Personal Advisor - Social Care Non-Qualified - Merseyside

Care Leaver Personal Adviser / Social Worker – Children’s Services

Department: Children’s Social Care
Service: Care Leavers / Leaving Care
Role: Care Leaver Personal Adviser / Social Care Professional

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced and committed professional to join a Children’s Social Care Care Leavers Service, supporting young people who are preparing to leave care or have already left care.

The successful candidate will work directly with care leavers to promote independence, improve outcomes and ensure they receive the practical, emotional and financial support they need to successfully transition into adulthood.

You will manage an allocated caseload and work closely with young people, families, internal Council services and external partner agencies to develop and deliver person-centred Pathway Plans.

Key Responsibilities

Provide practical advice and support to care leavers around:
- Accommodation and housing
- Financial management and budgeting
- Education, training and employment
- Health and wellbeing
- Leisure, sport and cultural opportunities
- Accessing community services
Complete, monitor and review Pathway Plans, ensuring they are person-centred and reflect the young person's aspirations and needs.
Support young people to develop independence, confidence and decision-making skills.
Promote positive relationships between young people and their birth families, including facilitating and supervising contact where required.
Coordinate services and advocate for care leavers to ensure they receive appropriate support.
Maintain regular contact with allocated young people and monitor their progress, welfare and wellbeing.
Identify and assess risks and needs and escalate concerns appropriately through management channels.
Recognise and report safeguarding concerns in accordance with legislation and local safeguarding procedures.
Support young people to access universal and specialist health services.
Work collaboratively with Social Care, housing, education, health, employment services, voluntary organisations and community partners.
Attend and contribute to reviews, case conferences and other professional meetings.
Maintain accurate and timely case records, including updating ICS and other relevant databases.
Ensure information is recorded, stored and shared in accordance with data protection and confidentiality requirements.
Ensure case-related expenditure is appropriately authorised and recorded.
Contribute to team meetings, service development and continuous improvement initiatives.
Participate in supervision, performance reviews and relevant training and development.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate will have:

Experience working with care leavers, looked-after children or young people transitioning into adulthood.
Experience managing an allocated caseload.
Strong understanding of the challenges faced by young people leaving care.
Experience completing assessments and developing/reviewing Pathway Plans.
Knowledge of safeguarding procedures and risk assessment.
Strong communication, advocacy and relationship-building skills.
Experience working within a multi-agency environment.
Ability to empower young people and promote independence and positive outcomes.
Good understanding of accommodation, education, employment, finances and health support available to care leavers.
Strong organisational and case-recording skills.
Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a wider team.

Desirable Experience

Previous experience within a Leaving Care or Care Leavers Service.
Children's Social Care experience.
Experience working with young people aged 16–25.
Experience supporting young people with complex needs or safeguarding concerns.
Knowledge of relevant legislation, statutory guidance and local authority procedures.
Experience using ICS or other children's social care case management systems.

Key Competencies