By Ali Gunn, Communications and Campaigns Manager We, like Article 39, Become, the Care Leavers Association and many others are in disbelief that the clear evidence on the isolation and risk that young people face in unregulated accommodation is being ignored. Only last week an FOI Article 39 found that between April and September 2020 four young people aged 16 and 17 died whilst living in unregulated accommodation. But still, the government insist that this type of accommodation is satisfactory. The new standards that are being proposed will create a two-tier care system where 16- and 17-year-olds entering the system will be at risk of not receiving the care they deserved and are legally required to receive. We ask all parents and carers to consider if they are happy for their children not to have any care when they turn 16. If not, join us and stand up for the young people this disastrous policy decision will affect. We believe that every child in care should be guaranteed care up to the age of 18 but new government legislation will leave around 6000 children without care. We've joined Article39, Become, Just For Kids Law, The Care Leavers Association and many other organisations, professionals and care experienced people to reject the two tier children’s residential care system this legislation will create. Read more about the campaign Source: https://www.togethertrust.org.uk 'Making the decision to pursue a career in fostering is one that takes a lot of thought. Once you’ve decided to enquire about the role, the next step is finding the agency that’s right for you. So, what are the top things to consider when looking at agencies? 1) Which agencies are clear about the support they offer? Ask about the support different agencies or local authorities offer. How long have the staff team been in place? Is the agency happy to provide you with current foster carer contact details so you can get a direct overview of life at the agency first-hand? Team Fostering ensures that foster carers are supported by local staff, with very low staff turnover and with 'out of hours’ workers getting to know all foster carers so that even when your designated worker is unavailable, you will be able to speak with somebody that knows you and your family. In our recruitment process we offer you contact details of some of our current foster carers, so you can gain an honest overview of the support at Team directly from them. You can read more about our support, fees and benefits here. 2) Read Ofsted reports Most fostering providers will share their Ofsted reports on their websites. If they don’t, you will be able to locate reports yourself on Ofsted’s website using their search function. Read reports in detail, recognise the positive comments and consider how Ofsted perceive the agency as a whole, what partnership authorities have said about staff and how foster carers report on life with the agency. Top tip: double check that Ofsted reports shared on agencies' websites are their most recent reports! You can do this by looking at Ofsted's website. Team Fostering was rated Oustanding (North East November 2018) and Good (Yorkshire and East Midlands March 2018), and our Ofsted reports are available to read on our website here. We’re very proud of them, and we encourage you to read them if you’re considering our agency. Our carers, staff, partners and, most importantly, children and young people share honest views about the service and these are something that we are delighted with. 3) Check out social media pages Current foster carers likely follow their agency’s social media accounts and blogs. Does it seem like the agency operates with a true sense of community? Have its current foster carers left comments on posts? Are pictures of staff and carers visible? Our foster carers and staff are very active on social media and this is visible on our accounts. You can look at our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 4) Get clued up on reading between the lines Are agency websites upfront about the types of fostering on offer? Do they explain fees and allowances in a clear way and is it easy to find exactly what you're looking for without an exhaustive list of vague statements and promises? Our fees and allowances are available on our website and we have an entire page dedicated to the types of children and young people we work with (click here to view). We are regularly adding to our website to ensure that all prospective foster carers are provided with a transparent overview of the agency. New pages currently being worked on include ‘The History of Team Fostering,’ 'Our Relationship with Local Authorities' and 'A Day in the Life of a Foster Carer'. We have a live chat facility where you can ask any questions that you can't find the answer to, and in these instances we will be sure to enhance the website for the future so that others can see this information clearly. 