Senior Practitioner - Birth Relative Support

Job description

Job responsibilities

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 theshared 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.The Regional Adoption Agency is hosted by Oxfordshire County Council and so your contract and work conditions will sit within Oxfordshire County Council.

About the Role

The PermanenceSupport Team is a specialist team providing post-ordersupport to adopters, special guardians, and their children, adults affected by adoption, and to birth families.The post is tosupport birth parents who have experienced loss through adoption.The role will be to provideemotional and practicalsupport to navigate the adoption process for birth parents.This will be the organisation of meetings with adoptive parents, risk assessments,support with contact, runningsupport groups and generalsupport as specific pieces of work arise.

About you

Are you a passionate, qualified Social Worker with experience of adoption ? Are you interested in different ways of working in this field?

We are ideally seeking a Social Worker with at least three years post qualifying experience in adoption and with relevant work settings, such as within Childrens Services or Family Placement, and who has excellent assessment, analytical and report writing skills. This role is to support birth parents and families who have experienced loss and trauma.We require a supportive and compassionate candidate who can demonstrate an understanding of the long-term impact of trauma.

The applicant will need to demonstrate that they have a goodunderstanding of the needs of adoptive families, and that they are keen to develop their knowledge and skills further. The successful applicant also needs to be computer literate.

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 issues with the application system, please contact: Emma Griffin, Emma.Griffin@Oxfordshire.gov.uk

Person Specification

General Requirements

Essential

• Please refer to job description above

Desirable

• Please refer to job description above

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Oxfordshire County Council

Address

Oxford

OX4 1JP

Employer's website

https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)