Practice Manager (Fostering & Adoption)

Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of children? Join us at Barnardo’s Scotland Adoption Service as a Practice Manager and lead our dynamic team. At Barnardo’s, we believe that a child’s future should never be defined by their past; every child deserves the chance to fulfil his or her potential. We recognise that the children that we seek to find loving families for have faced a diversity of challenges in their early lives. Children’s views, wishes and feelings will be sought and acted upon, unless it is contrary to their interests, in line with UNCRC and Promise Scotland. Barnardo’s believes that good parents come from many different backgrounds which are as diverse as the children. Prospective adopters are required to demonstrate that they can safely and therapeutically parent a child over the whole lifespan. Adoption is a lifelong commitment and Barnardo’s remains responsive and supportive throughout that journey. Barnardo’s understands the importance of ethnic and cultural identity in its family placement work and aims, where possible, to find families who reflect and/or promote the ethnic origin, cultural background, religion, and language of the children. Appropriate support will be offered to each family to enable them to address the child’s particular needs. This will include enhancing the parents’ ability to understand and promote the child’s positive self-esteem, confidence, and identity. Barnardo’s has access to a wide spectrum of support services which can be accessed to respond to individual need. Objectives and outcomes To provide children with safe, secure, and lasting adoptive families and our policies and services are directed towards achieving this outcome for children in need of adoption. To increase choice the diversity and capacity of adopters and to reduce delay in the adoption process for children. The children most likely to need our service are those of black and minority ethnic backgrounds, sibling groups, school-aged children, children who have additional needs arising from learning or physical disabilities and children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. To recruit, prepare, assess, and support prospective adoptive families. Potential adoptive families will be considered based on their capability to meet the needs of the identified children. To seek and provide a high level of emotional, practical, and legal support to children and families post adoption. The agency will look to help families in accessing the appropriate adoption support. The agency offers support to adults who have an adoption connection and offers an intermediary service to adults for whom Barnardo’s is the relevant adoption agency. Barnardo’s can offer a range of training and consultancy