5) Consider how important it is to you that the agency operates in an ethical way Many prospective carers might not know that some agencies operate for-profit and some that operate as not-for-profit organisations, some as charities and some as local authority fostering services. Many people just assume that all fostering services are not-for-profit, so it's important to 'do your homework' and work out what type of organisation feels right for you. Working at Team Fostering is particularly rewarding for many of our foster carers because the agency is a truly ethical, not-for-profit one that invests surplus funds into putting children’s futures first. Our staff and foster carers value this ethical approach to fostering immensely, and we are all proud to be part of an agency like ours. Not-for-profit agencies are able to offer similar fees, support and training as for-pinfo@teamfostering.co.ukrofit agencies, often with additional opportunities made possible by the reinvestment of funds! Read more about our support by clicking here. 6) What is your gut instinct telling you? You’ll know within minutes of looking at a website, a social media channel or an article whether you think an agency is putting children’s futures first and whether it's somewhere that impresses you and engages you. Speak with agencies on the phone and consider the way their staff speak to you. Are they quick at answering your queries? Are they polite? Fostering is an amazing role and it’s important that, if you start a fostering journey, you do it with an agency that you’d like to call home with an organisation that takes the time to welcome your enquiry and answer any questions that you have.' Team Fostering is an independent, not-for-profit fostering agency operating across the North East, Yorkshire and East Midlands. You can enquire with us about becoming a foster carer in the following ways: Complete our online enquiry form here Call our Recruitment Team on 0800 292 2003 Email us via info@teamfostering.co.uk Source: https://www.teamfostering.co.uk Circa: £36,000 + £700 on call allowance pro rata Department/Division: England North Location: Middlesbrough, Teeside Contract Type: Permanent Part Time Hours: 14.6 Hours – Part-Time, 2 days per week. Closing Date: 22 April 2021 Giving children and young people the foundations they need to thrive.
The role We are looking for a Fostering Social Worker to join our small developing Fostering Service located in the Middlesbrough and North East area. The role includes recruiting and assessing new applicants as well as supporting a caseload of foster carers. This position is a 2 day a week position. Monday and Tuesday are preferable days. There is also an on-call rota which you will be required to undertake, 1 night in every 3/4 weeks. We promote and support agile working with all our Fostering Social Workers to enable you to work with a manageable caseload. Fostering experience and knowledge of fostering regulations is essential for this position. Part of the role is to develop and manage multi agency partnerships. This position also requires a good understanding of therapeutic parenting models. Our team consists of Admin Support, Social Workers, and Referral Officers. We also work in partnership with Changing Minds psychology services who support us, and our therapeutic work with children and young people. You will make a difference by:
You will need:
The way we work We work to make sure every child and young person has the love, support and opportunity they need to reach their potential. If you share the same vision, we want you to join our team. Have a look at our behaviours and values to understand more about the way we work here. Rewards We want our employees to feel valued and rewarded for the vital work they do. When you work with us, we'll recognise your efforts with generous annual leave, a comprehensive employer-matched pension scheme and a range of deals and discounts on our dedicated benefits portal. Find out more about our exclusive Action for Children benefits here. For safe and happy childhoods At Action for Children, we protect and support children and young people, providing practical and emotional care and support, ensuring their voices are heard, and campaigning to bring lasting improvements to their lives. Last year, we helped more than 387,000 children and families across the UK. For any questions about this role, please contact Lynsey Munro in our recruitment team on Lynsey.Munro@actionforchildren.org.uk We are committed to safer recruitment practices to protect our service users; therefore, all applicants are expected to have an understanding of and commitment to safeguarding best-practice. It's vital for our services to be able to recruit and support adopters / Foster carers from a diverse range of backgrounds to reflect the children who need families. We therefore actively seek to replicate that diversity in our staff, and we positively welcome the wide breadth of experience, knowledge and understanding that this will bring to our services. Action for Children is passionate about promoting equality, valuing diversity and working inclusively. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons particularly people with Disabilities and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic applicants, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce. Full details and application documents here Circa: £33,000 + £700 p.a on call allowance Location: Exeter, Devon Department/Division: England South Contract Type: Fixed Term Full Time Closing Date: 21 April 2021 Giving children and young people the foundations they need to thrive.
