Location: Bristol Salary: £33,561 pa + £1,500 Out of Hours Rota Allowance Closing Date: 11/03/2020 Interview Date: 26/03/2020 Hours: 35 hours per week Full Time - Fixed Term 12 Month Maternity Cover Contract TACT, the UK’s largest fostering and adoption charity now has over 500 dedicated carers, who look after over 600 children and young people across the country. Our reputation and growth rests upon our strength in providing successful placements. As a charity, we do not have shareholders who receive profits and we invest all of our surplus income into service, staff, carers, and children’s development.
Our vision is to provide better lives for our children and young people. This is an exciting opportunity to be a Senior Supervising Social Worker within a national non-profit making organisation at a local level. We are interested in individuals for whom quality of service is paramount and in those who share our commitment to working in partnership with children and their foster carers in the development of the agency. TACT offer an excellent employee benefits package including:
Please see the Job Information Pack for further information. TACT South West are currently seeking a full time, enthusiastic and committed Senior Supervising Social Worker to cover a period of maternity leave. If you have substantial fostering experience and are looking for your next position, this could be perfect for you. You will need to be DipSW, CSS or CQSW qualified and registered with Social Work England. An enhanced DBS clearance is also required and is requested for you by TACT. You will be required to be on an out of hours’ rota and you will be paid an out of hours’ allowance of £1,500 per annum once participating in the rota. Closing: Wednesday 11th March 2020 Interviews: Thursday 26th March 2020 at TACT South West (BS16 2QQ) TACT reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Full details and application documents here Location: Norwich, Norfolk Contract Type: Voluntary Closing Date: Thursday 20 February 2020 Could you help steer and govern a prominent, dynamic East Anglian charity to new heights?
Are you committed to improving young lives? If so, we have an exciting opportunity to join our organisation as a Trustee (voluntary position). On this occasion to balance the skills mix within the board applications are specifically invited from individuals with professional or academic experience of the delivery of Children’s Social Care. Break offers a wide range of services for vulnerable children, young people and their families and we are looking to further develop and diversify to increase the depth of our support and geographical spread. We are a learning organisation striving for constant improvement and require passionate, dedicated and enterprising individuals able to contribute fully to the Board functioning in an ever evolving sector. Break is changing young lives across East Anglia by supporting children, young people and families in key areas and we continue to grow and diversify to meet changing needs. Our Vision is to be the leading children’s care charity in East Anglia striving for the best outcomes for young people on the edge of care, in care and moving on from care. We will do this by offering a pathway of connected specialist support services to ensure young people have the care they need, when and where they need it, for as long as they need it. We will continue to innovate and develop always striving to be best. Our national profile will grow, and our fundraising and retail will flourish as we become ever more skilled at evidencing the difference that we make to the lives of the young people we serve. We have exceptional outcomes for children, young people and families who use our services. Trustees – What we offer
Break has 49 Charity shops, with a wide geographical spread, which are a vital source of non-statutory funding, together with outstanding fundraising operations. Break employs around 470 staff and 900 volunteers, the majority of the latter in its shops. The staff are located primarily in Norfolk, with the main administrative offices in Norwich. Break is Investors in People gold accredited and has featured in the Times Best Companies list. Break has an exceptional training provision for internal and external customers that has a reputation for being interactive, innovative and of high quality and is leading the social pedagogy agenda within the region. The Trustee candidate: The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate their ability to:
The successful applicant needs to be a highly influential, mentally agile individual, ideally with commercial experience and preferably with some knowledge of the commissioning or delivery of services within the Children’s Social Care sector. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age. We would welcome applications from individuals who have personal experience of being a beneficiary of care services. If you would like an informal chat with our Chair in the first instance, please email sally.butler@break-charity.org or contact us via the details found on our website. Source: https://break-charity.current-vacancies.com In January, Team Fostering celebrated almost two decades of putting children first – providing safe, high quality, family based care for children who are looked after by the local authority. On the 31st of January 2001, we approved our very first foster family in the North East, and 19 years on, we’re just as committed to investing in children’s futures. Team Fostering was established by Peter Richardson and Walter Young. After years of working in the fostering sector, they shared the belief that independent fostering agencies should not make a profit from children and young people in care. At a time when many agencies were doing just that, Peter and Walter took a leap of faith and created Team Fostering. From a single base in the North East, the agency has now expanded to operate from 5 offices across the country, including Yorkshire and East Midlands. Many of our staff and carers have been with us since the very start, fully invested in the ethical aims of Team Fostering. As Allison, one of our first foster carers explains; ‘We never thought the agency would become as big. Team began as a small group with big dreams to provide quality care to children and young people as a not-for-profit agency. Fostering has continued to change since the agency began and Team have adapted during the years to take on those changes but still provide the best possible service to the children.’ Team Fostering are delighted to work with a wide community of staff and foster carers who believe in supporting children and young people to develop exciting, optimistic lives beyond care, and remain committed to providing this service for many more families in the future. If you're interested in fostering for a not-for-profit fostering agency, Team Fostering provides training, support, fees and allowances to help you flourish in your role. You can speak with us about training as a foster carer, or transferring to us from another agency, in any of the following ways: call us on 0800 292 2003 send an online enquiry form by clicking here email us via info@teamfostering.co.uk Source: www.teamfostering.co.uk Guidance on Art 5 compliance when a child in local authority care is deprived of their liberty27/1/2020
In Re A-F (Children) (Care Orders: Restrictions on Liberty) [2018] EWHC 138 (Fam) the court gave guidance on when Art 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is engaged in relation to a child in the care of the local authority, and the procedures necessary to ensure the deprivation of liberty is lawful. The test cases concerned seven children, aged between 11 and 16. A final care order was made in each case in favour of the same local authority. Each had health difficulties such as autism, severe learning disabilities or global development delay. Each was in foster care or a residential placement. Some were in locked environments, and all were heavily supervised. Munby P set out the legal framework in which the issue arose, including:
(b) The subjective component of lack of valid consent; and (c) The attribution of responsibility to the state.
Munby P held that where a child was subject to a care order, the critical question would be whether there was confinement, ie Storck component (a). If there was, the state would be responsible, and neither the local authority nor a parent could exercise their parental responsibility so as to consent. He took care at [16] to distinguish between a “deprivation of liberty” within the meaning of Art 5 and a restriction on liberty of movement governed by Art 2 of Protocol 4. Many aspects of the normal exercise of parental responsibility that interfere with a child’s freedom of movement do not involve a deprivation of liberty engaging Art 5, even if they are a restriction on liberty of movement (Re D (A child) at [95]). Whether particular accommodation is locked or lockable is not determinative of whether there is confinement as described in Storck component (a), (HL v United Kingdom (Application No 45508/99) (2004) 40 EHRR 761 at [92]). Most eight-year-old children living with their parents at home would be living in circumstances amounting to confinement that satisfy the ‘acid test’, but common sense would plainly indicate that such a child is not, within the meaning of Art 5, deprived of his liberty. For a child in care, the inquiry would focus more on supervision and control, rather than freedom to leave. He held that where the placement of a child involves a “confinement” for the purpose of Storck component (a) but is not secure accommodation within the meaning of s 25 of the Children Act 1989, there must be judicial authorisation in order to comply with Art 5 and this can only be provided by the High Court, in the exercise of the inherent jurisdiction or in some circumstances if the child has reached the age of 16, by the Court of Protection [26]. He held (at [43]) that whether a state of affairs which satisfies the ‘acid test’ amounts to a confinement for the purposes of Storck component (a) has to be determined by comparing the restrictions to which the child in question is subject with those that would apply to a child of the same 'age', 'station', 'familial background' and 'relative maturity' who is 'free from disability'. Although each case had to be determined on its facts, as a rule of thumb, a 10-year-old under constant supervision was unlikely to be being deprived of his liberty, an 11-year-old might be, but the court would more readily conclude that a 12-year-old was. Article 5 compliant process He dealt with the requirements of an Art 5 compliant process at [45]-[53] which includes that:
He also dealt with the requirement of review by a judge at least every 12 months [55 – 57]. Comment This case provides much-needed guidance as to when care arrangements for children in the care of the local authority including in foster care amount of a deprivation of liberty, and steps that must be taken to ensure compliance with Art 5 ECHR. The President was at pains to state throughout that whether there is a confinement for the purposes of Art 5 will turn on the individual facts of the case, emphasising a child development-based approach. He gave some useful guidance to the comparative approach required at [38]-[39], citing Re B [2017] EWFC B93, as providing an 'insightful' and 'compelling' analysis of a typical 11-year-old’s life: comparing a child with his peers and distinguishing commonplace restrictions such as limited access to games consoles and being accompanied on journeys in the community, with much more significant restrictions like 24-hour supervision, restricted contact with parents and siblings and use of physical restraints. Source: https://www.familylaw.co.uk from an article originally published by Garden Court Chambers published 13 March 2018 Industry News: The Guardian view on looked-after children: time to join the dots - Editorial23/1/2020
