Business Support Assistant

Join 'Together for Adoption' Regional Adoption Agency and you will play a vital role in supporting adoptive applicants and families. We are seeking to recruit an enthusiastic, highly motivated member for Business Support to join our Adoption Team.

Your role:

You will work to support the Recruitment and Assessment Team with adoptive applicants and adoptive families across the Together for Adoption Regional footprint. You will provide a flexible range of services; your primary focus will be around supporting the Recruitment and Assessment team, however other duties will include the general administration side of supporting an adoption agency, meaning good communication skills for incoming and outgoing calls. Administering incoming and outgoing mail, either by postal service or email. You will be expected to build strong working relationships with partner agencies to best represent the Regional Adoption Agency to support children who have adoption plans.

About you:

We are keen to hear from you if you have a genuine interest in supporting our Adoption Agency. This is a rewarding and challenging role, and you will follow the journey of families becoming approved for an adoptive placement. We require a worker who has good communication skills to ensure our processes for approving prospective adopters runs to timescales and gives assurance to them that we care.

Act as first point of contact for enquiries, providing basic advice to managers and employees and referring on to other team members/Directorates as appropriate. Respond to routine and ad hoc requests for information from line management, internal and external sources in a timely, responsive manner.

Maintain systems for computerised document control, to support the work of the team.

Work to the standards laid down within the policies, processes and procedures of the unit, service and Council.

Support line management in developing a corporate performance management culture that enables a framework to drive continuous improvement that enables service specific business development through appropriate professional support. Ensure the integrity and accuracy of data and information used and process within the team and service.

Input and retrieve information from the corporate systems as necessary. Utilise systems and equipment effectively and efficiently and maintain systems, equipment, records and files in good order. Prepare and scan documents into various systems.

Applications are welcomed from people with relevant experience of office systems and Council processes. You are required to have excellent communication skills and be able to work effectively with a wide range of agencies. You are required to have some knowledge base around adoption legislation and guidance however, you will be guided by the team. We need a business support worker who enjoys a varied daily workload within a stable and well supported team.

Wigan Council has been voted 'Overall Council of the Year' at the APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) Awards. We are signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment ensuring that your service will be continuous or 'unbroken' between the supporting organisations.

Together for Adoption is a Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) hosted by Wigan Borough Council which provides adoption services across Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, St Helens, Warrington and Wigan Borough Council.

The post holder will join a lively, supportive and committed team and will be supported to further develop their skills, knowledge and experience through effective training, regular supervision and performance development reviews.