Fostering Panel Advisor in London

About The Role

The role will involve a mix of office-based and home working. Fostering Panel is twice per month and is an in-person meeting. Quality assurance of paperwork can be done from home but an element of the role will require regular contact with staff in the Fostering, Kinship and Children's Social Work Teams.

Are you an experienced Social Worker looking for an exciting and rare opportunity to support and develop foster carers and the service offered to children looked after? The Fostering Independent Reviewing Officer (FIRO) sits within the Children Looked After Service overseen by the Service Manager for Fostering and Permanency. In this role you will provide strategic advice and overview of the needs of the fostering service and would develop links with Islington's Foster Care Association to build relations and contribute to the development of our foster carers. You will work closely with the IROs for Children We Look After to understand the needs of our children who our foster carers are taking care of.

Can you join us and maintain the very highest quality oversight of our foster carers' development to ensure they provide the best care for our children and young people?

About the role - our vision

Islington Council's Fostering Service is dedicated to creating a better future for our children and young people. Key to this is having a diverse, skilled group of foster and kinship carers ready to offer care and support when children and young people are unable to remain at home. Our children, young people and their families are at the heart of everything we do and the development of our practice model allows us to them towards their version of meaningful and sustained change. Islington's Motivational Practice Model provides an integrated care, safeguarding and change model, which includes Motivational Interviewing skills helping to build meaningful relationships and promote safety, collaboration and purposeful change.

Our practice model is further complemented by Trauma-informed practice (including Dyadic Development Practice), as we believe that by better understanding the lived experiences of those we are here to serve, we are better positioned to engage, support and assist children and young people to reach their full potential. Relationships are also central to achieving the very best outcome for our children, young people, their families and their carers. We work closely with our fostering team and placements service to support our carers in offering a trauma informed approach to care, and to offer stable placements where our children and young people can achieve their potential. Therefore, relationship-based practice is key to approach.

Children's Services is shaped by our Motivational Practice Framework which places trauma informed practice at the centre of our work with children and their families.

As a Fostering Panel Advisor you will provide expert guidance to ensure high-quality, legislatively and statutorily compliant fostering services, focusing on quality assurance, training panel members, advising the Agency Decision Maker (ADM), and ensure statutory requirements are met for considering the suitability to foster of all Islington's mainstream and kinship foster carers. They quality assure reports, develop practice, offer professional advice on policy and help recruit, train and appraise panel members, ensure fair processes for foster carers and effective outcomes for children.

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• You will be a qualified social worker and have experience of working with Children Looked After and Foster Carers and social work practice leadership.
• Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of Children Act 1989 and 2004, Fostering Regulations and National Minimum Standards, care planning legislation and the Training Support and Development Standards.
• Awareness of current national policy, evidence-based research and best practice.
• Ability to use methods based in Dyadic Development Practice and challenge practitioners and the fostering service in a way that enhances the capacity to reflect and create change in practice and relationships with children in the care of mainstream and kinship foster carers.

If you meet the required criteria and want to join a forward-thinking and progressive Social Work service, we encourage you to apply for this opportunity.

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Róisín Hegarty-Tait.

A presentation will form part of the interview process.

Islington Council are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Council and can improve the way we deliver services.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please let us know.

We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts may be exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to these posts will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to an enhanced check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Working for the team, service and our organisation

Islington is a place rich with diversity and culture. As a council our sense of purpose couldn’t be clearer: we serve. It’s in the logo. We are committed to challenging inequality in the borough and as one of the largest employers we know that to look after the place and the planet, we have to look after our people. Together we can change the future. We are determined to create a more equal Islington, where everyone who lives here has an equal chance to thrive.

To do this, everyone who works at Islington Council lives by a set of values which guide us in everything that we do: collaborative, ambitious, resourceful, and empowering. They spell out ‘CARE’, which is what we think public service is all about.

Our offer to you

We are committed to challenging inequality in the borough and as one of the largest employers we know that to look after the place and the planet, we have to look after our people. Our staff benefits include:

• Up to 31 days leave per year, increasing to 36 days after five years of local government service
• A range of flexible working arrangements to maintain a healthy work-life balance, as well as a 35-hour working week
• Learning and development opportunities to maximise your potential
• Competitive pay and a commitment to paying all staff the London Living Wage at minimum
• Excellent local government pension scheme
• Cycle to Work scheme and discounted gym memberships
• Local discounts from restaurants, shops, health and beauty therapists, and more!

Please note: Priority will be given to those at risk of redundancy within Islington Council. Current employees who are part of the redeployment pool must meet the essential criteria for shortlisting to be prioritised.

Workforce Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

We are dedicated to creating an inclusive and equitable workforce, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Our workforce strategy places equality, equity, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of everything we do, reaffirming our commitment to fostering a culture of inclusion. We strive to create an environment where all colleagues feel they belong and can safely express their thoughts, ideas, and challenges, without fear of judgement or discrimination.

We maintain a zero-tolerance approach to any unlawful discrimination, harassment, or victimisation on the grounds of any protected characteristics under the 2010 Equality Act, including but not limited to race, disability, sexual orientation, sex, religion and belief, age, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy, and maternity. Any incidents of discrimination will be promptly investigated and addressed in line with our HR policies to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all colleagues.

We use data to identify and address disparities, ensuring that our policies and practices are transparent and impactful in promoting a diverse representation of backgrounds and perspectives at all levels of the organisation. We look at inequality through an intersectional lens, recognising that different aspects of someone’s identity can combine to create unique experiences of discrimination and disadvantage.

We know that advancing diversity and inclusion is a continuous journey, and we must listen to our colleagues and learn where we can further improve. We work closely with our Colleague Forums and Trade Unions, supported by active allies from our Corporate Management Team, to monitor and evaluate our practices, identify barriers, and empower colleagues to promote equality and inclusion in the workplace.

Every one of us has a role to play in making Islington Council a truly inclusive workplace. By living out our CARE (collaborative, ambitious, resourceful, and empowering) values every day and embedding the principles of equality, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our work, we can all actively contribute to empowering people and creating a more equal Islington.

Pre‑Employment Checks

Any offer of employment will be subject to the successful completion of required pre‑employment checks. These may include:

• Proof of address
• Evidence of any name changes (if applicable)
• Right to work in the UK
• Overseas criminal record check (if applicable)
• Satisfactory references
• Occupational Health clearance
• Evidence of professional qualifications or registrations
• DBS check at the appropriate level (if applicable)

Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expects all staff, and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts are subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service. The post is subject to an enhanced DBS check with children barred list, qualifications check and 3/5 years referencing.

Disability Confident Scheme

Islington Council operates a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria and we are committed to providing support to applicants who request reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process and throughout their career with us.

Islington Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.