The care review promised in the Conservatives’ manifesto should start as soon as possible, and peer into all the troubling gaps The number of children in care in England is at a 10-year high: there were 78,150 at the last count. How they are looked after and educated should be a matter of general public concern. There are few more serious responsibilities for a government than that of corporate parent – particularly when such an arrangement is reached because a child or young person is particularly vulnerable, or has previously been let down. Yet the mounting pile of evidence that the system is flawed has just increased again, with the addition of the criticisms of aspects of the children’s social care sector contained in Ofsted’s annual report. Problems with England’s 14 secure children’s homes, unlicensed “semi-independent” provision for over-16s, and three secure training centres for young offenders, must urgently be addressed. But ministers should look beyond the specific failures regarding particular institutions or age groups. A review of the care system was promised in the Conservatives’ manifesto. This should start as soon as possible, be fully independent, and have a remit encompassing all the children and young people in the care of the state – including the awkward details of their exit from this care into adulthood. Simplistic answers such as increasing the number of adoptions must be given up for good. The impact of poverty caused by benefit cuts on vulnerable families must not be ducked. The problem of adult social care – both how to provide it and how to fund it – is widely recognised as a key public policy issue, even if politicians have yet to come up with a solution. England’s 151 local authorities are likely to be just as exercised by the challenge of providing for children. While budgets face further cuts, demand for services that they are statutorily obliged to offer keeps rising, with an £800,000 overspend last year. There were 3,000 more over-16s in care in 2019 than four years earlier. In a recent survey, 64% of councils reported that the number of cases or complexity of need had increased “to a great extent” over the same period. Almost three-quarters of looked-after children live with foster carers, and 92% of agencies are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted. The number of local authorities rated inadequate has fallen from 22% to 12%. The situation, according to the inspectorate, is improving. But as well as specific problems such as the unacceptable use of “pain-inducing techniques” on young offenders, and the high turnover and low qualifications of children’s home workers, the bigger picture needs a hard look. The dysfunctional market for residential care would be high on any list of concerns. It is morally wrong, and demeaning, for profits to be made out of the provision of a home life to vulnerable children. But principle aside (and changing the law in this area cannot be done in a hurry), the market has failed, producing profits for private-equity investors and poor and often damaging experiences for children. Belatedly, awareness is growing of how moving children many miles from the people and areas they know can make them susceptible to criminal exploitation. A coherent strategy must take on board such unintended consequences of cost-cutting, and recognise the appallingly high price of failure – both in human and financial terms. It must also be realistic, with the “overoptimism” of professionals highlighted by Ofsted as a weakness, as well as a lack of national leadership. This is surely related to the number of Whitehall departments involved: not just education but health, justice and communities. Finding a way to work across government to improve the experiences and life chances of these children is the least we owe them. Source: www.theguardian.com A former resident of St Christopher’s Fellowship is supporting our current children and young people in our 150th birthday year. Jason Cobine lived with St Christopher’s in the late 1980s. Since leaving our care he has forged a successful career and established his own insurance business. He credits the charity for giving him the skills and motivation to achieve his goals. Jason kindly shares his experiences in St Christopher’s Impact Report 2020. He said: “I felt I could progress quickly whilst living [at St Christopher’s], and found security. My key worker was a pivotal figure in helping me get my foot onto the first rung of the career ladder, and we are still in touch to this day.” You can read Jason’s story on Cobine Carmelson Ltd. In 2020, St Christopher’s is celebrating 150 years of creating brighter futures for children and young people. We would like your support in continuing our work, which provides vital services for young people who cannot live with their own families. Visit our 150th birthday page to support our work or find out more about our history. You can keep up to date with all of our 2020 activities on social media using #StChris150. Source: hwww.stchris.org.uk Coram Voice provide tips for talking to children about past experiences and why they are in care, after many told survey they had not had a full explanation. By Linda Briheim-Crookall In 1920, my grandmother went to live with her foster carers in rural Sweden. Her mum was a young single mother at a time when society did not readily accept or support unmarried mothers. My grandmother was lucky – she had regular contact with