Job info	Job info details
Job title	Social Worker – Permanence / Fostering / Special Guardianship
Strategic team/Directorate	Childrens Services
Service	Childrens Services
Business unit	Regulated Services
Responsible to (day to day issues)	Team Manager - Fostering
Accountable to (line manager)	Team Manager - Fostering
Salary grade	I - J
JE ref	SS10

1. Key purpose of job

• To provide a high quality and effective social work service to respond to the needs of children, young people and families in a timely manner and within statutory guidelines, policies and standards.
• To work as part of a team responsible for the recruitment, training and assessment of Carers in Torbay. Carers supporting sufficiency in placements for Torbay children.
• To work as part of a team responsible for the placement of children and young people and supervision of Carers in Torbay.
• Working to models of best practice and actively promoting and adopting integrated approaches for the benefit of children and young people and their families.
• To understand and promote the core business of the Torbay Safeguarding Children’s Board and deliver its priorities.

2. Anticipated outcomes of post

• Children are safeguarded and their welfare promoted at all times.
• Maintain sufficiency of high calibre carers capable of meeting the needs of Torbay’s cared for children.
• To ensure that the wishes and feelings of all children and young people inform and are considered within all practice.
• To work effectively as a member of the Torbay Fostering Team.

3. List key duties and accountabilities of the post

• As an Employee of Torbay Council all roles are expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures. The Designated Senior Lead for Safeguarding is the Chief Executive and Director of Children’s Services.
• Responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children at all times.
• To initiate appropriate safeguarding action to protect children and young people at risk of significant harm.
• To work within childcare legislation, Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 and the Fostering Services National Minimum Standards 2011to ensure the life chances of young people are promoted.
• Working with other professionals and agencies within the context of improving outcomes for vulnerable children in local authority care.
• To carry out detailed assessment of potential carers ensuring rigour in checks and references to inform adequate risk assessment as part of the process.
• To take part in and deliver training to potential carers and approved carers.
• To visit carers and their families in their homes as part of the assessment process.
• To provide written assessments for independent foster care panel. For the appeal and review of Foster Carers.
• To provide information to Placement Co-ordinator on an ongoing basis, with a view to ensuring a close match between children’s needs and foster carers’ skills.
• To visit foster carers in their homes to provide supervision, advice and support.
• To attend placement meetings, cared for children reviews, child protection conferences, fostering panel and court as appropriate.
• To maintain foster carer case files and provide other information as required by Ofsted.
• To work with social care teams/social worker in ensuring child focused practice, ensuring open multi team working to achieve best outcomes.
• To facilitate support groups for foster carers.
• To be a member of a social work team and actively engage in shared team responsibilities according to team requirements.
• To complete section 47 child protection investigations and risk assessments in accordance with Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 and the Fostering Services National Minimum Standards 2011. 
• To use electronic system for routine communication, recording, information gathering and assessment in order to secure the best outcomes for service users and their families.

4. Budgetary/Financial Responsibilities of the post

• To comply with Financial Regulations and business support policies and procedures. 

5. Supervision/Line Management Responsibilities of the post

• None. 

6. Working environment and conditions of the post

• Normal working environment and conditions. 

7. Physical demands of the post

• Normal physical demands. 

8. Specific resources used by the post

• Normal resources.

9. Key contacts and relationships

External

• Colleagues in health, education and other agencies.

Internal

• Foster carers and their families, cared for children, young people and their social workers. 

10. Other duties

• To undertake additional duties as required, commensurate with the level of the job.

Other Information

• All staff must commit to the Workplace Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Practice and Policy.
• Torbay Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo the checks appropriate to the post applied for.
• The post holder is expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures. And are aware that the Chief Executive and the Director for Children's Services are the Safeguarding Leads for the Council.
• This post is office based at Electric House, The Town Hall, Torquay but the post holder may be required to move their base to any other location within the Council at a future date.
• The post is eligible for hybrid working.
• As this post meets the requirements in respect of exempted questions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, all applicants who are offered employment will be subject to a criminal record check (Disclosure) from the Disclosure & Barring Service before the appointment is confirmed. This will include details of ALL cautions, reprimands or final warnings as well as convictions, whether “spent” or “unspent”. Criminal convictions will only be taken into account when they are relevant to the post.
• The Council operates a Smoke-Free Policy and the post-holder is prohibited from smoking in any of the Council's buildings (including Council owned and Council leased buildings, but excluding designated areas in residential schemes), enclosed spaces within the curtilage of buildings, and Council vehicles. The Council does not permit smoking breaks within work time, however, in services where the flexi-scheme is in operation, employees may take reasonable break times outside of core hours, in accordance with flexi-time arrangements. Employees should follow the flexi-scheme procedure for agreeing time away from their duties in the normal manner with their immediate colleagues and line manager, with break start and finish times being recorded, as with any other break-time arrangement. 
• The post-holder is expected to familiarise themselves with and adhere to all relevant Council Policies and Procedures.
• The post-holder must comply with the Council’s Health and Safety requirements as outlined in the H&S policy appropriate to the role.
• The post-holder must be committed to the Council’s Core Values for employees – “Torbay Council employees are committed to being forward thinking, people orientated and adaptable - always with integrity”. Evidence will be sought during the probation and appraisal processes.
• If this post is customer facing, it will require the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.
• If you are required to access a government system such as HMRC, DWP or The Public services network (PSN) as part of your role with the Council you will be required to complete a basic disclose with your line manager before you can access these systems. Your manager will be required to complete a verification form that confirms your identity, nationality and immigration status, employment history and unspent convictions (third party).
• If you are required to use your own vehicle on Council business or drive a council vehicle you will be asked to provide information on any driving endorsements by accessing gov.uk/view-driving-licence and providing a code to your Line Manager in order to share your driving licence information with the Council.