The role Action for Children Fostering South West Peninsula and Family Breaks seeks to meet the needs of the most vulnerable children and young people in society by the provision of safe, secure and successful foster placements including the provision of short breaks for children with additional needs. We also offer the highest standard of care-providing carers with excellent training, supervision and support to achieve the best outcomes for the young people we look after. We strive to provide a good quality of care to young people, always ensuring they are the centre of our approach. We are looking for an outstanding Fostering Social Worker who can support placements from the Devon/Somerset borders to Cornwall - so flexibility to travel across this cluster as and when needed is imperative for this role. You will also have the opportunity to assess applicants to foster. This role is fixed term until June 2022. During Covid times, we support agile / homeworking with the expectation to progress back into our office base when we can, with continued flexibility and a mix of home, office and travel to meet children and carers where they are. You will make a difference by:
You will need:
The way we work We work to make sure every child and young person has the love, support and opportunity they need to reach their potential. If you share the same vision, we want you to join our team. Have a look at our behaviours and values to understand more about the way we work here. Rewards We want our employees to feel valued and rewarded for the vital work they do. When you work with us, we'll recognise your efforts with generous annual leave, a comprehensive employer-matched pension scheme and a range of deals and discounts on our dedicated benefits portal. Find out more about our exclusive Action for Children benefits here. For safe and happy childhoods At Action for Children, we protect and support children and young people, providing practical and emotional care and support, ensuring their voices are heard, and campaigning to bring lasting improvements to their lives. Last year, we helped more than 387,000 children and families across the UK. For any further questions about this role, please contact Lynsey.Munro@actionforchildren.org.uk in our recruitment team. It's vital for our services to be able to recruit and support adopters / Foster carers from a diverse range of backgrounds to reflect the children who need families. We therefore actively seek to replicate that diversity in our staff, and we positively welcome the wide breadth of experience, knowledge and understanding that this will bring to our services. Action for Children is passionate about promoting equality, valuing diversity and working inclusively. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons particularly people with Disabilities and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic applicants, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce. We are committed to safer recruitment practices to protect our service users; therefore, all applicants are expected to have an understanding of and commitment to safeguarding best-practice. Full details and application documents here At The Children’s Family Trust (CFT), we value all of our audience, customers and service users, and strive to ensure that everyone accessing our website has the most positive user experience possible. We have recently added a new accessibility tool, Recite Me, which allows users to customise our website and view it in a way that works best for you. Here’s why web accessibility and inclusivity matters to us: People are our priority
With our new software, we can make a difference by ensuring our children can access the information they need coming in to care in a format that is accessible to them, as well as providing our staff and foster carers with the tools to read information in a way that best suits them. We embrace all walks of life and backgrounds Alongside disability and literacy-based barriers to accessing information, providing information to people whose first language is not English is an important part of reaching individuals in the UK who want to provide stable and loving homes to children in care. With 1 in 10 people not speaking English as their first language, it is important that we reach these communities by allowing them to access information in a way that is comfortable and clear for them. In addition to this, in recent years we have seen a rise in the number of children coming into care who do not speak English as their first language, and as an organisation we recognise that this time is already a very difficult experience for a child or young person to go through, without having to worry about the added pressure of language barriers. With this new software, users can benefit from the real-time translation feature, which can translate our information into over 100 languages, including 35 text to speech voices. Our Marketing and Media Manager, Jessica, commented “We are excited to be launching the Recite Me Toolbar on our website in the hope that it will make the experience for all of our users more comfortable.” “As an organisation, we support both foster carers and children from all walks of life and backgrounds, and it is important for us to ensure that our stakeholders are receiving information in a way that suits them best. We are hopeful that adding the Recite Me toolbar will make our website function in a more accessible and inclusive way for all and allow us to reach more people.” Guide to using Recite Me For more information on Recite Me, check out their website here. Here’s our quick guide to using Recite Me on our website: Screen Reader Our screen reader helps people who are visually impaired or neuro-divergent to perceive and understand the information on our website. Key features include:
