Adoption Team Manager

at  Wiltshire Council

Specific duties and responsibilities include: Responsible for the quality assurance of the work of the team which includes regular file audits, signing off panel assessment reports, court reports and managing complaints. Lead responsibility to ensure that all Adoption Standards are met. Act as the main contact person for the adoption team in relation to complex adoption matters. Using expert knowledge and experience to provide information, guidance and be the final decision maker ensuring the best and most appropriate outcome for service users.
Manage the overall work of the Recruitment and Assessment teams, allocating cases and delegating agreed case responsibility and staff supervision to the Deputy Team Managers as appropriate. Ensure formal supervision, consultation and annual appraisal are conducted for all reporting staff. Responsible for identifying and prioritising their training needs. Management responsibility of all case work and other activities carried out by the staff in the team, e.g.
information sessions, recruitment, training and preparation for panels. Take strategic and operational lead in developing the adoption service and to support the service director in the production of the adoption service plan.Keep up to date with national initiatives, legislative changes, practice developments and best practice in the adoption field and identify their implications and working with all staff across services and implement the key changes that arise from these. Support the agency advisers in advising the Adoption Panel in order to ensure quality standards of The Panel ‘s work including sound decision making and smooth processes. Contribute to design and delivery of training to adopters and professionals and to oversee the provision of consistent training to prospective adopters.
Identify gaps in adoption services and proactively lead on service developments. Proactively drive and lead a recruitment strategy for adoption in order to increase high quality adoptive placements to ensure that the needs of children needing adoption placements are met. This includes the meeting of service targets regarding assessment and approval of adoptive carers. Lead and manage the implementation of new services and initiatives to continuously improve adoption services ensuring best value for money.
Maintain an overview of adopters and children waiting for adoptive placements and proactively develop strategies to overcome unnecessary delays in the adoption process. This includes ensuring the timely matching and placement of children with adoptive families. Maintain up to date data on adoption services and to provide regular management information reports to the Service Director to assist in Adoption Wests reporting responsibilities to the Adoption Leadership Board. Secure the effective involvement of prospective adopters/carers in the development and evaluation of adoption services.
Responsible for the budget management of and accountable for the R&A teams staffing and operational budgets, including responsibility for managing within budget and exercising effective financial management, to include reduction in external spending. Robust management of resources by ensuring quality and value for money in service delivery. Ensure that relevant management information is provided concerning the activity of the R&A service as required. This includes performance indicators and targets required for local and national reports.
Track, monitor and review assessments in progress ensuring assessments are timely and targets are met. Advise and provide consultancy to childcare/fostering teams on adoption matters including support in producing reports for the Adoption Panel and the court. Write reports for various stakeholders to keep them abreast of adoption matters and to present those reports in person. As part of an Adoption Leadership team to contribute to the management and review of any services commissioned by the organisation.
Ensure that complaints and allegations in adoptive placements are dealt with under Child Protection Procedures and to liaise directly with LADOs. Provide leadership to permanency planning process involving social workers and managers from adoption and child care teams.Lead and advise on matters of policy and ensure adoption policies and procedures are updated regularly to comply with regulations and cascaded to staff. Possible deputising for other team managers or the service manager in times of absence, i.e., leave, sick leave and training. Interpret national adoption regulations, policies and legislation and translate these into appropriate practice, policy and procedures.
Responsible for ensuring the highest standards and quality in all services provided for looked after/adopted children in order to effectively improve their life chances and outcomes

Please refer the Job description for details