Find More Than 10K+
United Kingdom Jobs

Adoption South East (ASE) is a regional adoption agency comprised of West Sussex County Council, Brighton & Hove City Council, East Sussex County Council and Surrey County Council all working together to find families for children across the region. We offer the best support to new families to ensure a brighter future for our children.

By joining our adoption services together, we bring the best practice and experience from each of the four local authorities. This means that it is easier to match a child with an adopter household from any of the ASE teams. It also means adopters, adoptive children and their birth/first families can use the combined services of the four ASE teams. To find out more please visit the Adoption South East website.

For further information about us and about working in Children’s Social Care at West Sussex County Council, please visit Careers in children's social work in West Sussex.

Job title: Child & Family Worker
Team: Adoption South East, Horsham Team
Salary: Grade 7 £25,409 to £27,852
Contract: Permanent, 1 x full-time , 1 x part-time (3 days)

Location: Horsham

We are seeking two dedicated Child and Family Workers to join our Adoption team based in Horsham one on a full-time basis and one on a part-time basis. The successful candidates will make a positive contribution to the delivery of a high-quality service for children and their adoptive families, pre- and post- Adoption Order.

ASE Horsham works with prospective adoptive families, from adoption recruitment to support pre-adoption order, and offers support to families post-adoption order. We work in partnership with colleagues from across Children’s Services as part of Adoption South East. ASE Horsham is a supportive environment with plenty of opportunity for learning and reflective practice. You will receive formal and informal training in areas such as attachment and trauma.

We are seeking two Child and Family Workers within the team to provide support to adoptive families pre- and post-adoption order. The roles will include:

Role 1 (full-time)

• Direct work with children and young families
• Providing breaks to families by offering activities and time out to adopted children and young people. This may involve working some evenings and weekends.
• Events and activities for adoptive families
• Supporting adoptive families with direct contact with birth relatives. This may involve working some evenings and weekends.
• Assisting the Keeping in Touch Co-ordinator with letter exchange between adoptive families and birth relatives.

Role 2 (part-time)

• Supporting Stage One adoption applicants through the initial stages of the adoption process.
• Holding meetings with Stage One applicants.
• Collating Stage One paperwork, checks and references.
• Compiling a Review report at the end of Stage One.
• Some flexibility to help in other areas such as events, activities and support groups for adoptive families.

What you need to succeed:

• Knowledge of recent research in adoption, safeguarding and practical experience of working with children and their families is desirable.
• An understanding of the meaning of adoption for children and their families, including the impact of early trauma, attachment difficulties and therapeutic parenting is desirable.
• An ability to work creatively and flexibly with a variety of other agencies and professionals is essential.
• Excellent communication skills and IT literacy is essential.
• The ability to work under pressure whilst remaining calm to be able to make good decisions is essential.

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

In addition to working within a great team and a brilliant opportunity you will receive:

• A competitive salary
• A generous pension scheme
• Training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring
• Flexible working
• A range of discounts giving our staff access to hundreds of offers with the opportunity to save over £1,000 (Including: Argos, Samsung, Asos, B&Q and many more)
• Free access to employee assistance programmes
• Discounted membership at selected local sports and fitness centres
• A range of commuting and business travel discounts and initiatives

For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.

For an informal conversation or further information regarding the role, please contact Fiona Ruddock, Team Manager: [email protected] 0330 222 5374; Toni Davey, Team Manager: [email protected] 0330 222 5156; [email protected], Service Manager: 0330 222 5340.

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and cover letter. In your cover letter outline your motivation for applying and explain how you meet the key skills listed in full and the experience you can bring to the role, ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the above details and job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.

You must be able to travel throughout the county including to locations that are not always accessible by public transport.

West Sussex County Council is an equal opportunities employer committed to promoting an environment that is inclusive and free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and values the diversity of its people. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and take every possible step to ensure that no individual will be disadvantaged.

For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran’s Guaranteed Interview Scheme, this can be found on our application help page.