Job Description
Family Routes, Ground Floor, Unit 2, 18 Heron Road, Belfast, BT3 9L3
This is an interim, self-employed role, eight hours per week. Hours may be extended to sixteen hours per week by arrangement with the ICEO.
Next Step is a Regional support and information service to both parents and birth relatives where the Best Interests decision for a child is permanent placement through adoption.
The role’s purpose is to bring about the necessary organizational, structure and practice change and development to promote longer-term sustainability.
While managing the longer-term development of the service the role will supervise current operational activity.
The role has responsibility for Developing and maintaining:
– The necessary staff structure
– A robust administrative and accountability structure
– A positive external profile for beneficiaries
– A positive profile as a trusted provider for statutory commissioners
– Effective and accessible information and guidance for beneficiaries
Specific Responsibilities:
Structural
The role will:
– Engage a minimum of six Next Step Social Workers
– Provide regular supervision/consultancy and development for sessional Social Workers
– Exercise quality assurance to ensure effectiveness and contract compliance
Governance
The role will:
– Maintain an effective operational relationship with the two sub-contracted parties – ie Adopt NI and Family Care Adoption Service
– Provide quarterly reports to the Commissioner, SPPG, on behalf of all commissioned agencies
Effectiveness
The role will:
– Review service model to inform future service procurement
– Engage stakeholders in future service design
– Research current practice development
Administration
The role will:
– Maintain a robust administrative system to achieve regulatory compliance and recording standards.
– Maintain a positive and effective working relationship with the Service Administrator.
Person Specification
Essential:
– Social Work Qualification
– Professional experience in Adoption, Social Work and Children’s Services – minimum 4yrs
– Knowledge of contemporary adoption and children’s legislation and adoption practice in Northern Ireland
– Experience of supervision of social work practice
– Demonstrated ability of working on own initiative
– Demonstrated empathic understanding of the needs and issues for birth families
Desirable:
– Previous engagement in service development implementation
