Member News: Team Fostering - What does our not-for-profit status mean for our foster carers?28/2/2020
Team Fostering is a not-for-profit agency that invests surplus made into the services provided to foster carers, children and young people. This ensures that there are no shareholders who are able to make any profit from children in care, and that we can continue to advance the package of support, training and allowances for foster carers in order to ensure they flourish in their role. We are an agency member of The Fairer Fostering Partnership along with other charitable or not-for-profit organisations who believe in putting children before profit. We spoke to our foster carers about our not-for-profit status and what it means to them, and they agreed to share their thoughts on working for an ethical agency. Here's what they said... 'It means Team are transparent and plough profits back into the organisation. Staff are caring and committed to carers. It one big family and the staff and other foster carers care for all of our children. It's wonderful.' 'Because of Team Fostering's not-for-profit status I feel am aware of their being truthful, fair and honest in all areas of the fostering task.' 'I will stay with Team Fostering because I know that they will remain not-for-profit and that they will always put back into the agency.' 'All £££s are put at the centre of the agency to support the children and not the bank balance, once sustainability is assured. All the money is invested in children and this is unlike other agencies where shareholders are only interested in profit. I could never work for a for-profit agency.' 'Managers and staff have a whole life ethos of being caring and nurturing, leading by example.' If you're considering becoming a foster carer, or if you're already fostering and considering moving to another agency, we would urge you to consider speaking to a not-for-profit provider. Foster carers and staff at Team Fostering share a firm belief that no profit should be made from children in care, and as a result of this the agency is able to use funds to provide comprehensive support, innovative training and competitive fees so that you can take on the role knowing the agency is behind you every step of the way. To speak with us you can contact us in the following ways: by submitting an Online Enquiry Form by using our Live Chat function by calling us on 0800 292 2003 by emailing info@teamfostering.co.uk Source: www.teamfostering.co.uk Melanie Armstrong is returning to Action for Children, this time as interim CEO, following the decision by Julie Bentley to resign as Chief Executive. Julie Bentley announced she was stepping down on Friday (14th February) for personal reasons after 18 months in the role. She paid tribute to staff at the charity calling them ‘some of the very best people I have encountered in my 25 year charity sector career’. Melanie Armstrong was the Interim Managing Director of Corporate Shared Services at Action for Children until December last year. Melanie has previously held senior roles in both the commercial and not-for-profit sectors.
Chair of Trustees at Action for Children, Sarika Patel, said : “The Board and I are delighted to have Melanie back. She knows our organisation well and will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the charity, working closely with our Executive leadership Team (ELT). The search for a permanent CEO is now underway”. Melanie Armstrong will take up the interim CEO role on March 3rd . Source: www.actionforchildren.org.uk Location: Bristol Salary: £33,561 pa plus £1,500 Out of Hours Rota Allowance Hours: 35 hours per week Full Time and Office Based Fixed Term 12 Month Maternity Cover Contract Closing Date: 11/03/2020 Interview Date: 26/03/2020 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) Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believe that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work. As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children. We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people. All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies. TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them. 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 Member Job Opportunity: The Children's Family Trust - Supervising Social Worker – West Midlands27/2/2020
Our staff are an integral part of our success and we are seeking to recruit a Supervising Social Worker to cover our West Midlands area. Location Bromsgrove, Worcestershire (B60) Package We are a progressive organisation who promote a friendly and supportive working environment, where you will be rewarded for your hard work and results. As well as a competitive annual salary (dependent on experience) plus a very generous car allowance (£4,800 pa) and out of hours allowance (£1,200 pa) . We also offer a comprehensive benefits package including 31 days Annual leave plus bank holidays, 35 hour week, up to 5% contributory pension, occupational sick pay, private health care, dental care, employee assistance programme, enhanced maternity pay, life assurance, long service awards, childcare vouchers and free office parking. The Role Based at our West Midlands office in Bromsgrove you will recruit, assess and support our Foster Carers as well as make placements in response to referrals from Local Authorities. Our low caseload management system ensures that we achieve good outcomes for our children and maintain a high quality service. Ideal candidates This is an exciting opportunity for a Social Work England registered Social Worker with at least 12 months experience. Someone who can work flexibly as part of a busy team and wants the opportunity to provide a quality service to our children, young people and Foster Carers. Working links to the Foster Care environment would be advantageous. The Children’s Family Trust is an equal opportunities employer and committed to promoting the welfare and safeguarding of children, ensuring that they are kept safe. As you will be in an environment which involves child protection and working with Looked After Children, you will need to be covered by DBS clearance, which the Trust will undertake. This position is also subject to receipt of satisfactory references. How to apply To apply please email your CV to jobs@thecft.org.uk. If selected for interview candidates will be required to complete an Application Form and Equality & Diversity Monitoring Form available from our website. We are a great company to work for and this is a rare opportunity to make a ‘real’ difference in children’s lives. To read more about our unique history, please click here. Closing Date: 13th March 2020 Full details and application documents here Member Job Opportunity: The Children's Family Trust - Supervising Social Worker – Yorkshire27/2/2020
