Senior Fostering Social Worker in Beverley

The job itself

This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic practitioner who understands the unique role foster carers have in supporting our children who are looked after to achieve their full potential. The successful candidate will have the ability to work alongside the current Fostering Social Workers in the Support and supervision team to drive the development and evolution of the service.

We are looking for an energetic, creative and experienced practitioner who can demonstrate tenacity and enthusiasm in making a positive difference to the lives of children and young people. You will have a well-developed knowledge of Signs of Safety and have a working knowledge of restorative practice, social pedagogy and systemic practice. You will have an in depth understanding and experience of working with children, young people and their networks, as well as a demonstrable commitment to the values of family involvement, relational approaches and empowerment.

You will enjoy a varied role that will continue to evolve and develop. Your main role will be the assessment, support, supervision and development of foster carers but may include recruitment, training and duty/placement management. You will be passionate about ensuring our most vulnerable children are supported to achieve their full potential. You will be reflective and analytical in your approach and you will be able to confidently support the team through an Ofsted inspection. You will be able to work on your own initiative but also perform as part of a wider team. You will be able to build positive working relationships with foster carers, children and young people and professionals as well as respectfully challenge when appropriate.

You will be a confident and competent practitioner who has an excellent understanding of the statutory requirements relating to fostering services. You will be a dedicated professional who wants to make a difference for children who are looked after and enjoy the rewards of this challenging work. We are hugely ambitious for the future and would be particularly interested in applicants who are enthusiastic about developing service areas that will put East Riding fostering service at the very forefront of best practice.

If you meet all of these qualities, have the right value base, then what are you waiting for? Apply now and make a difference.

Our model

‘You can, I can, We can’

We have created a bespoke practice model that reflects and connects our vision, our value base and our behaviour as one East Riding of Yorkshire approach to working with children, young people and their families, which is nurtured and grown from within East Riding of Yorkshire CYPSSS and owned by our workforce.

We remain committed to Signs of Safety as a practice framework, but this will be set within a much wider, values based, model of practice that clearly connects Signs of Safety much more clearly with the East Riding value base, and our overall approach to making and sustaining relationships with children, families, and communities.

Without a well embedded model, there is nothing to centre our practice on to ensure that, while the work may be different, all our teams are grounded in the same values, beliefs, theories and approaches. Having a well-developed practice model helps to create a common language for the service and enables everyone to understand how we go about doing the right things, in the right way and for the right reasons for children and their families.

We are a small team and positive relationships are valued.

You will also be working with agencies across the East Riding of Yorkshire footprint so it is essential that the post holder is able to work effectively with others with a flexible and adaptable approach in a relational based approach – always demonstrating their commitment to working to the highest possible standards whilst remaining at all times child centred.