In addition to the excellent support, training, and benefits associated with NEWFOCAS, you will enjoy career development within a highly respected and nationally recognised foster care agency. Furthermore, we have successfully gained the 'Investors in People' award as recognition of our high level of good practice, and pride ourselves on creating a happy, enjoyable, and productive work environment.
- Social Worker (4 - 5 days per week) hybrid working in office Wednesday and Friday,
Buckley
Hours/Days: 30 or 37 hours per week
(4 or 5 days) - hybrid working in office Wednesday and Friday, plus another day if 5 days.
Role: Recruit and assess potential new carers.
To hold a protected case load and provide a support service for existing agency carers.
Implement planned therapeutic support packages for children and young people placed within NEWFOCAS using a trauma informed approach.
Out of Hours sickness and holiday cover (paid as overtime).
Accountable to: Service Manager
Responsibilities:
Recruitment:
Taking the main social work lead and co-ordinating carer recruitment within NEWFOCAS
To work as part of a team on marketing strategies for applicant carers
To participate in undertaking applicant carer initial enquiry form.
To undertake prospective carer visits and assess prospective carers at Skills to Foster.
Undertake Foster carer assessments on Prospective carers. Taking prospective carers from Enquiry to Panel, and being involved in the whole process.
To participate in Skills to Foster training at regular intervals throughout the year
Undertake risk assessments on Prospective foster carers homes as part of the assessment.
To be involved in the CRUM (Carer Recruitment update Meetings) and run the recruitment process with the help of the Senior Administrator. Taking prospective carers from Enquiry to Panel.
Undertake induction training with newly approved foster carers, as soon as possible after their approval and before a child is placed.Supervisory Responsibilities (small case load).
To undertake carer supervision to the frequency required by the agency and carers needs and to monitor that the carers are working towards the child’s individually tailored placement plan, that it is operating successfully and fits the overall placement strategy.
To ascertain, through supervision and review process, the carers individual and collective training needs and liaise with relevant NEWFOCAS colleagues to ensure that these training needs are met.
To collate diary sheet information along with a trauma informed therapeutic overview into comprehensive weekly progress reports for placing local authorities and to monitor and ensure the report is of the quality expected by the agency.
To attend planning and review meetings and proactively contribute information gathered by NEWFOCAS towards the foster child’s ongoing LAC planning process and to ensure that the Local Authority continues to subscribe to the agreed plan, or alter it according to changing needs.
To record running records for carers and children into CHARMS database, and keep records and files up to date.
To develop and ensure the provision of a suitable support package to include respite and time out for each set of carers, commensurate with the needs of children and young people placed.
To identify alongside the NEWFOCAS referrals coordinator, suitable matches for potential foster children, undertake risk assessments, liaising with local authority fostering teams, and relevant foster carers, providing suitable information for placement matching purposes and undertaking the admission in accordance with NEWFOCAS policy and procedures.
Undertake approved carer reviews under NEWFOCAS procedures and specifications, provide written reports of such to NEWFOCAS requirements and specifications and present the report to Panel.Therapeutic Responsibilities (small Case load)
To contribute to the development of the therapeutic services of NEWFOCAS.
To ensure that the gathering of comprehensive initial information from internal and external sources (TIP -Therapeutic Information Planning) has been completed, preadmission, and continuing post admission, towards formulating ongoing individual therapeutic programmes (TAPS), implementing the programme with the assistance of carers and sessional staff and reviewing the programme at regular intervals.
Ongoing communication with relevant personnel including LA social work staff, therapeutic health worker e.g. CAMHS, Barnardo’s, NCH to ensure the best possible quality and comprehensiveness for the child’s therapeutic plan.
To assist carers gain better understanding of their foster child’s needs and contribute helping them so identify their ongoing individual training needs.
To work closely with the NEWFOCAS therapeutic social workers and the allocated Local Authority child care social worker to compile an individually tailored care plan which identifies how the agency and carers will address the ongoing needs of the child.
To undertake direct work with children, in a planned therapeutic manner.General Responsibilities:
To be involved in facilitating training sessions for foster carers and sessional carers.
Promote NEWFOCAS services and provide information to the relevant local authority staff about the specialist nature of those services, in an ongoing manner.
To cover one week per month Out of Hours in cases of sickness or holiday cover. (Paid as overtime) To provide a comprehensive and support system for NEWFOCAS carers.
To be included in a rota over the Christmas Period to support the agency for at least one day between Christmas and New Year.
To continue in an ongoing manner to develop your own knowledge and understanding commensurate with your role and responsibilities and to identify any training needs you may have.
Work as part of the social worker team and communicate effectively.
Any other duties as deemed necessary including cover for colleague’s absence.
Recognise different people’s needsOverall person specification:
The post holder will have an empathic understanding of the nature of the foster carer task, an ability to communicate effectively with carers, social work colleagues within the agency and local authority; be able to work on their own initiative and also as an effective team player; fully understand the systems and legislation operating behind the comprehensive assessment process, have proven organisational skills and the ability to put people from all service sections at their ease; be confident and efficient in their overall approach to the job They will also have the ability and confidence to intervene and support carers in conflict situation and have the ability to mediate and ameliorate in times of potential placement breakdown to resolve that risk, to the agreement of all concerned.
They must also have proven skills of communication with traumatised children and young people in the care system, have a good knowledge of attachment issues and the impact of trauma upon their development and interpersonal skills.
If you would like to apply for this post, please contact us using the form below.