Job Description:
Hours/Days: 37 hours per week - Monday - Friday - Office Based on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and WFH Tuesdays and Thursdays. Monthly training on a Thursday.
4:30pm finish on a Friday.
There would be flexibility to do 4 days instead of 5 days which would be 30 hours per week (salary pro rota)
Salary: To be discussed, dependant on experience.
Role: Recruit and assess potential new carers.
To hold a protected case load and provide a support service for existing agency carers.
Implement planned therapeutic support packages for children and young people placed within NEWFOC*AS* using a trauma informed approach.
Out of Hours sickness and holiday cover (paid as overtime).
Accountable to: Service Manager
Responsibilities:
Recruitment Responsibilities:
- Taking the main social work lead and co-ordinating carer recruitment within NEWFOC*AS*
- To work as part of a team on marketing strategies for applicant carers
- To participate in undertaking applicant carer initial enquiry form.
- To undertake prospective carer visits and assess prospective carers at Skills to Foster.
- Undertake Foster carer assessments on Prospective carers. Taking prospective carers from Enquiry to Panel, and being involved in the whole process.
- To participate in Skills to Foster training at regular intervals throughout the year
- Undertake risk assessments on Prospective foster carers homes as part of the assessment.
- To be involved in the CRUM (Carer Recruitment update Meetings) and run the recruitment process with the help of the Senior Administrator. Taking prospective carers from Enquiry to Panel.
- Undertake induction training with newly approved foster carers, as soon as possible after their approval and before a child is placed.
Supervisory Responsibilities (small case load).
- To undertake carer supervision to the frequency required by the agency and carers needs and to monitor that the carers are working towards the child’s individually tailored placement plan, that it is operating successfully and fits the overall placement strategy.
- To ascertain, through supervision and review process, the carers individual and collective training needs and liaise with relevant NEWFOC*AS* colleagues to ensure that these training needs are met.
- To collate diary sheet information along with a trauma informed therapeutic overview into comprehensive weekly progress reports for placing local authorities and to monitor and ensure the report is of the quality expected by the agency.
- To attend planning and review meetings and proactively contribute information gathered by NEWFOC*AS* towards the foster child’s ongoing LAC planning process and to ensure that the Local Authority continues to subscribe to the agreed plan, or alter it according to changing needs.
- To record running records for carers and children into CHARMS database, and keep records and files up to date.
- To develop and ensure the provision of a suitable support package to include respite and time out for each set of carers, commensurate with the needs of children and young people placed.
- To identify alongside the NEWFOCAS referrals coordinator, suitable matches for potential foster children, undertake risk assessments, liaising with local authority fostering teams, and relevant foster carers, providing suitable information for placement matching purposes and undertaking the admission in accordance with NEWFOCAS policy and procedures.
- Undertake approved carer reviews under NEWFOC*AS* procedures and specifications, provide written reports of such to NEWFOC*AS* requirements and specifications and present the report to Panel.
Therapeutic Responsibilities (small Case load)
- To contribute to the development of the therapeutic services of NEWFOC*AS.*
- To ensure that the gathering of comprehensive initial information from internal and external sources (TIP -Therapeutic Information Planning) has been completed, preadmission, and continuing post admission, towards formulating ongoing individual therapeutic programmes (TAPS), implementing the programme with the assistance of carers and sessional staff and reviewing the programme at regular intervals.
- Ongoing communication with relevant personnel including LA social work staff, therapeutic health worker e.g. CAMHS, Barnardo’s, NCH to ensure the best possible quality and comprehensiveness for the child’s therapeutic plan.
- To assist carers gain better understanding of their foster child’s needs and contribute helping them so identify their ongoing individual training needs.
- To work closely with the NEWFOC*AS* therapeutic social workers and the allocated Local Authority child care social worker to compile an individually tailored care plan which identifies how the agency and carers will address the ongoing needs of the child.
- To undertake direct work with children, in a planned therapeutic manner.
General Responsibilities:
- To be involved in facilitating training sessions for foster carers and sessional carers.
- Promote NEWFOC*AS* services and provide information to the relevant local authority staff about the specialist nature of those services, in an ongoing manner.
- To cover one week per month Out of Hours in cases of sickness or holiday cover. (Paid as overtime) To provide a comprehensive and support system for NEWFOC*AS* carers.
- To be included in a rota over the Christmas Period to support the agency for at least one day between Christmas and New Year.
- To continue in an ongoing manner to develop your own knowledge and understanding commensurate with your role and responsibilities and to identify any training needs you may have.
- Work as part of the social worker team and communicate effectively.
- Any other duties as deemed necessary including cover for colleague’s absence.
- Recognise different people’s needs
Overall person specification:
The post holder will have an empathic understanding of the nature of the foster carer task, an ability to communicate effectively with carers, social work colleagues within the agency and local authority; be able to work on their own initiative and also as an effective team player; fully understand the systems and legislation operating behind the comprehensive assessment process, have proven organisational skills and the ability to put people from all service sections at their ease; be confident and efficient in their overall approach to the job They will also have the ability and confidence to intervene and support carers in conflict situation and have the ability to mediate and ameliorate in times of potential placement breakdown to resolve that risk, to the agreement of all concerned.
They must also have proven skills of communication with traumatised children and young people in the care system, have a good knowledge of attachment issues and the impact of trauma upon their development and interpersonal skills.
Expected Components of the role:
Essential
- Degree in social work or equivalent.
- Registration with Care Council of Wales.
- Proven ability to working in a non -judgemental anti discriminatory manner.
- Proven experience of multi -disciplinary working.
- Understanding of the effect of childhood trauma on a child’s ongoing development and how this can impact their behaviour.
- Proven experience of managing and being conversant with ways to strategically handle the most challenging behaviours displayed by some children and young people.
- Ability and experience to enable post holder to work on own initiative and to instigate change in working practice, wherever necessary
- The ability to prepare and lead carer training
- The ability to undertaking comprehensive assessments of potential foster carers, training new and existing carers and providing on going support
- Mediation, counselling and negotiation skills, and a clear empathy and understanding of the carers role
- An ability to compile procedural documentation and produce high quality reports and assessments, to court ready standard.
- Working knowledge of local authority or independent agency fostering services
- Comprehensive Working knowledge of child care and foster care legislation, and National Minimum Standards for Foster Care -including child protection procedures
- Computer literacy particularly Microsoft word
- Be DBS cleared to enhanced level
- A fully qualified car driver
Benefits:
- Company pension
- On-site parking
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Buckley CH7 2ED
Pay: £32,000.00-£34,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- Sick pay
- Work from home
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Buckley CH7 2ED
