Social Worker

Job Description

The salary for this position is £18.85 - £20.91 per hour, plus annual leave allowance. Adoption South East (ASE) is a regional adoption agency which launched on April 1st 2020, when we assumed responsibility for delivering adoption services on behalf of4 local authorities (Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex and Brighton and Hove) under a partnership agreement.We already have nearly 100 staff working in ASE, including Social Workers, Managers, Support Workers and dedicated business support staff, but now weare searching for Bank Social Workers to join our friendly and supportive Woking team, to undertake stage 2 adoption assessments and Adoption support needs assessments.ASE operates a hub and spoke model, meaning that whilst our Head of Service and some back-officefunctions operate from Lewes in East Sussex, we also have 4 spokes or offices, one in each local authority delivering services directly to the public. Our staff are all employed by one of the partner authorities under local terms and conditions, and in thisinstance, the successful applicant would be employed on Surrey County Council terms and conditions, with an administrative base at Quadrant Court in Woking.During the Covid19 pandemic our staff have been working from home, and we have adapted our servicesaccordingly to maintain services. This has been possible given investment in technology, with a recent roll out of Windows10 devices and adoption of MS Office365. Although we hope to resume working from our Woking offices when conditions allow this to happensafely, we have learnt a considerable amount about the benefits of working virtually supported by MS Teams and we expect to continue to work in an agile manner as we move through the Roadmap. Social Workers in the team undertake stage 2 adoption assessments,alongside other adoption tasks e.g. running training sessions and information events for prospective adopters, providing family finding for children with adoption plans and undertaking adoption support assessments and planning. We also work closely with localauthority Childrens Teams and other partner agencies such as specialist CAMHS and independent providers to secure best outcomes for adoptive families.To be shortlisted for interview your CV and personal statement will clearly evidence: That you are a qualifiedSocial Worker, with a minimum of 3 years post qualifying experience Registered with Social Work England Have a broad knowledge of social work practice and legislation, including safeguarding Strong commitment to securing permanency for children through adoptionExperience of completing adoption assessments within a Local Authority, Regional Adoption Agency or Voluntary Adoption Agency setting Use of research and evidence-based practice Commitment to inclusive practice Ability to work autonomously Hold a full UK drivinglicence A satisfactory Enhanced DBS check would also be required as a condition of employment.To learn more about us, please visit our website. At Surrey, our values and behaviours are just as important as our skills and abilities. They shape who we are asan organisation. Find out more about the values we follow.For more information please find the full job description below and refer to this before submitting your application. We also invite you to read our Life at Surrey handbook to see insights of the cultureat Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.Job AdvertAdditional InformationThis is a rolling advert and interviews will therefore be offered on an ongoing basis. Please note that owing to social distancing requirements, interviewsare likely to be conducted virtually. An Enhanced DBS Disclosure and Barring Service check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Childrens and Adults Barred List checks will be required for this role.Contact DetailsFor an informal discussionplease contact Suzanne Chambers (Service Manager) or Debra Hale (Team Manager) on . We look forward to receiving your application. Please click on the apply online button below to submit.BenefitsFrom flexible working to job sharing (where possible) we arecommitted to providing a healthy work life balance. A laptop and mobile will be supplied if applicable to your role. You will benefit from generous annual leave entitlement, a local government salary related pension, as well as the option to join our car leasescheme. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit MyBenefits for Surrey County Council staff.Our CommitmentSurrey County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, youngpeople and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer of first choice reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all under represented groups.