Job Overview
Job Profile:
CFS Care Fostering is an independent fostering agency based in the Northwest of England. At the very heart of every foster home is the shared value and belief that every looked after child deserves the very best foster carers and fostering family. We therefore aim to excel in the standards we achieve through the appointment of dedicated, skilled, experienced professionals who are tasked with supporting carers and the operational aspects of the service.
This postholder will ensure that foster carers, operational staff within the fostering service, stakeholders, and senior leaders are supported in their roles to enable outcomes for children to be optimised. This role is essential in ensuring that the service is responsive, flexible, compliant with Regulations, and strives to be the best that it can be. This is a pivotal role in supporting the management of the fostering service so that the social workers and support workers can focus their time and energies in supporting those who care for children who often have complex and challenging circumstances to manage, providing preventative work to ensure placement stability. Achieving this requires a comprehensive structure of support, that this role will be essential in providing.
Main Duties:
The Fostering Administrator will have two distinct elements to the role. The duties of each are outlined below:
Fostering Administration (including Panel management)
· To support the operational elements of the team’s day-to-day work, including communication with foster carers, colleagues across the CFS workforce, and with external stakeholders.
· To develop guides, help books, processes, and any other material which could usefully support and assist those using the CHARMS system within CFS Care. This would also include the regular communication to the Agency of changes and developments to the system, ensuring all staff are aware of these in a timely manner.
· To be responsible for updating the CHARMS case management records and ensuring these are accurate, up-to-date, and amended as appropriate.
· To process all applications from prospective foster carers, including checks and references in line with National Minimum Standards and all safer recruitment processes, and co-ordinating meetings between the assessing social worker and the quality assuring manager. This includes the initial meeting and any subsequent review meetings. This role will also need to ensure that a Panel date is agreed for the assessment to be heard.
· To support in the management of foster carer reviews, whether annual or following changes in circumstances, concerns, or allegations. This will include establishing and monitoring a planner with timeframes for paperwork completion, sending for feedback from all professionals involved (to be identified by the Supervising Social Worker) and monitoring the return of such feedback, and liaising with fostering managers should a lack of response need to be escalated. The role will include liaising with the Independent Fostering Reviewing Officer and ensuring all paperwork is made available to them within timescales.
· To manage the ADM process following reviews which do not go to Panel, and when changes to a carer’s terms of approval have been made mid-year.
· To support in the co-ordination and minuting of foster carer support groups.
· To support in the preparation, arrangements, and facilitation of events, including for carers, fostered children, and birth children.
· To contribute to the marketing and recruitment of new carers, including attending recruitment events and fairs.
· To take calls and respond to emails from foster carers, ensuring that those questions which cannot be answered are directed to the relevant worker or manager in the team.
Fostering Panels
· To work closely with the Registered Manager in ensuring the process and functionality of Panel meets the demands and needs of the service, within the Regulatory requirements.
· To co-ordinate and oversee the arrangement of Fostering Panels, including scheduling Panel meetings in line with cases needing to be presented, and arranging the rota for Panel Members which ensures Panels are quorate.
· Ensuring a co-ordinated approach to the gathering of post-Panel feedback and communicating themes and issues to the Registered Manager.
· Management of the Central List of Panel Members across the service.
· Identifying gaps within the Central List and highlighting these to the Registered Manager and Human Resources, so any recruitment processes can be followed.
· Co-ordinating Panel Member appraisals and Panel Chair appraisal, liaising with the Agency Decision Maker (for Chair appraisals).
· Collating the data and in partnership with the Registered Manager, producing the Panel Annual Report.
· When required, minuting Panel meetings and ensuring the minutes are signed by the Chair and uploaded to CHARMS. Regular oversight of the quality of minutes undertaken by others within the organisation should be undertaken, with constructive feedback, and any training provided, if required.
· Supporting the arrangement and facilitation of Panel Member training.
· Co-ordinating the Panel Member newsletter, including its distribution and proactive approach to developing communication between the Agency and Panel Members.
· To be involved in the review of Panel function, including the Fostering Panel policy, in line with changing practice, processes, and legislation/Standards.
· To oversee the ADM administration function, ensuring processes following the ADM decision are completed, including liaising with the independent ADM, and updating the CHARMS database and relevant monitoring spreadsheets to accurately reflect the decisions made. This will also involve ringing foster carers within 48 hours of a decision being made, and issuing a letter within 5 working days confirming the decision and reasons for the decision.
· Ensure that all Foster Carer Agreements are processed and signed.
· To liaise with Chair and Vice Chair regarding quarterly Service Review Meetings and contributing to the preparation of these meetings, including attendance at the meetings, contributing to discussions, and taking the minutes.
Compliance, Monitoring, and Reporting
· Utilising the reporting features on the CHARMS database and providing regular and ad hoc information to the managers within the service, as and when this may be required. This will also include support in the production of Regulation 35 Reports.
· Providing analysis on the information obtained through CHARMS reports, enabling managers to understand and interpret context.
· Undertaking compliance spreadsheets in use across the service. This may in time be replaced with entire reliance on the CHARMS database. The role will involve extracting data from the compliance spreadsheets and providing detail to fostering managers.
· Provision of data and contribution to the analysis and presentation of data to senior leaders in the Agency and to the Board of Directors.
· Working with others in the team at ways to streamline, improve, enhance, and develop the service, with particular focus on the use of data to drive improvements to practice.
· Contributing to the development of Agency policies and processes, reflecting changes in good practice guidance and Legislative changes.
· To be involved in any development and quality assurance tasks within the remit of the role, including audits, compliance checks, and practice development opportunities.
· To work with the Registered Manager and other senior leaders in co-ordinating the production and review of Policies within the Agency.
· To have an overview of processes required to comply with Agency policies and Regulations, developing these through relevant processes within the Agency and with colleagues across the service.
· To develop standardised templates and proformas and ensure these are utilised consistently across the service.
· Oversight of the Fostering Agency’s Policies and templates across the organisation, ensuring these are available to foster carers and staff (wherever relevant).
General Tasks/Responsibilities
· To contribute to a rota of staff within the organisation who provide cover at the head office. This will include opening and closing down the property, maintaining safe and hygienic working spaces, facilitating support to visiting professionals and workers undertaking jobs on the property.
· To take responsibility for own professional development, maintaining essential qualifications, regularly updating knowledge, and undertaking all training opportunities provided by CFS Care Limited.
· To be responsible for the implementation of the Health & Safety Policy as far as it affects the role, colleagues and others who may be affected by the role. The post holder is also expected to monitor the effectiveness of the Health & Safety arrangements and systems to ensure appropriate improvements are made where necessary.
· Since confidential information is involved with the duties of this post the post holder will be required to always exercise discretion and to observe relevant codes of practice and legislation in relation to data protection and personal information.
· To support in the effective running of the Fostering services out of hours rota, including managing the telephone system so out of hours can be managed as per the rota.
· Arranging, contributing to, and minuting Fostering Team meetings, and other important meetings as and when required.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £25,000.00-£27,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Health & wellbeing programme
- Private medical insurance
Education:
- GCSE or equivalent (preferred)
Experience:
- Taking Minutes: 1 year (preferred)
- Administrative experience: 1 year (preferred)
- Fostering Admin: 1 year (required)
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (preferred)
Work Location: In person
