Head of Service

Location:
Coram Campus (with flexibility for hybrid working)

Coram is committed to improving the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable children and young people.

We support children and young people from birth to independence, creating a change that lasts a lifetime.

Coram is the UK’s oldest children’s charity founded by Thomas Coram in London helping vulnerable children and young people since 1739. Today, the Coram group helps more than one million children, young people, families and professionals every year by providing access to the skills and opportunities they need to thrive.

Coram

IAC is a Voluntary Adoption Agency which specialises in Intercountry Adoptions. This position is a member of the Leadership Team and will have a pivotal role in leading, developing and managing a range of operational adoptions services, ensuring that they meet the needs of children we are providing services for, including all legal, policies, guidelines, and internal standards. They will play a key role in helping to develop new services and where appropriate will take operational control of these.

The Head of Service post holder will take the lead responsibility (under Ofsted registration) as the Registered Manager of Coram

IAC. They will ensure the ongoing delivery of an outstanding VAA that is fully compliant with national minimum standards and regulations; and ensuring high quality adoption support and a sufficient supply of adopters that reflects the diversity of the countries they are adopting from.

Applying to adopt in the UK is open to anyone already in the process with Coram

IAC but we do not actively recruit domestic adopters like other VAAs. Approved Intercountry Adopters may however request to change their approval advice to the UK if they are considered a suitable match for children available and waiting for permanence through Adoption in the UK.

Coram

IAC predominantly serve prospective adopters from the global majority and as such recruit and train a highly diverse and skilled group of adopters to enable the best outcomes for children whilst also offering adopter and sector diversity for potentially harder to place children. This includes family groups and older children. Our offer to RAAs via our domestic program therefore delivers families for children who often wait the longest in the care system.

Please note, the successful candidate must have a degree in Social Work or equivalent. They must also have significant post qualification experience at a Team Manager level in Adoption services, and a demonstrated passion for working in the adoption, children and families sector.

To apply for this role, please click on the 'apply now' button below to complete the application.

Interview Date: TBC - Please note that interviews will take place in-person and will include a written test.

Coram is an equal opportunities employer and we believe a diverse workforce enables us to improve the services to the children and families we help. We are genuinely committed to encouraging candidates from all sections of the community we seek to support. This includes those from, Asian, African, Caribbean and other minority ethnic backgrounds, those that identify as LGBTQ+, those with disabilities, those with lived experience of care, those with neuro-diversity, and those from other groups who are underrepresented at Coram.

If applicants feel comfortable, we would encourage them to draw on lived experience as well as professional experience in their personal statement as part of their application.

We are committed to the safeguarding of children and where appropriate will require the successful applicant to undertake a check from the Disclosure and Barring Service.