Family Finding Social Worker - Adoption West

This is not a North Somerset Council vacancy therefore please contact Adoption West for further information.

Interview date: Wednesday 18 June 2025

Location:  Hybrid working both office and home based must be prepared to attend meetings in the South West.

This is an exciting opportunity to develop and promote sustainable practices that will ensure that there are increased opportunities to find permanent families for children with disabilities in the South West.  This will involve working with 3 Regional Adoption Agencies and 15 local authorities.

The project is funded by Adoption England and has been extended by a further 12 months, this is an additional post to complement the projects current work.

The aims of the South West Permanence Project are:

To provide the best possible permanency opportunity. Permanence is defined in the statutory guidance that accompanies the Children Act 1989 as providing children with: ‘a sense of security, continuity, commitment and identity … a secure, stable and loving family to support them through childhood and beyond’ (DCSF, 2010). 

To increase aspirations of permanence for children with disabilities throughout the system. With improved and speedier permanency opportunities for children with disabilities. 

Reduce delays for children by diversifying the regional pool of adopters.

Greater placement stability through earlier placement and better understanding of children’s support needs. Earlier attachments, reducing impacts of trauma and loss and improving life outcomes.

Greater placement stability from tailored, informed adoption support packages secured at the point of placement. 

Make adopters more aware of the needs of children waiting and better prepared to meet them.

Main Duties of the Family Finding Social Workers in the project are to:

• Work across 13 local authorities in the South West England.
• To provide the best possible permanency opportunity, considering adoption, special guardianship and long-term fostering opportunities, enhanced family finding models.
• Providing an efficient family finding service that meets the needs of children needing permanent placements within prescribed timescales
• To provide consultation to social workers who are placing children for adoption 
• Alongside established family finding activities the social workers role will include:
  • Developing in-depth understanding of the child, and their support needs. 
  • Working where possible with birth families as well as foster carers and social workers to create a detailed ecomap showing the child’s current and historical networks of support. Projects show ecomaps can need to include between 30-100 identified people before successful permanence options can be identified. These include members of family, social and professional networks. 
  • Locating and contacting people within the network through phone calls, emails, social media, visits etc. to identify those who have an interest in supporting the child. 
  • Discussions to identify who would be able to meet the child’s needs and how permanence would be present for the child within the family, including the development of a support plan. 
  • Refer to adoption team or local authority for full assessment of family as adopters/special guardians or long-term foster carers. 
• Contribute and support social workers in completing assessment of adoption/SGO support needs giving due consideration to the wishes and opinions of the child and the permanent family, the nature of the problem that has called for adoption support:
• To draw up support plan and implement, with the child and family, an appropriate action plan to come to terms with or ameliorate the identified problems.
• To convene and chair case specific and other liaison/multiagency meetings as appropriate.
• To maintain children’s records in accordance with Adoption West policies
• Contribute to the evaluation of the project.
• Contribute to the development and training of adopters.
• Model and provide good equalities practice. Value diversity within the team and in contact with other professionals, children, young people and families.
• Operate within the Adoption West policy and regularly updates him/herself with social work methods, new legislation and procedure.
• To secure the effective involvement of parents/carers, children and young people in the development and evaluation of services.
• Through liaison with other professionals build positive working relationships to ensure effective joint working practices.
• Acquire and maintain local knowledge including links with and information of statutory and voluntary groups in order to maximise co-ordination and joint working to improve outcomes for children.
• To fully engage and prepare for own supervision and appraisal through self-evaluation, ensuring that continual professional development is evidenced.
• To assist the Project Lead and management of Adoption West in the robust management of resources within the team by ensuring quality and value for money in service delivery.

To be considered for the interview you will need:

• Experience of working as a Social Worker with families and children.
• An understanding of early life experiences such as trauma or abuse and the impact they can have on children and young people throughout their lives.
• Experience of supporting children or adults with a disability or complex health need.
• The ability to work with a flexible and innovative approach, adapting practice in response to learning from the project.
• The ability to analyse complex information to make recommendations and informed decisions.
• The ability to work as part of a team, sharing knowledge and managing cases.
• The ability to use your own initiative and work independently.
• Be organised, proactive and comfortable liaising with professional from many different organisations and sectors.
• You will need to be able to travel around the south west region and on occasions outside of the region and so must be able to drive and have access to your own vehicle.

Adoption West:

• Is an organisation with a wealth of experience and has a learning culture, committed to enabling the post holder to grow and develop in their role. 
• Provides support through supervision and training. 
• Offers flexible working arrangements, including job shares.
• Provides a Local Government Pension Scheme and access to the Child Care vouchers scheme.

If you have the experience, skills, knowledge and enthusiasm we are seeking and are looking for a new challenge then we look forward to hearing from you.

Additional Information:

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.

For an informal discussion about this role please contact:

Claire Downes, Project Lead and Social Worker,  Claire.downes@adoptionwest.co.uk or 07936944609 

Adoption West Behaviour Principals and Values:

All candidates applying for Adoption West roles are assessed against the Behaviour Principals and Values during the interviewing process.

Role Description