Fostering Social Worker

Hull Fostering Service is currently recruiting to seven social work vacancies across a number of teams. We have four posts within our Kinship Assessment Team, undertaking viability and full assessments of family and friends carers; two posts within our Mainstream Fostering Assessment Team, recruiting and assessing prospective foster carers; and one post within our Mainstream Fostering Support Team, providing ongoing supervision, support and development to approved foster carers. These opportunities offer applicants the chance to develop expertise within a particular area of fostering while benefiting from being part of a wider, supportive and ambitious fostering service.

ROLE AND PURPOSE

Grade 7: To provide and support the delivery of high quality social work activities for Hull children and families. Works within the Fostering Service to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people in need and their families by the provision of the high quality family based placements, within the Regulations for Fostering Service and Fostering National Minimum Standards (NMS).

This is a developmental role aimed at Newly Qualified Social Workers beginning in the Assessed & Supported Year in Employment (AYSE) and those in the first three years of their Early Professional Development (EPD) (See National Professional Capabilities Framework).

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• To promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people including the children of foster carers.
• Contributes to the overarching strategy in Hull Children’s Social Care Services, to ensure that the Fostering Service actively plans for safety, permanency and stability for children and young people to actively support children to live at home or in alternative care as appropriate.
• Works in partnership with colleagues, children, parents and carers, ensuring that child-centred practice is the principal standard and framework for all work undertaken with foster carers, children, young people and families.
• Engages in reflective and constructive challenge within the course of working with colleagues, other agencies and with children, young people and families.
• Recruits, assesses and supports foster carers and people with permanent orders for children. Ensures that Service procedures and relevant legislation are adhered to during the assessment and support of carers including the development, facilitation and implementation of training for prospective and approved foster carers, and for post order carers.
• Undertakes placement finding, matching and allocation of foster carers to best meet the needs of children requiring fostering, supported lodgings and other placements.
• Undertakes specific pieces of direct work with carers, children, young people and families both individually and co-working with colleagues. Supervises and manages carers in accordance with statutory regulations, NMS and service procedures.
• Actively engages in team activities to ensure focused and purposeful social work is undertaken with all cases so that the fostering service and the carers work to achieve positive outcomes for children, in line with relevant plans for each child.
• Ensures that case recording, assessments, supervision, plans and reviews are up to date, accurate and reflects the child’s and carer’s journey, and complaint with Hull’s Social Work Practice Standards and Fostering Regulations/ other legislation.
• Works alongside colleagues in relation to decision-making on complex/high risk cases, and co-ordinates services to ensure appropriate matching so as to safeguard the well-being of children.
• Prepares for and attends relevant decision-making meetings and panels on specific cases where required e.g. Foster Panel/ Fostering Reviews/ CLA Reviews/ Professional and Strategy meetings.
• Provides professional supervision to foster carers and their household members in accordance with Fostering NMS and Regulations.
• Actively engages in personal and professional development and continuous learning as required for professional registration and high quality delivery of services.
• The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated legislation places responsibilities for health and safety on Hull City Council, as your employer and you as an employee of the council. In addition to the Councils overall duties, the post holder has personal responsibility for their own health & safety and that of other employees; additional and more specific responsibilities are identified in the Council’s Corporate H&S policy.

Grade 8, all of the above plus:

• Engages in and advises in professional decision-making processes with children, young people, families, carers, and colleagues in relation to complex/high risk cases.
• Provides co-working support and advice to other staff members within the team.
• Engages in and provides peer supervision and development forums to improve and develop services to carers and children looked after.
• Prepares for and attends court as required in relation to specific cases.

Grade 9, all of the above plus:

• Actively supports and leads on practice development and the provision of information/professional expertise e.g. for policy amendments or improved ways of working.
• Provides advice, support and day-to-day supervision to social work students and non-qualified members of the team.

OUT OF HOURS SERVICE

In order to comply with the Fostering Regulations and National Standards the post-holder is required to be on call on a rota basis to provide an out of hours service to Foster Carers.

Benefits of Working of Hull City Council:

• A competitive salary
• An excellent pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Initially 23 days annual leave depending on length of service. You will also get eight public holidays per year, and three additional days off, one in May/August and one during the Christmas/New year period
• Career development and learning experiences from a range of training courses and learning methods
• Supportive and forward-thinking culture
• Great career development opportunities

Please ensure that you complete and submit your application by midnight prior to the closing date. Please ensure that your application demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria against the person specification as listed in the job description.