Are you a committed Social Worker looking for a permanent position?
Do you have a passion for providing first-class support to Fostering Services?
If so, then we have the role for you!
As well as working with a top organisation in the area, an excellent salary is available.
JOB PURPOSE
To develop and support high quality professional foster care placements for children and young people who are looked after by local authorities in Scotland, and to contribute effectively to the development of the organisation.
This role is based in either Livingston and Dundee. Depending on the location of the candidate, the client is willing to be flexible on the base of the role - whether it be in Dundee, Livingston or a combination of the two.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Foster Carers and Young People
... - To organise and participate in the recruitment, preparation, training, assessment and ongoing support and supervision of foster carers and young adult placement carers.
- To liaise with local authorities regarding referrals and appropriate placements of children and young people.
- To participate in matching referrals of children/young people with the most appropriate and suitable foster carers approved by the organisation.
- To undertake supervising Social Worker duties and provide direct support for a designated number of foster carers, including identifying training needs and supporting training implementation, keeping foster carers up to date on good child care practice, and addressing any practice issues.
- To ensure that carers operate within safe caring guidelines and National Standards for Foster Care and, where appropriate, National Standards for Adult Placement Services.
- To liaise with involved professionals and ensure that all relevant parties are kept informed of developments and progress of placements.
- To facilitate contact with family and friends of children/young people in placement, where appropriate.
- To attend meetings and prepare reports for Children's Hearings, LAAC Reviews, Fostering Panels and any other relevant fora as required.
- Organisation
- To participate in the office duty rota.
- To participate in the out-of-hours carer support duty rota.
- To contribute positively to regular team meetings which address the operational matters of the service and to other fora which address the strategic direction of the organisation.
- To engage in professional supervision on a regular basis with the designated Manager.
- To contribute to the ongoing development of the service and its policies, procedures and practices.
- To undertake any other duties as requested by the Service Manager.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Skills and Experience:
- Relevant Social Work qualification.
- Valid Social Work registration.
- Demonstrable knowledge of relevant child care and fostering legislation in Scotland.
- Understand the role of Child's Social Worker, the role of other agencies involved with Looked After Children in particular, health and education.
- Show a knowledge of the growth and development of children and the impact of trauma on child development.
- Previous post-qualifying experience in a child care setting.
- Post-qualifying experience in Family Placement is highly desirable.
- Experience of group working and delivery of training is desirable.
- Experience of undertaking assessments and providing high quality written reports is essential.
- Experience of attending panels or formal meetings regarding children or carers is essential.
- Ability to produce high quality reports and management information - to be used for internal and external purposes.
- Ability to work with a degree of autonomy, in a flexible and creative manner whilst adhering to policies and procedures at all times.
Key Competencies:
- Maintain agency standards regarding accuracy when dealing with information and data. Display an organised and precise approach to paperwork paying attention to compliance in standard procedures and current working practice.
- Be willing to work in collaboration and share information within and across the organisation. Make and maintain good working relationships with colleagues to add to team morale.
- Be able to prioritise the child in your relationship with the carer and understand this complex dynamic in different circumstances.
- Show an understanding of the impact of trauma on others and yourself and that you are able to manage this effectively on your own and with support from colleagues or managers.
- Plan and organise time effectively. Prioritise work in a challenging environment and ensure timescales are met.
- Must have a full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle, and be prepared to travel regularly across the country.
- Must be flexible in terms of hours worked including attending meetings or events outwith core hours and be based at more than one location.
This could be the perfect position in which to realise your career goals.
Who do you know that may be interested in this role? A £300 referral bonus is available - subject to Ts and Cs.
Why let this opportunity slip through your fingers?
Do you have some more questions regarding this or any other role?
If you are interested in discussing the position further, please contact Leah Rowley on 0131 240 0887/ for a confidential discussion. If you are happy to move forward with the process and are successful to be put forward for this role, a conversation can also be arranged with the Manager to discuss the details about the position further. This gives you the opportunity to ask more questions and to assess if this is the right role for you.
Being a preferred supplier to numerous local authorities and NHS trusts, we can give you access to a wide range of vacancies.
Are you thinking about a change in your career? Whether you are an existing locum or you are new to the locum market and are exploring your options, we have opportunities that are exciting, well paid and flexible.
I have over 17 years experience recruiting within the healthcare market. If this particular role does not sound quite right for you, we have a wide selection of roles across the country that may not be advertised. We are also able to source a particular role to suit your requirements, so whether you work with children or adults in any particular speciality, please get in touch to see how we can support you!
Randstad Care acts as an employment business when supplying temporary staff and as an employment agency when introducing candidates for permanent employment with a client. Randstad Care is an equal opportunities employer and decisions are made on merits alone.
Did you know that Randstad Care have been awarded a place on the National Clinical Staffing Framework for the NHS? This means we will be able to bring you more opportunities within nursing & midwifery and clinical staffing.