Job responsibilities
About Us
Adopt Thames Valley is looking for an experienced,child-centered therapeutic Social Worker to cover one year's maternity cover in our Matching Hub (part-time 18.5 hours weekly).
This is a great opportunity to be part of a Team which, since it's inception, has built up a strong and influential reputation for best and innovative practice, both within ATV and within the wider adoption community.
Matching Hub is a multi-disciplinary team made up of Therapeutic Social Worker, Education Psychologist and Clinical Psychologist.Matching Hub plays a central role in the matching process for adoptive children, and particularly those children with additional needs and/or who wait the longest to find their adoptive family, promoting trauma and psychologically informed practice to betterunderstand andsupport the needs of these children.
Matching Hub works with colleagues, carers and adoptive parents tounderstand children's immediate and longer-term needs, promoting therapeutic parenting and the early development of secure attachments both in the matching process and prior to, and in the weeks immediately following placement, leading to longer term family stability and best outcomes for children and families.
About the Role
Key aspects of the position:
- To offer a psychological, trauma informed and mental health perspective on the needs of adopted children in the matching process.To bring trauma informed and therapeutic parenting expertise and experience within social care to multi-disciplinary formulations and interventions related to matching.
- To provide psychological assessment and formulation of need.
- Attendance at Marvellous Matching Meetings with Adoption Teams to identify those children who may be bestsupported by Matching Hub.
- Review as part of the MDT new referrals, formulating initialsupport offer.
- To Chair or Co-Chairing Formulation meetings with ATV colleagues, childrens Social Workers, foster carers and other professionals tosupport a therapeutic, trauma and psychologically informedunderstanding of the needs of children with complex backgrounds.
- To provide high quality written reports with clear, SMART,child-focussed formulations and recommendations for professionals and families.
- To offer meetings with adopters prior to placement to consider the therapeutic parenting requirements of children with complex needs or specific issues
- To offer planned check-in meetings with new adopters in the early weeks of placement tosupport and embed therapeutic parenting and to promote the early development of attachment relationships.
- To liaise with a range of colleagues and agencies to ensure best practice in the matching process for adoptive children.
- To work both on-line and face to face contexts.
- To develop and co-ordinate, in collaboration with team members, a contemporary multi-media resource library for parents/carers and other professionals. Resources should support understanding of the breadth of need for adoptive children.
- To offer specialised advice and consultation to Social Workers and other staff in relation to the matching of adoptive children within ATV
- To develop and implement training and learning programme for staff within the organisation, building skills and knowledge within the wider workforce.
- To deliver training to a range of staff with differing levels of qualification and professional background. To ensure all training provided is carried out in line with Equal Opportunities Policies
About you
Are you the right person for the job?
- Are you an experienced, therapeutic Social Worker with strong experience and knowledge of adoption and the adoption process?
- Are youcommitted to ongoing learning and innovative practice which places the needs and voices of children at the heart of good practice?
- Can you workindependently and as part of a team, providing high quality,responsive work?
- Have you got strong communication skills and do you value partnership working?
- Can you contribute to Service development, incorporating up to date research, learning and feedback from children and adopters into day-to-day practice?
Rewards and benefits
As part of our team, youll 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
Ourcommitment 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 peersupport, education and safe spaces for all.
Ourcommitment to:Guaranteed Interview Schemes
As a DisabilityConfident 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 alsocommitted to helping andsupporting those transitioning from HM ArmedForces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.
Ourcommitment to:Safeguarding
Oxfordshire County Council arecommitted to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers toshare thiscommitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.
Ourcommitment to:Flexible Working
We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi-time, part time working, jobsharing, 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
