• Job Description

  Req#: F0069-25-0015?language=en&page=483&sort=publicationDateDesc

  Job summary

  Adopt Thames Valley is seeking a dedicated and experienced Therapeutic Social Worker to join our innovative Matching Hub team on a part-time basis (18.5 hours per week) for a one-year maternity cover. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a highly respected, multi-disciplinary team that plays a vital role in supporting adoptive childrenparticularly those with complex needsthrough trauma-informed, psychologically grounded practice. Youll work alongside Clinical and Educational Psychologists to ensure the best possible matches and outcomes for children and families, helping to build secure attachments and long-term stability.

  Main duties of the job

  In this role, you will:

  • Provide trauma-informed psychological assessments and formulations to support the matching process.
  • Attend Marvellous Matching Meetings and multi-disciplinary reviews to identify and support children with complex needs.
  • Chair or co-chair formulation meetings with professionals and carers to develop therapeutic strategies.
  • Produce high-quality written reports with SMART, child-focused recommendations.
  • Offer pre-placement and early placement support to adopters, promoting therapeutic parenting and attachment.
  • Collaborate with professionals across agencies to ensure best practice.
  • Develop multimedia resources and deliver training to enhance adoption knowledge and skills across the workforce.

  About us

  Adopt Thames Valley (ATV) is a regional adoption agency recognised for its commitment to innovation, excellence, and child-centred practice. Our Matching Hub is a pioneering, multi-disciplinary team that supports some of the most vulnerable children in the adoption process. We champion trauma-informed care, therapeutic parenting, and collaborative working to ensure every child finds the right family and thrives. Join us and be part of a service thats shaping the future of adoption supportwhere your expertise will make a lasting difference.

  Details

  Date posted

  23 May 2025

  Pay scheme

  Other

  Salary

  £44,711 to £47,754 a year

  Contract

  Fixed term

  Duration

  12 months

  Working pattern

  Part-time

  Reference number

  VP0C15DBE5

  Job locations

  Union Street Oxford

  OX4 1JP

  
  

  Job description

  Job responsibilities

  About Us

  Adopt Thames Valley is looking for an experienced,child-centered therapeutic Social Worker to cover one year's maternity cover in our Matching Hub (part-time 18.5 hours weekly).

  This is a great opportunity to be part of a Team which, since it's inception, has built up a strong and influential reputation for best and innovative practice, both within ATV and within the wider adoption community.

  Matching Hub is a multi-disciplinary team made up of Therapeutic Social Worker, Education Psychologist and Clinical Psychologist.Matching Hub plays a central role in the matching process for adoptive children, and particularly those children with additional needs and/or who wait the longest to find their adoptive family, promoting trauma and psychologically informed practice to betterunderstand andsupport the needs of these children.

  Matching Hub works with colleagues, carers and adoptive parents tounderstand children's immediate and longer-term needs, promoting therapeutic parenting and the early development of secure attachments both in the matching process and prior to, and in the weeks immediately following placement, leading to longer term family stability and best outcomes for children and families.

  About the Role

  Key aspects of the position:

  • To offer a psychological, trauma informed and mental health perspective on the needs of adopted children in the matching process.To bring trauma informed and therapeutic parenting expertise and experience within social care to multi-disciplinary formulations and interventions related to matching.
  • To provide psychological assessment and formulation of need.
  • Attendance at Marvellous Matching Meetings with Adoption Teams to identify those children who may be bestsupported by Matching Hub.
  • Review as part of the MDT new referrals, formulating initialsupport offer.
  • To Chair or Co-Chairing Formulation meetings with ATV colleagues, childrens Social Workers, foster carers and other professionals tosupport a therapeutic, trauma and psychologically informedunderstanding of the needs of children with complex backgrounds.
  • To provide high quality written reports with clear, SMART,child-focussed formulations and recommendations for professionals and families.
  • To offer meetings with adopters prior to placement to consider the therapeutic parenting requirements of children with complex needs or specific issues
  • To offer planned check-in meetings with new adopters in the early weeks of placement tosupport and embed therapeutic parenting and to promote the early development of attachment relationships.
  • To liaise with a range of colleagues and agencies to ensure best practice in the matching process for adoptive children.
  • To work both on-line and face to face contexts.
  • To develop and co-ordinate, in collaboration with team members, a contemporary multi-media resource library for parents/carers and other professionals. Resources should support understanding of the breadth of need for adoptive children.
  • To offer specialised advice and consultation to Social Workers and other staff in relation to the matching of adoptive children within ATV
  • To develop and implement training and learning programme for staff within the organisation, building skills and knowledge within the wider workforce.
  • To deliver training to a range of staff with differing levels of qualification and professional background. To ensure all training provided is carried out in line with Equal Opportunities Policies

  About you

  Are you the right person for the job?

  • Are you an experienced, therapeutic Social Worker with strong experience and knowledge of adoption and the adoption process?
  • Are youcommitted to ongoing learning and innovative practice which places the needs and voices of children at the heart of good practice?
  • Can you workindependently and as part of a team, providing high quality,responsive work?
  • Have you got strong communication skills and do you value partnership working?
  • Can you contribute to Service development, incorporating up to date research, learning and feedback from children and adopters into day-to-day practice?

  Rewards and benefits

  As part of our team, youll benefit from

  • Vivup benefits platform
  • Vivup highfive recognition platform
  • Cyclescheme (for eco-conscious commuters)
  • Electric vehicle lease scheme
  • Discounts at local retailers
  • Salary finance options
  • Up to 33 days of annual leave (including bank holidays)
  • A competitive 19.9% employer pension contribution rate

  Ourcommitment to:Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

  At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce.Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peersupport, education and safe spaces for all.

