Mentoring Support Adviser

Role Responsibility

This is an exciting opportunity to become part of Adoption Partnership South East regional adoption agency and help to make a positive difference for children and families across the south east.

We are looking to recruit to the newly-created post of Mentoring Support Adviser. The post is part-time and there is flexibility around the days/hours to be worked. 

The post holder will lead and develop the adopter peer mentoring service, ensuring that adopters and prospective adopters are paired with a mentor who meets their specific needs.

As the mentoring service lead the post holder will be the main point of contact for parents and those in the support network, including social workers. It will be important to reach out to parents to develop and facilitate good relationships and deliver regular training, supervision, and support to mentors.

There will be a requirement to maintain accurate records and provide regular reports on the service to management. 

Main duties and responsibilities: 

• Recruit volunteer adopter mentors who have the experience and desire to provide reassurance and help to others undergoing the adopter assessment process and support through their adoption journey.
• Recruit volunteer mentors who have the experience and desire to help other adoptive parents by listening to their concerns, from one parent to another, providing advice and guidance where possible.
• Respond to requests from social workers for a mentor in a timely manner and identify the most appropriate mentor to support adoptive parents, by identifying the need and reviewing which Mentor, would be best able to support that adopter
• Develop monitoring systems and maintain statistical information to ensure that the service reflects the needs of adopters.
• Ensure safe and realistic expectations and outcomes for mentors and mentees and oversee completion of mentoring agreement between participants
• Assist with development of a training programme for mentors, taking responsibility for inviting speakers and guests. This will ensure mentors have an opportunity to learn and develop, so they can keep up to date with changes that arise within the service or the wider professional network, to ensure they provide accurate information to adopters.
• Provide one to one telephone support for mentors on a regular basis and listen, empathise, build relationships, convey information with sensitivity, and act accordingly
• Provide appropriate supervision, support, advice, and assistance to mentors throughout the process of mentoring to ensure that a safe and consistent service is provided.
• Monitor volunteer’s experience of mentoring, including their participation to ensure mentors feel supported and issues arising can be addressed quickly and if necessary shared within the adoption service.
• Retain accurate records of activity and referrals in line with GDPR, ensuring data and feedback is passed on to agreed parties.

About Us:

Adoption Partnership South East is the regional adoption agency delivering adoption services for the London Borough of Bexley, Kent County Council, and Medway Council. Bringing together our expertise, we are committed to achieving the best for all our children across the region. Our agency launched in November 2020.

We are committed to ensuring that children are able to remain in the care of their parents and birth families wherever possible. However, where it is not possible to achieve stability for the child within the birth family, we work to achieve alternative permanent arrangements for the child within a family setting and these include adoption.

The adoption service abides by equal opportunities legislation and the policies of each Partner. The service works positively and respectfully with all service users and partner agencies regardless of race, colour, religion, language, culture, disability, gender, sexual orientation, or age. Every attempt with be made to secure an adoptive family which meets a child’s emotional and developmental needs considering their ethnicity, religion, language, culture, gender, and disability considering the need to avoid undue delay.

Requirements:

This post is subject to a Standard Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Contact Details

For further information or to have an informal conversation regarding the role, please contact: Oliver Martin (Adoption Agency Coordinator)

Email: apcoordinator@Kent.gov.uk

Call:  03000 420508. 

About the Company

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds and faiths, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note – if you are interested, please apply as soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.