Fostering and Kinship Social Worker

Job Title: Fostering and Kinship Social Worker 
Salary: Up to £39,186 per annum (Plus an annual retention payment of £3,000*) 
37 Hours per Week
Location: County Hall, Worcester
Permanent, Full-time

The Role: 

We are seeking an Experienced Social Worker to join the Fostering and Kinship Service.

Welcome to Worcestershire Children First and Worcestershire Children First Fostering (WCFF)! This is an exciting time to join WCFF, who have recently rated Good overall by Ofsted!

Our vision is for Worcestershire to be a wonderful place for all children and young people to grow up, and our mission is to Support children and young people to be happy, healthy, and safe. We will do this by keeping children and young people at the heart of everything we do, supporting and empowering parents to care for their own children well, valuing education as the best start in life for all children, and acting in a professional and timely way to protect children from harm.

Worcestershire Children's First (WCF) is an independent not for profit company which is wholly owned by Worcestershire County Council (WCC). Worcestershire Children First Fostering Agency (WCFF) sits within the company as an Independent Fostering Agency (IFA).

WCFF offers placements for children who are looked after by WCF on behalf of the Local Authority, WCC. WCFF provides fostering placements including family and friends foster placements for looked after children and young people which safeguard and promote their welfare and enhances their life chances.

In our recent inspection Ofsted Inspectors said that the overall experiences of children and young people are “Good” and the level at which they are helped and protected were also “Good”, and that leadership has been effective and has led to the improvement.

In order to be considered for this post, the following criteria is essential:

• A professional qualification in social work
• Current Social Work England registration
• Post qualifying experience in Children and Families work
• Proven experience of completing connected person (kinship) assessments and reports to a high standard
• Good knowledge of the fostering regulations and minimum standards

This is an exciting opportunity to join our Fostering and Kinship Service to become part of a cohesive and supportive team. You will be assessing and supervising Foster Carers and undertaking Viability, Private Fostering and Special Guardianship Assessments for court submission.

If you would like to discuss the opportunity in more detail, please contact, Kinship Team Managers:

Caroline Sutch – 01905 845512
Geraldine O'Donnell – 01905 845925
Debbie Carroll – 01905 845331

Benefits:

You’ll find an overview of some of the benefits in a document attached to this job advert so do take a look! Some of the other benefits we can offer include:

• Great Holiday Entitlement: As well as bank holidays, you'll get 26 days paid holiday (pro rata for part-time staff). This goes up to 31 days when you have been with us for 5 years. If you get more than 26 days where you work now, don't worry because if you join us without a break, we'll match your holiday up to 31 days. If you’re successful and want to take advantage of this do let us know!
• Brilliant Pension Scheme: The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) is a nationwide, career average pension scheme and is a valuable part of the pay and reward package for employees working in local government.
• Professional Learning & Development: We actively encourage learning and development for all our staff should they want to progress further or explore other areas within the organisation.
• Flexible Working: We are proud to offer hybrid working to provide a better work/life balance where possible.

How to Apply:

Applications Forms are invited to apply for this role. 

Please find the Job Description and Person Specification attached.

Please write your submission with consideration for the essential and desirable criteria on the Person Specification. This should include examples why you should be considered; the experience, skills and knowledge that you would bring to the post.

Please submit your application form to Recruitment@worcestershire.gov.uk

Application Closing Date: Sunday, 10th December 2023
Anticipated Interview Date: To be Confirmed

* Retention Payment T&C's apply