Our staff are an integral part of our success and due to internal promotion, we are seeking to recruit a Supervising Social Worker to join our Yorkshire Team. Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire (WF2) Package We are a progressive organisation who promote a friendly and supportive working environment, where you will be rewarded for your hard work and results. As well as a competitive annual salary (dependent on experience) plus a very generous car allowance (£4,800 pa) and out of hours allowance (£1,200 pa) . We also offer a comprehensive benefits package including 31 days Annual leave plus bank holidays, 35 hour week, up to 5% contributory pension, occupational sick pay, private health care, dental care, employee assistance programme, enhanced maternity pay, life assurance, long service awards, childcare vouchers and free office parking. The Role Based at our West Yorkshire office in Wakefield you will recruit, assess and support our Foster Carers as well as make placements in response to referrals from Local Authorities. Our low caseload management system ensures that we achieve good outcomes for our children and maintain a high quality service. Ideal candidates This is an exciting opportunity for a Social Work England registered Social Worker with at least 12 months experience. Someone who can work flexibly as part of a busy team and wants the opportunity to provide a quality service to our children, young people and Foster Carers. Working links to the Foster Care environment would be advantageous. The Children’s Family Trust is an equal opportunities employer and committed to promoting the welfare and safeguarding of children, ensuring that they are kept safe. As you will be in an environment which involves child protection and working with Looked After Children, you will need to be covered by DBS clearance, which the Trust will undertake. This position is also subject to receipt of satisfactory references. How to apply To apply please email your CV to jobs@thecft.org.uk. If selected for interview candidates will be required to complete an Application Form and Equality & Diversity Monitoring Form available from our website. We are a great company to work for and this is a rare opportunity to make a ‘real’ difference in children’s lives. To read more about our unique history, please click here. Closing Date: 13th March 2020 Full details and application documents Member News: TACT backs call for end to private companies profiting from fostering in Wales27/2/2020
Fostering charity TACT Cymru wholeheartedly agrees with the call made by Wales children’s commissioner, for private companies to be prevented from making profits on children’s homes or foster care. Like Sally Holland, TACT would welcome an end to firms profiting from vulnerable children. Children with complex needs are well looked after by local councils and charities and not for profit enterprises. TACT CEO Andy Elvin said: “Private equity backed firms bring no new practice to the table, they simply use financial muscle and leveraged debt to buy up smaller providers then charge the LA’s fees that cover the interest on the leveraged debt. They then sell up after a few year to make more profit with little regard to long terms outcomes for children.” More information on Sally Holland’s report Source: www.tactcare.org.uk Location: Barnardo's North West Fostering Service Contract type: Permanent Hours: 37 Salary: £28,631 - £34,000 Closing Date: 6 March 2020 Interview Date: 13 March 2020 Barnardo's North West Fostering Service - Family Placement provide foster placements for children across the North West. This post for a Supervising Social Worker is to be based in Preston, Lancashire.
When completing your application form please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification and Job Description. This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described. About Barnardo's At Barnardo's we believe in children – no matter who they are, what they have done or what they have been through. Please read about our basis and values following the link below. You will be asked questions relating to them as part of the recruitment process for this role. Barnardo's is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce for staff and volunteers. We actively encourage applications from disabled, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic and male candidates as they are under-represented within Barnardo's. Our basis and values Full details and application documents here Barnardo's has joined 26 other organisations working with care-experienced children and young people in England to urge the Government to carry out a review of the care system without delay. The group has published an open letter to the Secretary of State, Gavin Williamson MP, calling on the Government to move forward with an independent and meaningful review. Javed Khan, Barnardo’s Chief Executive, said: “While many children in the care system have a positive experience, it continues to fail some of the most vulnerable, particularly teenagers and those with complex needs. “As a society we must give these children the same opportunities that as parents we give our own children. Today around 36% of care leavers in England aged 17-21 are not in education, employment or training, compared to 12% of this age group overall. This urgently needs to change. “That’s why we are calling for a root and branch review of the care system, with young people - who are ‘experts by experience’ - at its heart. It must consider why children are entering care, their experience of fostering and residential provision, right through to what happens when they leave. We look forward to working with the Government to improve the system so that all children in care can achieve a positive future.” Source: www.barnardos.org.uk Location: Gregory's Place Contract type: Fixed term End date: September 2022 Hours: 37 Salary: £23,545 - £25,428 Closing Date: 28 February 2020 Interview Date: TBC We are seeking to recruit a member of staff to support the delivery of a new 2.5 year mentoring programme that will directly support care experienced young people (looked after children and care leavers) aged 12-25 in Manchester focusing on 16-25 year olds. The fundamental aim of the new programme is to improve the life chances and experiences of care experienced young people in Manchester. We will work alongside our partners, Greater Manchester Youth Network (GMYN) in delivering the programme and they will directly support care experienced young people via a mixture of weekly 1-1 support sessions, volunteering and positive group activities . The diverse programme of activities will work in tandem to boost the confidence, self esteem and life skills of care experiences young people, helping to prepare them for future independence, enhancing their life opportunities and reducing social isolation.