Person Specification

Note for Candidate

All Candidates

The supporting statement on your application form will be used to assess ability to meet the essential requirements of the role, so you should explain how you meet each of the numbered essential requirements within your supporting statement. In a competitive situation, the desirable criteria may be taken into consideration, so you are encouraged to show how you also meet each of the desirable criteria.

Candidates who consider that they have a disability

Reasonable adjustments will be made to the job, job requirements or recruitment process for candidates with a disability.

If you consider yourself to have a disability you should indicate this on your application form, providing any information you would like us to take into account with regard to your disability in order to offer a fair selection interview.

Where ever possible and reasonable we will make adjustments and offer alternatives to help you through the application and selection process.

If you have indicated that you have a disability on your application form you will be guaranteed an interview if you clearly demonstrate in your supporting evidence how you broadly meet the essential requirements of the role.

Job info	Job info details
Job Title	Social Worker – Permanence / Fostering / Special Guardianship
Strategic team/Directorate	Childrens Services
Service	Childrens Services
Business unit	Regulated Services

Skills and effectiveness

Essential skills and effectiveness

• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Able to convey respect for others.
• Ability to demonstrate skills in mediation, negotiation and problem solving.
• Able to assess situations with clarity and sensitivity and act professionally in crisis situations.
• Ability to work in an open and challenging way with families.
• Organisational/time management skills.
• Ability to implement anti-discriminatory practice in all areas of work.
• Ability to prepare and present reports in a variety of settings.
• Demonstrate skills in working to achieve focussed outcomes.
• Customer focussed.
• Ability to exercise individual judgement and consult where and when appropriate.
• Ability to be able to use own initiative.
• Assessment skills including balancing risk and protective factors.
• Ability to create good working relationships with children, young people, families, colleagues and other professionals.
• Ability to use IT based care management systems.
• To be aware of both local and national need for adoption resources, monitoring demand for outcome of services and identifying shortfall.
• This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.

Desirable skills and effectiveness

• Experience of working in a multi-agency environment.

Knowledge

Essential knowledge

• General knowledge of the range of options available to children, young people and their families.
• Knowledge of appropriate childcare legislation and how it affects children and young people.
• Knowledge of current CP practice, framework for assessment and cared for children’s materials.
• Awareness and understanding of relevant childcare issues.
• Working knowledge of adoption, fostering services regulations and national minimum standards, policies and procedures.
• IT and use of Microsoft office applications.
• Knowledge and understanding of application of an evidence base in practice.

Desirable knowledge

N/A

Experience and achievements

Essential experience and achievements

• Extensive post qualifying experiences working in childcare services.
• Direct work with children, young people, families and professionals. 
• Experience of working independently and as part of a team.
• Experience of complex assessments.
• Experience of fostering and adoption Work:
  • Completion/familiarity with BAAF PAR – assessment of prospective foster carers or prospective adopters.
  • Completion/familiarity with BAAF Form CPR- preparation/placement of children with adoptive parents/foster carers.
• Experience of child protection work.
• Awareness/understanding of relevant childcare issues.

Desirable experience and achievements

• Experience of delivering training to staff and others.

Qualifications/professional memberships

Essential qualifications/professional memberships

• Social Work qualification e.g. Dip SW, CQSW, CSS or equivalent.
• Current Registration Certificate from Social Work England.

Desirable qualifications/professional memberships

N/A

Other requirements

Other requirements of the job role

• Demonstrates a commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.
• Ability to travel efficiently around the Bay/South West/UK in order to carry out duties.
• Ability to accommodate unsociable hours.
• Ability to accommodate shift patterns.
• Ability to accommodate on-call working.
• Ability to accommodate occasional home-working.