Families for Children Person Specification
Adoption Social Worker
The Person Specification is a picture of the personal attributes needed by an individual in order to fulfil the requirements of the post.
Category / Requirements / Essential / DesirableEducation / Qualifications / Training /
- Professional S.W. Qualification CQSW/Dip.SW/BSc/MA.
- Post Qualifying award.
- Level 1 training in DDP or Theraplay or other therapeutic parenting techniques.
Experience /
- Undertaking in-depth assessment of need.
- Report writing for a variety of recipients.
- Family work.
- Direct work with children.
- Family crisis work.
- Experience of adoption process.
- Child protection work.
- Experience of working with specialist child abuse agencies.
- Experience of working in a confidential and anti-discriminatory way with all stakeholders.
- Effective use of a wide range of IT, including Word, Excel, Outlook, electronic record keeping such as Database.
- Setting up and facilitating Group work.
- Ability to create and run training courses.
- Experience of working with children who have extreme emotional needs.
- Court work.
Knowledge /
- Adoption and Child Care Law.
- Complex emotional needs for all parties in the adoption triangle.
- Understanding of the impact of early stage neglect and development trauma on children’s emotional needs and behaviour.
- Understanding the need for and adherence to the Charity’s Equal Opportunities Policy.
- Understanding the handling of confidential material and adherence to the Charity’s Confidentiality policy and procedures
- Support systems and therapeutic interventions available to families involved in adoption.
- Importance of Lifestory Work and use of Lifestory book for adopted children.
- Understanding of how budgets work and cost implications for service delivery.
Skills / Abilities /
- Able to organise self and others.
- Able to prioritise work in discussion with Line Manager.
- Able to keep records updated in accordance with Data Protection guidelines and in line with Charity Record keeping processes.
- Able to engage with a wide range of families, and to carry a mixed caseload of adoption work across the range of tasks from Initial Visit to ongoing Adoption Support.
- Able to present at approval, matching and any panels in a professional, calm, informative manner.
- Report writing skills to a high standard – including those being undertaken within a tight timescale and in response to need, as well as those planned over a longer period and to timescale.
- Able to work autonomously where required and to take responsibility for relevant health and safety aspects of lone working alongside those responsibilities of the Charity.
- Excellent communication skills.
Other Relevant Factors /
- Positive outlook and sense of humour.
- A professional attitude to work.
- Confidential in your work.
- Enhanced DBS Check.
- Flexibility of working hours.
- In sympathy with the Christian Ethos of the Agency.
- Commitment to equal opportunities and anti-discriminative practice.
- Commitment to attend internal / external training sessions and meetings.
- Car driver / owner.
- Availability to travel across the UK where necessary.
Adoption Social Worker - PSVer: Oct 2016