Social Worker / Senior Practitioner

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.

About Coram Adoption: Coram Adoption, a member of the Coram Group of charities, has over 40 years’ experience in finding permanent loving families for children needing adoption. As a voluntary adoption agency, we work mostly in London and Home Counties and in partnership with ten local authorities to deliver the Coram Ambitious for Adoption regional adoption agency. We are committed to making adoption happen for children where this is the plan and are very proud to be working with our adoptive families and our adopted young people in shaping the future of the service. We maintain the very best of local authority adoption practice and continue to be rated an outstanding Adoption Agency by Ofsted.

This 12 month fixed term post is based in the Recruitment and Assessment Team. You will be joining a dynamic and progressive team where children are at the centre of everything we do. The role involves assessing applicants for their suitability as adoptive parents and Early Permanence carers and to support families through the different stages of the adoption process until an Adoption Order is granted.

Main duties:

• Respond to initial enquiries from prospective adopters, providing clear guidance and support from the point of enquiry throughout the assessment process.
• Contribute to adopter recruitment, preparation and training, including facilitating information events, participating in recruitment activities, and delivering preparation training sessions.
• Undertake comprehensive assessments of prospective adopters and dually approved Early Permanence foster carers/adopters, working collaboratively with families to make evidence‑based recommendations in accordance with best practice standards and regulatory requirements.
• Prepare high‑quality reports for presentation to the Fostering and Adoption Panel within statutory timeframes.
• Work collaboratively with prospective adopters throughout the assessment, family‑finding, linking and matching process, ensuring decisions remain centred on the needs of children.
• Work in partnership with the child’s local authority to plan and coordinate transitions and placement, providing consistent support and guidance to adoptive families throughout this period.
• Provide ongoing support to adoptive families from the point of placement until the Adoption Order is granted, including attendance at statutory Looked After Children Reviews.
• Promote the meaningful participation of children and young people, embedding the voices and of those with lived experience of adoption into practice.
• Maintain and continuously update professional skills and knowledge, applying learning to individual practice and sharing insights with colleagues.
• Ensure full compliance with all statutory legislation and guidance—particularly safeguarding, fostering, and adoption requirements—including adherence to statutory timescales for completing assessments.
• Participate in supervision, team meetings, and consultation as required contributing to reflective, high‑quality practice.
• Maintain accurate, timely and high‑quality case records in line with statutory adoption and fostering requirements and GDPR compliance.
• Engage with research and service development initiatives, supporting innovation and continuous improvement within the team and wider organisation.
• Promote equality, diversity, and anti‑discriminatory practice in all aspects of work, ensuring child‑centred and inclusive approaches, valuing and celebrating diversity.
• Carry out duties consistent with the role, supporting positive outcomes for children and families.
• Uphold the Social Work England professional standards, maintaining high levels of ethical, accountable, and reflective practice.
• Maintain awareness of health and safety responsibilities and comply with the Coram Group Health & Safety policies and procedures.
• Adhere to all agency policies and procedures, including those relating to confidentiality, safeguarding, data protection and record keeping, ensuring full compliance with the Data Protection Act and GDPR.

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 LGBQT+, 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.

26 hour per week Location: Coram Campus, Bloomsbury, London, WC1N 1AZ