You can see the reader being used in this image. Styling Our website is customisable to a way that works for you. Recite Me supports people who are dyslexic, visually impaired or have a learning disability to change the way our website looks, so you can experience it the way it is intended. Key features include:
The styling function has lots of different options, as shown in our example image. Reading Support Reading content online can be a challenge for some people. To simplify and support you to read our content, Recite Me provides additional reading tools. Tools include:
The reading function makes small writing easy to read, as shown in our example image. Translation 1 in 10 people don’t speak English as their first language in the UK. By using Recite Me, you can quickly and easily translate all our website content into over 100 languages, including 35 text to speech voices. The translation function changes everything you see on our website, as shown in our example image. If you have any additional questions about using Recite me on our website, you can contact us on 01527 574446 or email us. Source:
https://thecft.org.uk Kasper Supervising Social Worker Kent Kasper Fostering are looking for a Supervising Social Worker to join our Not-for-Profit, long-established and child-centred independent fostering organisation. You will be responsible for the supervision and support of foster carers based in Kent. This is a great opportunity to be a part of a stable team with a managed caseload, good supervision and training. This post is linked to the Whitstable Office and covers a caseload across Kent. Preferably, you will have experience within the fostering sector or children’s social services and enjoy supervising and supporting foster carers to achieve safety and the best possible outcomes for children and young people. You will be committed to maintaining a culture of safeguarding at all times, and work in a relationship-based way with your carers, using the Secure Base Model. You will be a genuine team player, proficient communicator, highly organised and work well under pressure. You’ll be able to demonstrate strong assessment, analytical and report writing skills as well as enjoy working in a small, enthusiastic team of dedicated childcare professionals. Your ability to work with highly confidential information in a sensitive manner is essential. We are able to offer a very competitive package, including a salary of up to £34,000 depending on experience, plus a car allowance of £5000 per year, 8% employer’s pension contribution and 30 days annual leave. You will be part of our OOH cover for one week in every six. To apply, please email amyansell@kasperfostering.org for an application pack. For an informal discussion please call Rebecca Askew, Registered Manager on 01227 275985. Kasper Fostering is an Investors in People organisation, and does not discriminate on the grounds of age, race, gender, disability, creed or sexual orientation and complies with all relevant UK legislation. Kasper Fostering follows a rigorous recruitment and selection process, and aims for quality services and equal opportunities for all. Applicants are interviewed in line with our safer recruitment policy, where identities are checked thoroughly and successful candidates are required to complete an enhanced DBS disclosure. Closing date for applications: Monday 12th April 2021 Interview date: Tuesday 20th 2021 Source: www.kasperfostering.org The Children’s Family Trust are currently seeking individuals to join our Board of Trustees, and we would be particularly interested to hear from applicants who have fostering experience or experience of being a young person in foster care. Location National. Our Trustees are based across the country and come together periodically (meeting in various locations) for Trustee Meetings. The Role The duties of a Trustee Board member are to:
In addition to the above statutory duties, each Trustee should use any specific skills, knowledge or experience they have to help the Board of Trustees reach sound decisions. This may involve leading discussions, focusing on key issues, providing advice and guidance on new initiatives, evaluation or other issues in which the Trustee has special expertise. Please see the full role description listed below for further details. Please note that this is an unpaid volunteer role – please contact us for further details. Ideal candidates Each trustee must have:
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 CFT will undertake. This position is also subject to receipt of satisfactory references. How to apply To apply please email singleton.victoria@thecft.org.uk for further information. To read more about our unique history, please click here. Closing Date: Ongoing Source: https://thecft.org.uk Location: Lincolnshire Leaving Care Service – Lincoln Contract type: Permanent Hours: 37 Salary: £26,966.00 - £37,414.00 FTE Closing Date: 11 April 2021 Interview Date: 23rd April 2021 Barnardo's works in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council to deliver its Leaving Care Service for young people aged 16-25.
