Job Description

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: County Hall, Glenfield, LE3 8RA

Salary: £43,222 - £45,982 (inclusive of market premia at £3,283) per annum (pro-rata for part time) (pay award pending)

Working Hours: 18.5 hrs per week

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 08/09/2026

Interview Date(s): TBC

About the Role

This is a rewarding and unique opportunity to make a meaningful difference to the lives of adopted adults seeking to better understand their personal history and identity.

The post holder will be responsible for delivering timely, effective, and sensitive birth records counselling to adults who were adopted as children and wish to access their adoption records. They will provide specialist advice, guidance, and emotional support throughout the access to records process, ensuring that adoption records are shared in a planned, supportive, and person-centred manner.

Working within established timescales and statutory requirements, the post holder will facilitate counselling sessions with individuals seeking access to their birth records. They will support individuals in exploring the potential implications of accessing information about their birth family and, where appropriate, assist them in considering and planning contact with birth relatives.

The post holder will play a key role in providing expertise on birth records and adoption-related identity issues.

Working collaboratively with Post Adoption Support Social Workers and other relevant professionals, the post holder will contribute to the development and delivery of training, consultation, and best practice guidance relating to birth records counselling.

Enhanced DBS check is required for this post.

For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders, please see our policy statement

About You

To apply for this post, you must be able to evidence in your application how you meet the following criteria:

Please ensure that you cover all 7 points in your application and provide clear examples and evidence of how each point has been met.

• A social work qualification (degree or equivalent).
• To deliver a timely, sensitive, and responsive birth records counselling service and to provide one to one support to individuals requiring guidance around issues in relation to their birth records.
• Alongside the Team Manager and BRC coordinator, develop and deliver training workshops and guidance around Birth Records Counselling, and the importance of information for the adult adoptee.
• To be responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of adult adoptees and assessing any on-going support needs.
• To demonstrate in-depth experience and knowledge of the adoption journey and reasons for coming into care.
• To communicate effectively and sensitively with families being supported, wherever they are in the process.
• To liaise closely with everyone in the Adoption service and attend regular team meetings, sharing knowledge and experience, and updating each other on current issues including birth records issues.

In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

Lisa Deakin - Team Manager Permanence

Email: Lisa.Deakin@leics.gov.uk

How to Apply

At Leicestershire County Council we’re looking for top talent from all walks of life. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, and whatever your background - we care about what you bring to our organisation, not just what’s on your CV. That’s why we’ve designed a recruitment process that’s fair, accessible, and focused on potential. And with benefits that support people at every age and stage of life, we make sure you can thrive - both personally and professionally.

If you share our passion to make a difference for the people of Leicestershire, we’d love to hear from you. Click the apply button to submit your application, ensuring that you upload a supporting statement that explains how you meet the criteria listed in the ‘About You’ section above. Without this information, we won’t be able to assess your suitability for the role, and your application will be rejected. For tips on how to write your statement, see the How to Apply section on our career site.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: https://emss.org.uk/support

By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions

About Leicestershire County Council

At Leicestershire County Council, we're committed to making a real difference in people's lives. Our aim is to work with communities and partners to deliver public services that make Leicestershire the best possible place to live and work for everyone.

Our employees play a key role in supporting this goal and helping us deliver the vital services we provide to the people of Leicestershire. Whether you're starting your career or looking for your next challenge, you'll find a place with us where your ideas are valued, and your work has purpose.

For further information on what it’s like to work for us and the benefits we offer, please refer to the following:

Our Recruitment Process
Our Organisational Values
Our Employee Benefits
Working for Us