Independent Fostering Service Adviser

JOB DESCRIPTION

Our Fostering Panel Meetings are convened in a hybrid manner, so some are held via Teams and some at our office in Ellesmere Port. 

The Service Adviser supports the Fostering Panel to provide independent oversight of the recruitment, assessment and review of foster carers and makes reasoned recommendations on their suitability to foster.

Applicants should have substantial knowledge and experience of fostering, professionally, personally, or both, and of the placement of children in foster families or of children being cared for away from their birth family.

Key to the Service Adviser role is to quality assure papers prepared for panel meetings i.e. to maintain an overview of the quality of agency reports and assessments, including the child's permanence report, and foster carers report, and to liaise with Team Managers and identify issues requiring further training and skills development. To attend the Fostering Panels as Agency Adviser and brief the Agency Decision-Maker, following up practice and policy issues with Social Workers and Managers as required and to contribute to effective decision-making in childcare planning, ensuring that children with a permanence plan are progressed through the process appropriately.

Good listening and communication skills are essential along with being well prepared, technology literate, able to provide focus and have the ability to make an assessment based on the written and oral information presented to the Panel in order to advise the Fostering Panel on key issues to enable them to make their recommendations.

You will have experience of the fostering sector, to provide professional advice and guidance to the Fostering Panels and to contribute to training on fostering practice, policy, standards and regulations to panel members, Social Workers and Managers throughout Children and Young People’s Services and those from other agencies involved in the fostering processes.  We are specifically looking to recruit a social work professional with experience in advising meetings, who has a safeguarding background.

You will be accountable to the Senior Manager for the Permanence Hub.

The role requires a commitment of up to twenty-four panels per year paid on an hourly rate, with an initial contract term of one year (reviewed after six months) and option to extend for a further two years. The post is subject to annual appraisal.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES

1
Provide professional advice, to the Adoption and Fostering Panels and to Cheshire West and Chester staff, to ensure that decisions are evidence based and comply with the requirements of legislation and national standards.

• To quality assure papers prepared for panel meetings i.e. to maintain an overview of the quality of agency reports and assessments, including the child's permanence report, the prospective adopter's and/or foster carers report, the adoption placement report and to liaise with team managers and identify issues requiring further training and skills development.

• To attend the adoption and fostering panels as Agency Adviser and brief the Agency Decision-Maker, following up practice and policy issues with social workers and managers as required.

• To contribute to effective decision-making in child care planning, ensuring that children with an adoption plan and/or permanence plan are progressed through the process appropriately.

2
To provide professional advice and guidance to the Adoption and Fostering panels and to contribute to training on adoption and fostering practice, policy, standards and regulations to panel members, social workers and managers throughout Children and Young People’s services and those from other agencies involved in the adoption and fostering processes.
3
Through the appropriate recruitment, induction, training and monitoring of panel activity and members, to ensure that acceptable standards of adoption and fostering practice are maintained in the context of the adoption and fostering legislation, regulation and standards. To assist the agency with the appointment, termination and review of members of the adoption and fostering Panels.

4
Consult and collaborate with key partners, including statutory bodies, other fostering and adoption agencies, voluntary organisations and service users, to promote, develop, implement and review policies and procedures to ensure high quality service delivery that is consistent and meets requirements of legislation and national standards.

5
To monitor the progress of children with an adoption and/or fostering planthrough the process to ensure that plans are progressed in accordance with the children's needs and National Standards.

6
To collate agency adoption and fostering statistics and provide the panel with regular updates about the progress of cases considered and panel activity

7
Analyse and evaluate information to monitor activity, inform elected Members and senior management, plan for the future and increase effective management of resources and services.

8
Evaluate statutory guidance and legislative changes and analyse the developments needed, to ensure that services are developed to fulfil statutory obligations and demonstrate continuous improvement.

9
Monitor and review contracts with partner adoption agencies in order to deliver effective adoption and fostering services.

To apply and for a full job spec please visit the link below.