her mum and, as she got older, being able to speak about what happened helped her understand the reasons why she couldn’t live with her. Unfortunately, this is not the reality for many children in care and care leavers. We know from our Bright Spots research programme in partnership with the Rees Centre at the University of Oxford that for children in care and care leavers, having an adult explain why they are in care directly influences their wellbeing. We have found that as many as half of the youngest children (aged four to seven) do not feel that they have been given a full explanation of why they are in care. Similarly, a quarter of care leavers feel that they don’t know why they were in care or they would like to know more. A lack of knowledge about the reasons for going into care was associated with children feeling unsettled in their placements and having low subjective well-being. "…I have asked why I was put into care, no one will tell me!!! I only have bad memories and therefore am left being very scared of my biological family and yet no one will/can help me…” (care leaver) Talking to professionals has also revealed systemic barriers to making sure that every child has a full explanation of why they are in care. Life story work, which is a legal entitlement for all children who have been adopted, is not required for children in care. Sadly, social workers and carers change too often and some professionals may assume that a young person will already have received an explanation as to why they are in care. Professionals may also feel that they don’t have the skills to explain difficult realities to children for fear of upsetting them. They call it life story work… but they don’t really do it. I have a memory box, but I want information and facts… To know more about how I came into care. I think I should have been told years ago.” (young person in care) However, we found that in some areas of the country, young people had a better understanding of why they were in care. In East Riding, a higher proportion of care leavers than our survey average reported feeling the reasons why they were in care had been fully explained. East Riding explicitly includes a question in pathway plans about whether young people have any questions about why they became looked after. In Southampton, the local authority responded to the survey findings by developing a new training workshop for social workers called ‘finding the right words’. The training offers a ‘reflective space to try out and work together on ways to communicate difficult experiences’. In other local authorities, the survey has contributed to renewed focus on life story work with children in care and care leavers. Nine key messages from children and young people that social workers should consider:
Once children understand why they are in care they can begin to process those experiences and deal with the feelings that emerge. We have also found that creative writing can be a particularly powerful tool to help young people explore their feelings and take control of their own narrative. As a result, Coram Voice runs Voices, an annual creative writing competition for children in care and care leavers. It is only when children are given a chance to understand why they are in care and the opportunity to express what they feel that they can settle into their new reality. Linda Briheim-Crookall is Head of Policy and Practice Development at Coram Voice. The Voices creative writing competition runs until 12 February, find out more at coramvoice.org.uk/voices. Source: www.communitycare.co.uk Location: Cardiff Salary : £40,500 pa + £1,500 pa once in Out of Hours rota Closing Date: 26/01/2020 Interview Date: 04/02/2020 Hours: 35 hours per week Deputy Area Manager (Fostering)
We are offering an exciting opportunity for an experienced, dynamic individual to assist and support the Area Manager in the operational management of the Area Team and the recruitment, assessment, training and support of a diverse range of foster carers and placements. This role includes managing Senior Supervising Social Workers, recruiting permanent Social Workers, sessional Social Workers, admin staff and dealing with HR matters. To be considered, you will need to have experience of working with children and young people in a statutory setting and have a management qualification (or willingness to undertake one). You will also need to be registered with Social Care Wales and have a DipSW, CSS or CQSW qualification. An enhanced DBS clearance is required and this check will be undertaken by TACT on your behalf. The use of a car is essential. You will be required to work an out of hours rota, attracting an additional allowance of £1,500 per annum. TACT offer an excellent benefits package including 31 days paid holiday, flexible working arrangements, group income protection scheme, death in service and stakeholder pension scheme (salary sacrifice) and fantastic learning and development opportunities. Please see the job information pack for further information. The post will be office based in Cardiff but will involve significant travel within South Wales. Applications from fluent Welsh speakers will be welcomed. Closing: Sunday, 26th January 2020 Interviews: Tuesday, 4th February 2020 (TACT Wales CF11 9LJ) TACT reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Rydyn ni'n chwilio am Ddirprwy Reolwr Ardal - Gweithiwr Cymdeithasol yng Nghymru. Rydyn ni'n cynnig 31 diwrnod o wyliau blynyddol, trefniadau gweithio hyblyg, yswiriant marw yn y swydd, yswiriant ar gyfer salwch hirdymor yn ogystal â llawer o fanteision eraill. Rydyn ni'n cynnig cyfle cyffrous i unigolyn profiadol a deinamig gynorthwyo a chefnogi'r Rheolwr Ardal gyda rheolaeth weithredol dros y Tîm Ardal, ac o ran recriwtio, asesu, hyfforddi a chefnogi ystod amrywiol o leoliadau a