The Mentor Coordinator for Care Experienced young people will establish and sustain a network of mentors, including peer mentors, ensuring they are supported in building and maintaining positive relationships with care experienced young people. The staff member will be expected to work independently, alongside GMYN colleagues and as part of the wider Barnardo's locality team with opportunities to learn and share practice. Role responsibilities:
Interviews will take place in early March and care experienced young people will participate in the recruitment process For further information please contact hannah.peake@barnardos.org.uk or call 0161 273 2901 About Barnardo's At Barnardo's we believe in children – no matter who they are, what they have done or what they have been through. Please read about our basis and values following the link below. You will be asked questions relating to them as part of the recruitment process for this role. Barnardo's is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce for staff and volunteers. We actively encourage applications from disabled, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic and male candidates as they are under-represented within Barnardo's. Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore are open to offering flexible working arrangements. This role is based in Barnardo's Greater Manchester locality, initially at Manchester. Our basis and values Full details and application documents here Fostering Social Worker Hours: Permanent, Full-Time (working 37 hours per week) Area: Hampshire Salary: £31,500 -£34,000 per annum plus £700 per annum on call allowance Up to 7 weeks of annual leave Ref: 3378 The role
Our Wessex Fostering service in Hampshire provides long and short term foster placements predominantly for children aged eight years and over. We continuously aim to provide safe, secure and stable family placements within the community so that young people can experience a positive model of life for the future. We want to fully understand our children and young people in order to provide a tailored plan to support their needs and ensure they are able to build positive relationships with others. We are looking for a Fostering Supervising Social Worker to join our team working 37 hours a week. This will be mainly Monday to Friday during the day but there will be some flexibility required to meet the needs of the service which will include some evening and weekend working. We are a small, developing fostering service, located in Fareham but covering the Hampshire and surrounding areas. You will be based in our Fareham office. You will be responsible for providing professional supervision and developmental support to foster carers, including advice and guidance to fostering families. You will be part of a small team and will have had exposure to managing multi agency partnerships. This position also requires a strong understanding of the therapeutic model including PACE. You will be required to provide telephone on call support for our foster carers which is currently (on average) approx 4 nights per month for our England wide on call service. Our team including foster carers are trained to a high standard; understanding attachment and trauma work along with specific interventions. The difference What is the role? By providing professional supervision and developmental support, including advice and guidance to fostering families and colleagues from other agencies where appropriate, including being part of an Out of Hours Service (through participation in rota, maximum of 4 nights per month) providing support 24 hrs a day, 365 days a year. The successful applicant will be part of an aspirational fostering team of social workers. You will be expected to uphold the core values and beliefs of the organisation, ensuring that children, young people and foster carers receive a high-quality service and that commissioners' expectations and contractual requirements are met. This will be instilled through effective day to day delivery of a high quality fostering service. You will also be delivering training to foster carers and their support network. What will you need?
What are the rewards?
How does Action for Children work? Action for Children does what's right, does what's needed and does what works for children across the UK. Every year, our team changes the lives of 301,000 children, young people and their families – but for every child who needs help to get help, there's plenty more to do. That's where you come in. If you really want to make a difference and be a part of an amazing team, don't hesitate, apply now! Interviews are scheduled for W/c 9th March 2020. For any questions about this role or a confidential chat, please call Collette Fraser on 07741 736 739. Original Post on Action for Children website: https://careers.actionforchildren.org.uk/vacancy/fostering-social-worker-3378/3396/description/ |
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