Independent Reviewing Officer - Staffordshire, United Kingdom - Family Care Group

Family Care Group

Verified Company

Staffordshire, United Kingdom

2 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

beBee Recruiter

Description

About us
Family Care is a family-owned, values-led organisation working therapeutically with children and young people for over 30 years.

At the foundation of our work is a set of shared values, a sense of purpose and pride and a loyalty that keeps us together in hard times.

Are you passionate about helping young people? Do you enjoy seeing the difference made to a child's life? If you answered yes to both these questions, a career with Family Care could be for you.

Independent Reviewing Officer

To conduct statutory independent annual and ad hoc reviews of all Family Care foster carers in order to assess whether the foster carer and their household remain suitable to care for foster children and if their terms of approval remain appropriate in accordance with the Fostering Services Regulations and National Minimum Standards.
Chair reviews and produce high quality reports for the Service within agreed timescales.
Promote good child care practice and contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of the foster carers registered with Family Care.
Utilises his/her professional experience and expertise to manage all aspects of the foster carer review with care and sensitivity, with a strong ability to challenge and also to reward and appreciate carers.
To ensure foster carers are aware of the child's care plan and focussed on achieving positive outcomes for the children in their care.
To provide advice to practitioners and hold a scrutiny and challenge role for ensuring foster carers are well supported and informed regarding their fostering role for the child they are caring for.
To hold premeetings or gather additional information from foster carers, their birth children and young people and other professionals where needed to ensure full, positive and effective contributions to the review process.
To track recommendations reached at foster carer reviews and ensure agencies including supervising social workers are being fully accountable for taking action agreed at each review.
To monitor and feedback to Family Care the performance of the service function and to identify areas of poor practice. This will include the experiences of foster carers, their birth children, as well as the experience of children in care.

To be involved in:

Delivery of training to enable the service to develop and improve in line with new government guidance, legislative changes and research.
The identification of individual and service gaps and have a solution focused approach to managing these

INDEPENDENT REVIEWING OFFICER

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

Experience of the placement of children in foster families and of children being cared for away from their birth family
Experience of chairing complex meetings
Experience of managing others and providing social work supervision and support
Minimum of five years postqualification experience
Social work qualification e.g. DipSW / CQSW / CSS and registered with the HCPC

KNOWLEDGE

A thorough understanding of the legal framework relating to Fostering Regulations and National Minimum Standards.
An understanding of the purpose and function of the Foster Carers Annual Review and of the agency's statutory responsibly in this respect
An understanding of the fostering process and practice and of corporate parenting Knowledge of research and good practice issues in respect of Fostering families and Looked After Children

ABILITIES

The authority and competence to chair an Annual Review, ensuring that the business is covered and that the agency and meeting operates in accordance with regulations and the policies and procedures of the agency
Excellent interpersonal and listening skills
The ability to communicate well and clearly both verbally and in writing
The ability to process and analyse large amounts of complex information
The ability to identify key issues and possible solutions and to communicate these clearly via recommendation
The ability to facilitate the active participation of Foster Carers and other professionals
The ability to take up issues as required with the agency, liaising with the decision maker and other senior managers
Full Driving Licence