Supervising Social Worker - Fostering in Newport, Wales

Job Purpose: This is a Social Work role within the Fostering Service. To be responsible for support of kinship foster carers. To work within current legislation and Council policy, procedures and practice to assess and review services, including planned interventions, for a specific client group. To work within the statutory guidance and policy/procedural framework to assist in protecting those who are at risk or vulnerable. To contribute to the development and maintenance of workable systems to ensure quality of service across the city and the identification of people particularly at risk.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of effective systems to ensure quality services to Children in Need and Looked After Children.
• To assist where relevant in the recruitment and support of Foster Carers and connected persons.
• To review and update knowledge of legal, policy and procedural frameworks and demonstrate professional competence in social work practice as laid down in the Code of Practice for Social Workers.
• To work with individuals, families, carer groups and communities to help them make informed decisions, enabling them to clarify and express their needs and contribute to service planning.
• Work positively with colleagues in the statutory and independent sector to ensure an appropriate multi-agency approach, and represent Childrens Services as necessary in multi agency forums.
• Work with Kinship Foster Carers and communities to help them make informed decisions, enabling them to clarify and express their needs and contribute to service planning.
• To assess needs, risks and options, in family circumstances, taking into account legal and other requirements, including child protection and protection of vulnerable adults.
• To work actively with children and prospective carers to identify and inform plans to meet their support needs.
• To prepare for and participate in decision-making forums including annual reviews and Fostering Panel.
• To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of work, using professional and managerial supervision and support to improve practice.
• To contribute to the identification and agreement of outcomes required of the service.
• To work in multidisciplinary and multi organisational teams and contribute to policy review and development of best practice.
• To work with colleagues to agree a team approach to individual cases.
• To manage and prioritise the workload, carry out duties using accountable professional judgement.
• To participate in supervision, appraisal and team meetings, identifying issues and possible solutions where discussion and decision required.
• To participate in duty rotas as appropriate.
• To work within the budget framework of the service to identify specific packages of care to respond to individual assessments.
• To record and share client data in line with Council policy and procedure.
• To use corporate systems to support core business and care management process.
• To provide supervision to students and support other staff with students on placement to ensure good quality placements and development of the workforce.
• To support the Service Manager in the identification of trends on unmet or inappropriately met needs.
• To contribute to team meetings, service development days and training as appropriate, and to work with the Service Manager to ensure team and staff training needs are reviewed annually.
• To adopt a lead role in a practice development area and special projects within the team.
• To assist in identifying precise service needs to contribute to the annual service planning and commissioning process.

Corporate Requirements:

• To participate actively in supporting the principles and practice of equality of opportunity as stated in the Councils Equal Opportunities Policy.
• To take reasonable care for the health and safety of yourself and other persons who may be affected by your acts or omissions and to comply with all health and safety legislation as appropriate.
• To, as a statutory duty, adhere to the Councils Corporate Safeguarding Policy and associated policies and procedures and to report concerns regarding the safety and wellbeing of children.
• As a term of your employment you may be required to undertake such other duties and/or times of work as may reasonably be required of you, commensurate with your grade or general level of responsibility within the organisation.
• Although you will be provided with a base, you will be required to work from various locations and at home in accordance with the needs of the role and operating guidelines, due to COVID 19.