Adoption Team Manager

The Role

Do you see yourself making a lifelong difference in a child’s life through adoption?

Do you have anti-oppressive and anti-racist practice embedded in your management approach?

If yes, we have the perfect role for you!

At Adoption London South Regional Adoption Agency we are looking for a passionate and dedicated Adoption Team Manager to join us and help make a difference today.

About the Role:

We are seeking a permanent highly skilled, driven, experienced Team Manager to shape service delivery, implement improvements in line with the modernisation of adoption and inspire and lead the team to provide quality timely support to those affected by adoption.

ALS is committed to reducing race disparity throughout the adoption journey. There are opportunities to collaborate and develop practice across the 4 Adopt London RAA's for the benefit of all London children and others affected by adoption.

The post holder will exhibit:

• Inspirational leadership and effective management to promote best outcomes for everyone affected by adoption in line with the regulations
• A commitment to cultivating and sustaining excellent working relationships
• An enthusiasm for partnership working across 10 different Local Authorities in South London
• The ability to work across ALS to ensure the best use of resources in line with Agency objectives
• A commitment to services that meet the needs of the adoption community with a specific focus on reducing race disparity
• Knowledge of childcare and adoption legislation, statutory guidance and the London Child Protection Procedures
• Skills in presenting complex information in writing and in person, with confident analysis and decision making
• Good data presentation and analysis skills to understand how this inform and shapes delivery of the service
• Experience of Case Management systems and ensuring robust management oversight to drive performance
• Flexibility to meet the needs of the service including evenings and weekends

• Committed to team and personal development, with the ability to create a high challenge, high support environment that drives growth in Adoption Support services.

About You:

The role will require applicants to be an experienced qualified Social Worker with an understanding of Adoption support, including the regulatory context and partnership across the 10 Local Authorities.

The post holder is integral to the Management Team, Team Members and within the wider context of Adopt London South and Adopt London providing high challenge/high support environment in pursuit of contributing to ongoing development and improvement across the service.

You demonstrate strong attention to detail and provide constructive feedback to build effective partnerships and influence best practice. You have a solid understanding of developments in the adoption landscape and key strategic priorities to improve services for all affected by adoption.

About the Team:

Adopt London South (ALS) is a Regionalised Adoption Agency (RAA) hosted by London Borough of Southwark. We provide adoption services to 10 South London Local Authorities within our partnership agreement. ALS also works closely with 3 other RAA’s under the ‘Adopt London’ banner to develop adoption services across 24 London boroughs.

ALS are a lively, busy service involved with preparing adopters, family finding and adoption support. Our current vacancy is in our Adoption Support Team. This part of the service provides a range of specialist adoption support for everyone affected by adoption at any stage in their life.

For detailed qualifications and requirements, please review the job description and person specification located at the bottom of the advert.

Contact Information:

To find out more, please e-mail Lake Gledhill, Service Manager, lake.gledhill@southwark.gov.uk or Audrey Bouazizi, Head of Service, Audrey Bouazizi@southwark.gov.uk

Additional Information:

• Enhanced DBS required.

Benefits and more information:

https://jobs.southwark.gov.uk/why-us/

Recruitment timetable

Advert close date: 11:59pm on 5th November 2025

Interview date/s: 21st November 2025

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme:

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together programme. We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

Attachments

• Adoption Team Manager Job Description