Our last OFSTED inspection achieved an ‘Outstanding' grade for the service we provide to Children in Care and Care Leavers. We are currently looking to recruit a Team Manager who will be based at our Lincoln office we are happy to consider applications from candidates wishing to work part or full time hours. There is an expectation that Team Managers will be required to travel across the region and where the service need requires. You will be joining an established management team who will be able to offer peer support and mentoring. Initial Specific Responsibilities Barnardo's have been delivering the Leaving Care Contract on behalf of Lincolnshire County Council for a number of years and following a successful re-commissioning Barnardo's will continue working in partnership with the County Council. Within service we not only have dedicated Leaving Care Workers we also have developed specialist services in relation to developing accommodation and supported lodgings specialists alongside workers helping with education, employment and training. We also have a dedicated senior project worker who leads on group participation, quality assurance and signs of safety across the service and we have some exciting developments in relation to creating a new jointly commissioned specialist mental health post and the joint development of a new housing scheme for Care Leavers. It's an exciting time to join the service as we extend our provision for 16-25 year old Care Leavers. We're looking for candidates with drive and determination who understands about working with looked after children and care leavers. Supplementary Information
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. When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification, Job Description and Additional Information document (if applicable). 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. Full details and application documents here Location: Swansea Children Matter Contract type: Permanent (Fixed term funded post) End date: 31 March 2022 Hours: 37 Salary: £17,316.00 - £24,493.93 FTE Closing Date: 11 April 2021 Interview Date: 16th April 2021 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 Would you like to be involved in this unique opportunity to support Children and Young People in Swansea? We are looking to recruit a Project Worker in our Transition to Independent Living and Training Flat Service at the BAYS + @InfoNation Service, Barnardo's Cymru Western Bay Locality. What is the Bays+ @ Info Nation Service? This is a collaborative partnership with Swansea Council for the delivery of services for young people living in Swansea aged 16 and over. The Partnership provides a number of statutory services, namely, the 16+ Social Work team, the Personal Advisor/ Leaving Care Service, Supported Lodgings and the Youth Homeless Service. As part of the Transition Training Flat Service you will undertake direct, planned and structured one to one and group sessions with young people. Working toward distinct outcomes you will support young people to reach their person-centred goals in a trauma-informed way. Key elements of the service include:
What does the Job Role involve? Your duties will include:
You will have (essential criteria):
Additional Information: You must demonstrate in your application that you currently use the skills outlined above, and in the Job Description/Person Specifications, or have used them previously in employment, education, training, volunteering etc. Although this contract has a permanent status, please be aware that this post is subject to continued funding, currently until 31 March 2022, and therefore should this funding not be extended further, you may be subject to a redundancy consultation or a TUPE arrangement. We are willing to consider secondment applications from partner agencies linked with the Bays+ @ Info Nation Service. Your main office base will be at Children Matter, Swansea, Penlan but you will be expected to work locally and within Bays+ @ Info Nation Service, Swansea. When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification, Job Description and Additional Information document. This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described. Full details and application documents (including rota example) here Location: Barnardo's Scotland Adoption Service, Glasgow Contract type: Permanent Hours: 29.6 Salary: £28,631 - £37,414 FTE (£22,904 - £29,931 Pro Rota) Closing Date: 6 April 2021 Interview Date: tbc This is a Social Work role in our Family Placement service (Fostering & Adoption) and is responsible for providing a social work service to foster carers/adopters and children/young people to ensure that the best outcomes for children and young people is achieved at all times in line with all statutory and regulatory requirements, alongside Barnardo's policies and procedures.
The role will also contribute to the development of the service by working collaboratively with Family Placement colleagues undertaking such activities as recruitment and training and supporting the wider Barnardo's Family Placement agenda. We are looking to recruit a Family Placement Social Worker (4 days) for our adoption service based in Glasgow to undertake prospective adopter reports, family finding and supporting families following placement. When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification, Job Description and Additional Information document. 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. Full details and application documents here |
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