Business Support - Family Finding

Permanent
Full Time 37 hours per week

Adopt South West is excited to announce a fantastic opportunity for a motivated Business Support staff member to join our ‘Family Finding Business Support’ team. This is a full-time, Grade C permanent position with an office base to be arranged closest to the successful applicant’s home address, and agile working is possible for some of the time. The contracted hours are worked across Monday – Friday with Bank Holidays off.

Adopt South West is the Regional Adoption Agency for Local Authorities in Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth, Somerset, and Torbay. We are hosted by Devon County Council.

Since our inception in October 2018, we have been dedicated to providing outstanding adoption services on behalf of these local authorities and are now one of the best-rated Regional Adoption Agencies in England.

Family Finding for the children referred to Adopt South West from these Local Authorities, is a fundamental part of our service. This work is facilitated by two teams of Team Manager/Social Workers/Family Practitioners who are supported by our Family Finding Business Support team.

Key Responsibilities for Family Finding Business Support

• Use of a laptop, provided by Adopt South West, to access internal systems and Microsoft packages to conduct administrative tasks to facilitate our Family Finding processes. This includes the setting up of meetings and taking notes in person and via Teams.
• Managing shared mailboxes, acting on and responding to incoming/outgoing mail.
• Communicating with Business Support colleagues, Social Workers, Team Managers and Senior Managers both within the Local Authorities and Adopt South West.
• Creating and updating records on our internal recording systems.
• Inputting data and uploading of documents to our internal recording systems.
• Creating photographic boards and profiles.
• Administrating and attending meetings to take notes both in person or via Teams.
• Providing direct support to Team Managers, Family Practitioners, Social Workers and Senior Managers.

Why work for Devon County Council:

• Good pay rates.
• Flexible working hours.
• Excellent health and wellbeing culture.
• Local Government Pension Scheme membership.
• Access to employee discount scheme: ‘Devon Discounts’ – Accommodation, Food & Drink, Leisure and Transport, and more.
• Cycle to Work Scheme.
• Excellent ongoing internal learning, development & training opportunities.
• 26 days annual leave per year (rising with length of service) plus Bank Holidays effective from 1 April 2026.
• Employee Assistance Programme.

What skills & qualities we need from you:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 programmes such as Teams, Outlook, Excel, Word and SharePoint - Basic Training is also available.
• Able to focus on accurate data inputting and record keeping, working to meet the requirements of the service.
• Positive and enthusiastic attitude towards learning and supporting your colleagues.
• Good communication skills and the ability to build good working relationships with colleagues, managers, senior managers, and wider colleagues within the Local Authorities that we serve.
• Ability to plan your daily workload and be adaptable to respond quickly to changing service priorities.
• Ability to ‘think on your feet’ and work with colleagues to resolve problems.
• Able to work to deadlines remaining calm and resilient under pressure.

Next steps . . .

Does this opportunity to join a dynamic service interest you? Then apply now!

During your on-line application you will be asked to write a ‘supporting statement'. The supporting statement will form a vital part of the selection process, including if you are invited to formal interview. We advise that you take your time to create this in ‘Word’ and then paste it into the application form. It is important that you review the generic Business Support Job Description and Person Specification when writing your supporting statement, as well as the key responsibilities listed in this advert. This will help to demonstrate that you have the relevant skills/qualities that this role requires.

If you are shortlisted, Interviews will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday, 14th October 2026. You will need access to a device that has both video and microphone capability in order to participate in an interview.

If you would like to find out more about this role before applying, please contact the Service Support Manager (line manager) for an informal discussion:

Name: Yvonne Horner

Telephone number: 01392 386274

Internal Applicants, please note: If you are an existing DCC employee, please use your iTrent Employee Self Service (ESS) details to log in and apply.

Please click here to see the Job Description

• DCC embraces the positive benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to providing an environment that is inclusive and safe. We welcome applications from people who share our commitment to stop discrimination, challenge inequality and promote diversity across Devon. More information can be found on our Equality and Diversity webpages.
• For details on the use of AI in applications and Devon County Council’s use of AI in Recruitment please see Use of AI in Our Recruitment Processes - Working for Devon | Devon County Council
• Happy to Talk Flexible Working - The Council offers flexible working arrangements in terms of when and where people work e.g. hybrid working, part-time, condensed hours etc.
• We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
• This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.
• Personal data we collect from you will be processed in accordance with the Applicant privacy notice.
• For more information about Working for Devon please visit our Working for Devon page.
• We cannot consider visa sponsorship at this time. UK Right to Work is required.For further guidance on right to work in the UK, please visit: Work in the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
• This role requires a DBS disclosure.