Adoption Panel Adviser

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Job Reference Ref/77/9569

Apply for this job Number of Positions: 1 Contract Type: Temporary Contract Details: 3 month fixed term secondment Salary Range : £50,468 -£52,679 Working Hours: 37 Location: Northampton Closing Date: 09/11/2026 Job Category: Social Worker - Children Organisation: Northamptonshire Children's Trust

Our benefits

We are committed to continuous improvement, building a skilled, knowledgeable, and flexible workforce alongside promoting innovation and creativity whilst keeping children, young people and families at the heart of all we do.

We really value our workforce and offer you a great benefits package including:

• 28 days annual leave, plus 8 Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time) and an additional 5 days, after 5 years
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health pension protection.
• Opportunity to purchase up to 25 days annual leave
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Flexible and family working arrangements including enhanced maternity benefits
• A permanent, supportive and inclusive management team where you will be empowered to make good professional decisions
• Extensive Learning & Development and career development opportunities
• Subsidised town centre car parking scheme

About the role

Are you an experienced social work professional with a passion for achieving the best outcomes for children? Do you have the confidence to provide expert advice, challenge practice where needed, and help ensure robust decision-making within adoption services? 

As our Adoption Panel Adviser, you will play a pivotal role in supporting the Adoption Panel and Agency Decision Maker, helping to ensure that panel processes are legally compliant, professionally rigorous and focused on securing positive outcomes for children. You'll be a trusted source of expert guidance, influencing practice across the service and helping maintain the highest standards of quality and safeguarding.  

This is a 3 month fixed term opportunity to use your specialist knowledge of adoption, fostering and children's social care to make a lasting impact while working collaboratively with social workers, managers, panel members and senior leaders.  

We welcome the opportunity to speak to any interested candidates so please feel free to email: [email removed] and they can agree a mutually agreeable time to call you 

What will you be doing?

In this varied and influential role, you will: 

• Provide professional advice and guidance to the Adoption Panel, Panel Chair and Agency Decision Maker on legislation, regulations, policy and practice relating to adoption.   
• Quality assure reports and documentation presented to panel, ensuring high standards and supporting social workers and managers to address any identified gaps.  
• Attend panel meetings, contributing your professional expertise and ensuring key issues are identified and considered during discussions.  
• Work closely with the Panel Administrator to coordinate agendas, panel membership and statutory requirements, ensuring panels are appropriately constituted and able to conduct business effectively.  
• Support continuous improvement by identifying practice issues arising through panel activity and feeding these back to managers and teams.  
• Oversee the quality and timely prod