  Ourcommitment to: Guaranteed Interview Schemes

  As a DisabilityConfident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job.We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships.We are alsocommitted to helping andsupporting those transitioning from HM ArmedForces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.

  Ourcommitment to: Safeguarding

  Oxfordshire County Council arecommitted to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers toshare thiscommitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.

  Ourcommitment to: Flexible Working

  We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi-time, part time working, jobsharing, nine-day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.

  Follow us on Social Media

  Stay up-to-date with the latest news and featured jobs from Oxfordshire County Council by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

  If you encounter any technical issues with the application system, please contact us at: careers@oxfordshire.gov.uk

  Job description

  Job responsibilities

  About Us

  Adopt Thames Valley is looking for an experienced,child-centered therapeutic Social Worker to cover one year's maternity cover in our Matching Hub (part-time 18.5 hours weekly).

  This is a great opportunity to be part of a Team which, since it's inception, has built up a strong and influential reputation for best and innovative practice, both within ATV and within the wider adoption community.

  Matching Hub is a multi-disciplinary team made up of Therapeutic Social Worker, Education Psychologist and Clinical Psychologist.Matching Hub plays a central role in the matching process for adoptive children, and particularly those children with additional needs and/or who wait the longest to find their adoptive family, promoting trauma and psychologically informed practice to betterunderstand andsupport the needs of these children.

  Matching Hub works with colleagues, carers and adoptive parents tounderstand children's immediate and longer-term needs, promoting therapeutic parenting and the early development of secure attachments both in the matching process and prior to, and in the weeks immediately following placement, leading to longer term family stability and best outcomes for children and families.

  About the Role

  Key aspects of the position:

  • To offer a psychological, trauma informed and mental health perspective on the needs of adopted children in the matching process.To bring trauma informed and therapeutic parenting expertise and experience within social care to multi-disciplinary formulations and interventions related to matching.
  • To provide psychological assessment and formulation of need.
  • Attendance at Marvellous Matching Meetings with Adoption Teams to identify those children who may be bestsupported by Matching Hub.
  • Review as part of the MDT new referrals, formulating initialsupport offer.
  • To Chair or Co-Chairing Formulation meetings with ATV colleagues, childrens Social Workers, foster carers and other professionals tosupport a therapeutic, trauma and psychologically informedunderstanding of the needs of children with complex backgrounds.
  • To provide high quality written reports with clear, SMART,child-focussed formulations and recommendations for professionals and families.
  • To offer meetings with adopters prior to placement to consider the therapeutic parenting requirements of children with complex needs or specific issues
  • To offer planned check-in meetings with new adopters in the early weeks of placement tosupport and embed therapeutic parenting and to promote the early development of attachment relationships.
  • To liaise with a range of colleagues and agencies to ensure best practice in the matching process for adoptive children.
  • To work both on-line and face to face contexts.
  • To develop and co-ordinate, in collaboration with team members, a contemporary multi-media resource library for parents/carers and other professionals. Resources should support understanding of the breadth of need for adoptive children.
  • To offer specialised advice and consultation to Social Workers and other staff in relation to the matching of adoptive children within ATV
  • To develop and implement training and learning programme for staff within the organisation, building skills and knowledge within the wider workforce.
  • To deliver training to a range of staff with differing levels of qualification and professional background. To ensure all training provided is carried out in line with Equal Opportunities Policies

  About you

  Are you the right person for the job?

  • Are you an experienced, therapeutic Social Worker with strong experience and knowledge of adoption and the adoption process?
  • Are youcommitted to ongoing learning and innovative practice which places the needs and voices of children at the heart of good practice?
  • Can you workindependently and as part of a team, providing high quality,responsive work?
  • Have you got strong communication skills and do you value partnership working?
  • Can you contribute to Service development, incorporating up to date research, learning and feedback from children and adopters into day-to-day practice?

  Rewards and benefits

  As part of our team, youll benefit from

  • Vivup benefits platform
  • Vivup highfive recognition platform
  • Cyclescheme (for eco-conscious commuters)
  • Electric vehicle lease scheme
  • Discounts at local retailers
  • Salary finance options
  • Up to 33 days of annual leave (including bank holidays)
  • A competitive 19.9% employer pension contribution rate

  Ourcommitment to:Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

  At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce.Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peersupport, education and safe spaces for all.

  Ourcommitment to: Guaranteed Interview Schemes

  As a DisabilityConfident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job.We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships.We are alsocommitted to helping andsupporting those transitioning from HM ArmedForces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.

  Ourcommitment to: Safeguarding

  Oxfordshire County Council arecommitted to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers toshare thiscommitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.

  Ourcommitment to: Flexible Working

  We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi-time, part time working, jobsharing, nine-day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.

  Follow us on Social Media

  Stay up-to-date with the latest news and featured jobs from Oxfordshire County Council by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

  If you encounter any technical issues with the application system, please contact us at: careers@oxfordshire.gov.uk

  Person Specification

  General Requirements

  Essential

  • Please refer to job description above

  Desirable

  • Please refer to job description above

  Person Specification

  General Requirements

  Essential

  • Please refer to job description above

  Desirable

  • Please refer to job description above

  Disclosure and Barring Service Check

  This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

  Employer details

  Employer name

  Oxfordshire County Council

  Address

  Union Street Oxford

  OX4 1JP

  
  

  Employer's website

  https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

  Employer details

  Employer name

  Oxfordshire County Council

  Address

  Union Street Oxford

  OX4 1JP

  
  

  Employer's website

  https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

• About the company

  National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery—a health service based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, free at the point of use for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom apart from dental treatment and optical care.

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