Social Worker (Weekends) in London

Location: Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full Time

Salary: £43,000 - £45,000 dependent on experience (+ £3,000 car allowance)

Up to 40 days annual leave (including 26 days holiday, Bank Holidays, One Moment in Time day and opportunity to buy 5 extra days), Minimum 9% Contributory Pension, Life Assurance, ‘The Hub’ discount marketplace, EAP, Occupational Health, Enhanced Sick pay, Enhanced Family Friendly leave, Expenses and Mileage, Tech Scheme.

About National Fostering Group

83% of employees at National Fostering Group say it is a great place to work, compared to 54% of employees at a typical UK based company! With over 20 years experience, National Fostering Group is the largest independent children's fostering group in the UK with a community of over 2,500 foster carers. As a Group, we work with Local Authorities to provide the highest quality of care for children and young people. All of our fostering agencies are officially recognised by Ofsted, Welsh and Scottish regulators as either ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’ which we are extremely proud of.

This will be given following a successful 6 month probationary period and is a performance based benefit.

We are looking for Assessing Social Workers to join our team. In this role you will be the first point of contact for prospective foster carers, guiding and supporting them through the whole assessment process with the highest level of customer service. You will be responsible for conducting well evidenced assessments which elicit comprehensive reports within established timelines, ensuring accuracy and high-quality standards.

Effective communication with colleagues and building relationships with the fostering agencies in your region will be crucial to this role. You will participate in recruitment and retention meetings, contribute to best practice development and help facilitate workshops to share knowledge and enhance practice standards.

This role will involve a lot of travel to applicants’ homes and fostering agencies to gather information, facts and evidence to prepare comprehensive assessment reports. You will also prepare prospective foster carers for panel presentations, reassuring them and managing their concerns throughout the process.

The Assessing Social Worker will be a dedicated and experienced Social Worker with a degree in Social Work and relevant registration. The ideal candidate will have proven experience working with foster carers, children and families, and expertise in family placement, child care and permanency.

You will be experienced and proficient in completing fostering assessments, informed risk evaluations and presenting fostering assessments to panels. You will need strong interpersonal skills, the ability to handle sensitive situations with empathy and excellent report-writing capabilities.

The candidate must be knowledgeable about child development, attachment theory and fostering regulations. A commitment to equal opportunities, personal learning and development, along with the ability to travel flexibly across the region is required.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and we expect all employees to share this commitment and undertake appropriate checks.