Assistant Team Manager- Fostering & Adoption

Location:

Aylesbury

Join our Adoption service as an Assistant Team Manager and play a key role in Family Finding, supporting adopters, developing social work practice, and helping children achieve the best possible outcomes.

As an Assistant Team Manager, you will support the Team Manager in leading the delivery of Adoption services, supervising social workers, promoting high-quality practice, and ensuring children and young people remain at the heart of everything we do.

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.

Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.

We are in our third year of being a Regional Adoption Agency
- Buckinghamshire Adoption Partnership. We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

About the Role

This is an exciting opportunity to combine frontline social work expertise with leadership responsibilities in a supportive and progressive Adoption service. Working closely with the Team Manager, you will help oversee the delivery of statutory services, provide professional supervision and guidance to social workers, and contribute to the ongoing development of high-quality services for children, young people, foster carers and families.

You will play an important role in maintaining high standards of practice, supporting staff development, and ensuring children’s voices are heard throughout the decision‑making process. The role offers excellent variety, with responsibility for case oversight, performance monitoring, adoption activity, partnership working, and supporting complex decision‑making. Working alongside a range of professionals including foster carers, health professionals, education colleagues and social care teams, you will help deliver positive outcomes for children in care and those requiring support and protection.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supporting the Team Manager in the leadership, management and supervision of social work staff.
• Providing supervision, guidance and professional support to qualified and unqualified team members.
• Acting as a resource for staff managing complex cases and safeguarding concerns.
• Managing elements of the team's duty system and helping ensure continuity of service delivery.
• Working collaboratively with operational teams to ensure robust care planning for children.
• Supporting induction, mentoring, training and professional development activities.
• Monitoring performance, quality standards and case recording to drive excellent practice.
• Helping to ensure the views, wishes and experiences of children and young people remain central to service delivery.

For a full list of responsibilities and duties, please refer to the Job Description.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any‑desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

We are looking for a passionate and experienced Social Worker who is committed to improving the lives of children and young people. You will be a confident practitioner with strong leadership potential, capable of supporting and motivating colleagues while maintaining a focus on high-quality practice and positive outcomes. You will bring…