gofalwyr maeth. Mae'r rôl yn cynnwys rheoli Uwch Weithwyr Cymdeithasol Goruchwyliol, recriwtio Gweithwyr Cymdeithasol parhaol, Gweithwyr Cymdeithasol sesiynol, staff gweinyddol a delio â materion adnoddau dynol. Er mwyn cael eich ystyried am y swydd, bydd angen i chi feddu ar brofiad o weithio gyda phlant a phobl ifanc mewn lleoliad statudol a meddu ar gymhwyster rheoli (neu barodrwydd i ennill cymhwyster o'r fath). Bydd angen i chi hefyd fod wedi cofrestru gyda Gofal Cymdeithasol Cymru a meddu ar gymhwyster DipSW, CSS neu CQSW. Mae angen gwiriad manylach gan y Gwasanaeth Datgelu a Gwahardd a bydd y gwiriad hwn yn cael ei wneud gan TACT ar eich rhan. Mae defnydd o gar yn hanfodol ar gyfer y swydd. Bydd gofyn i chi weithio rota y tu allan i oriau arferol, a fydd yn golygu lwfans ychwanegol o £1,500 y flwyddyn i chi. Mae TACT yn cynnig pecyn buddion rhagorol sy'n cynnwys 31 diwrnod o wyliau â thâl, trefniadau gweithio hyblyg, cynllun diogelu incwm grŵp, cynllun marw yn y swydd a chynllun pensiwn cyfranddeiliaid (aberthu cyflog) a chyfleoedd dysgu a datblygu gwych. Mae rhagor o wybodaeth ym mhecyn gwybodaeth y swydd. Bydd y swydd wedi'i lleoli yng Nghaerdydd ond bydd gofyn i chi deithio cryn dipyn ledled y de. Croesewir ceisiadau gan siaradwyr Cymraeg rhugl. Dyddiad cau: Dydd Sul, 26 Ionawr 2020 Cyfweliadau: Dydd Mawrth, 4 Chwefror 2020 (TACT Cymru CF11 9LJ) Mae TACT yn cadw'r hawl i gau'r hysbyseb swydd pan fyddwn wedi cael digon o geisiadau, felly rydyn ni'n eich cynghori i gyflwyno'ch cais cyn gynted â phosib rhag cael eich siomi. Full details and application documents here Location: Great Moor, Stockport Salary: £16,879 - £19,867 Hours per Week: 37.5 About us...
At Together Trust we believe everybody deserves an equal chance in life. There are no exceptions. We provide a wide range of support services including fostering, residential, community and family support. We also provide specialist educational support through our schools and colleges. We follow a robust safer recruitment process and all successful applicants will go through recruitment checks. If you’re successful we’ll need you to have an enhanced DBS check. For all roles we’ll also need a minimum of three references. Depending on the role you apply for, we might also need to request references from each employer where you have worked with young people or vulnerable adults. We’ll also need to know about any breaks in your employment history with evidence from documents like birth certificates or passports. If you’re successful and have worked outside the UK for any longer than three months in the last five years, we’d also need to complete a foreign DBS or code of conduct check. Our supported tenancies in Stockport provide home living and community access support to vulnerable young adults who have a learning disability or autism. The aim of the service is to enable adults to live in their own home rather than residential homes where our staffing teams provide extensive care, specialist positive behaviour support and promote independence and inclusion within the local community. Through interest lead activities and support you will empower the young adults to take control of their own lives. As our Specialist Community Support Worker… You will provide practical and emotional support to the young adults in our care, giving them the confidence they need to be as independent as possible. You will offer assistance and guidance in all aspects of daily living, encourage and accompany them in activities and interests and ensure they are safeguarded at all times. You will take direction from your team leader, participate in team meetings and will help to ensure the young people we support have the best opportunities to access the local community, further education and any other interests. About You Experience is preferable but is not essential – what’s more important is the desire for a challenging and rewarding role and a genuine interest in developing your skills through the training that we offer. As the team offer 24/7 support, you will need to be flexible and willing to work shifts (to include earlies and lates) over a 7 day week. You must be committed to providing exceptional support and care to those who access our services. Benefits
Full details and application documents here Location: Cardiff Salary: £150 Per Panel Closing Date: 02/02/2020 Interview Date: 13/02/2020 Hours: Variable - Up to 12 Meetings Per Year We are currently looking for panel members to be part of our Fostering Panel in Wales. We are specifically seeking three fostering panel members with backgrounds respectively in healthcare, a formerly looked after person, and a foster carer. We particularly welcome applications from Welsh-speakers and people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.
This is an exciting time to become involved with TACT and we believe there is no better organisation to be involved with for anyone passionate about Fostering and Adoption services. In line with our values, we expect fostering panel members to ensure that all decisions are made with regard to the interest of 'children in care', foster carers, and the community in which they live. Successful applicants will be responsible for the following Fostering Panel Member duties:
A Standard DBS check clearance is required for these roles. This check will be undertaken by TACT on your behalf. You will also be required to have professional membership of a relevant body if you are currently a practicing healthcare, social work or similarly qualified professional. Closing Date : Midnight on Sunday 2nd February 2020 Interview Date: Thursday 14th February 2020 - taking place at TACT Wales (CF11 9LJ) TACT reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Full details and application documents here |
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