedures and to
liaise directly with LADOs.
- Lead and advise on matters of policy and ensure
adoption policies and procedures are updated regularly to comply with
regulations and cascaded to staff.
- Possible
deputising for other team managers or the service manager in times of absence, i.e.,
leave, sick leave and training.
- Interpret national
adoption regulations, policies and legislation and translate these into
appropriate practice, policy and procedures.
- Responsible for ensuring the highest standards
and quality in all services provided for looked after adopted children in order
to effectively improve their life chances and outcomes.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Specific duties and responsibilities include:
- Responsible for the quality assurance of the
work of the team which includes regular file audits, signing off assessment
reports, court reports and managing complaints.
- Lead responsibility to ensure that all Adoption
Standards are met.
- Act as the main contact person for the adoption
team in relation to complex adoption matters. Using expert knowledge and
experience to provide information, guidance and be the final decision maker
ensuring the best and most appropriate outcome for service users.
- Manage the overall work of the Adoption Support
teams, allocating cases and delegating agreed case responsibility and staff
supervision to the Deputy Team Managers as appropriate.
- Ensure formal supervision, consultation and
annual appraisal are conducted for all reporting staff. Responsible for
identifying and prioritising their training needs.
- Management responsibility of all case work and
other activities carried out by the staff in the team, e.g. assessments, ASF
applications and therapy reviews, support groups, safeguarding referrals.
- Take strategic and operational lead in
developing the adoption support service and to support the service director in
the production of the adoption service plan.
- Keep up to date with national initiatives,
legislative changes, practice developments and best practice in the adoption
field and identify their implications and, working with all staff across
services, implement the key changes that arise from these.
- Contribute to design and delivery of training to
adopters and professionals.
- Ensure the effective management of the letterbox
service providing indirect contact between adoptive parents, adoptive children
and birth families.
- Develop and promote direct contact arrangements
across the region.
- Identify gaps in adoption support services and
proactively lead on service developments.
- Lead and manage the implementation of new
services and initiatives to continuously improve adoption support services
ensuring best value for money.
- Maintain up to date data on adoption support services
and to provide regular management information reports to the Service Director to
assist in Adoption Wests reporting responsibilities to the Adoption Leadership
Board.
- Secure the effective involvement of
parents/carers, children and young people in the development and evaluation of
adoption services.
- Responsible for the budget management of and
accountable for the adoption support teams staffing and operational budgets,
including responsibility for managing within budget and exercising effective
financial management, to include reduction in external spending. Robust
management of resources by ensuring quality and value for money in service
delivery.
- Ensure that relevant management information is
provided concerning the activity of the adoption support team as required. This
includes performance indicators and targets required for local and national
reports.
- Advise and provide consultancy to childcare teams
and professionals on adoption support issues.
- Write reports for various stakeholders to keep
them abreast of adoption support matters and to present those reports in
person.
- As part of an Adoption Leadership team to
contribute to the management and review of any services commissioned by the
organisation.
- Ensure that complaints and allegations in
adoptive placements are dealt with under Child Protection Procedures and to
liaise directly with LADOs.
- Lead and advise on matters of policy and ensure
adoption policies and procedures are updated regularly to comply with
regulations and cascaded to staff.
- Possible
deputising for other team managers or the service manager in times of absence, i.e.,
leave, sick leave and training.
- Interpret national
adoption regulations, policies and legislation and translate these into
appropriate practice, policy and procedures.
- Responsible for ensuring the highest standards
and quality in all services provided for looked after adopted children in order
to effectively improve their life chances and outcomes.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
Desirable
Qualifications
Essential
Desirable
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
Desirable
Qualifications
Essential
Desirable
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
