QUALIFIED SOCIAL WORKER
Thrive Foster Care is looking for a passionate Supervising Social Worker to join our team. You will be responsible for supporting, supervising, and assessing foster parents, ensuring that the children in our care feel safe, secure, and able to thrive.
You will assess new applicants wishing to become foster parents and support and supervise an active caseload of foster families, helping them meet and exceed fostering standards.
Key Responsibilities:
- Assess New Foster Applicants: Undertake comprehensive Form F Assessments of prospective foster parents, ensuring they meet Inspire Fostering’s values, competencies, and statutory requirements.
- Recruitment Participation: Play an active role in recruitment and advertising campaigns to attract new foster carers.
- Supervision and Support: Supervise and support up to 12 approved foster parents, providing regular visits, reflective supervision, and advice to help them deliver safe, nurturing care.
- Training and Development: Guide new foster parents through the induction process and support them in completing their TSD Standards portfolios. Identify learning needs, create Personal Development Plans (PDPs), and support ongoing training.
- Reflective Practice: Facilitate monthly reflective sessions with foster parents, using models like systemic theory and social learning theory to help carers understand their impact on children’s development.
- Child-Focused Work: Directly engage with children and young people to promote placement stability and personal development.
- Health and Safety: Conduct unannounced visits, risk assessments, and health and safety checks to ensure a safe environment for all children in care.
- Annual Reviews: Complete thorough annual reviews of foster parents, providing evidence-based assessments and presenting reports to the Fostering Panel as required.
- Placement Matching: Respond promptly to referrals, working closely with the Registered Manager to carefully match children with foster parents.
- Safeguarding and Compliance: Prioritize the welfare and protection of children at all times, ensuring full compliance with legislative, regulatory, and company standards. Record, investigate, and act upon any concerns immediately.
- Advocacy and Reporting: Prepare reports for LAC reviews, placement stability meetings, and advocate for foster parents and young people where necessary.
- Confidentiality: Maintain the confidentiality of all information, ensuring all applicant and foster carer records are securely managed in line with company policy.
Key Qualities:
- Ability to build strong, supportive relationships with foster parents and applicants.
- Skilled in undertaking thorough, analytical assessments.
- Strong understanding of fostering regulations, safeguarding, and child development.
- Reflective, trauma-informed, and committed to continuous learning.
- Excellent communication, organization, and time management skills.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Social Work or a related field
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build rapport with diverse populations
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
- Knowledge of social work theories, principles, and ethics
- Ability to work independently as well as part of a team
-Experience of analytical and critical report writing.
- Proficient in using computer software for documentation and record keeping
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities and requirements. The role may require additional tasks as assigned by the employer.
Attitude:
- Dedication to achieving optimal Every Child Matters outcomes for looked-after children.
- Devotion to providing robust support to foster carers in their responsibility of caring for children with complex needs.
- Appreciation for diversity in ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, and sexual orientation.
- Recognition of the importance of confidentiality, with a commitment to maintaining it.
- Readiness to enhance knowledge and comprehension of issues through reading, discussions, and supervision
Benefits:
28 days annual leave
Day off for your birthday!
On site parking
Company events
Great CPD opportunities
Team building days
Mileage
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Bereavement leave
- Company events
- Enhanced maternity leave
- Enhanced paternity leave
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
Schedule:
Education:
Experience:
- social work: 2 years (preferred)
Licence/Certification:
Pay: £36,000.00-£40,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Bereavement leave
- Company events
- Enhanced maternity leave
- Enhanced paternity leave
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
Work Location: In person
