Senior Practitioner (Fostering)
​
Do you have the values we need? Do you want to be part of a Service that helps young people feel valued and important?  …  helps them grow and feel stronger? …  inspire and help them feel safe?  

How we work:
Action for Children does what's right, does what's needed and does what works for children in the UK. Every year our services change the lives of 390,000 children, young people and families.

CAPS Fostering Service is a specialist fostering service that offers attachment- based therapeutic care to children and young people who cannot be looked after at home.  We 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 have excellent Fostering Inspections and provide good quality of care to young people, always ensuring we listen to our young people every step of the way.

Our Service is growing, and as a Senior Practitioner you will be working in our (Fostering Scotland) team based in our Glasgow office.   We are recruiting 1x full/ time senior practitioner and 1 x part/ time senior practitioner.

How you will make a difference:
By bringing you: your experience values and enthusiasm, and being part of a team (social workers, children's workers and therapists) to support fostering families to provide stable and loving experiences for young people.  You will work with others to inspire, support and keep children and young people safe, to create memories and support connections with young people's families, their brothers and sisters; and you will feel confident and skilled in your role.

You will promote the highest standards of care and wellbeing for our young people and guide and deliver training to foster carers and team members with opportunity to really get to know young people and support them on their journey.  By thinking therapeutically and creatively (with and for) young people and ensuring best practice, you will make a real and lasting difference.    You will be part of a team that values relational- based practice where this is the heart of all that we do!

What you'll need:

• A degree in social work or equivalent and experience of safeguarding/ public protection is essential.
  
• Experience of family placement and/or PQ training would be an advantage.
  
• Registered or willing to be registered with SSC (Scottish Social  Services Council )

 
How we reward you:

• Minimum 29 days' holiday (pro rata)
  
• Flexible working, including maternity, paternity packages
  
• Season ticket travel loans
  
• Company pension scheme
  
• Discounts at major high street retailers. 

Plus, there's a lot more besides.
 
This is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference and to build a fulfilling and meaningful career with a leading UK children's charity.  If you want to be part of a dynamic progressive Service that places the young person at the centre of our success- please indicate your interest/ and make an application! 

Action for Children is committed to safer recruitment practices, designed to protect the welfare of the children and young people using our services. 

If you meet all the criteria and would like to proceed with your application, you will be redirected to an application form on our website which should only take around 20 minutes to complete.  Please have your CV handy to upload. As this job involves working around young people there are some specific questions we need to ask you as part of your application process.   Thanks for taking the time to apply and we wish you the best of luck!

Full details and application documents here

If you have any other questions, please contact Anne Marie Wilson on 07741627578

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.

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.

Fostering Supervisor Social Worker 
​
The role
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 Middlesbrough but covering the North East area and North Yorkshire.

You will be responsible for providing professional supervision and developmental support to foster carers, including advice and guidance to fostering families. Experience of undertaking Form F Assessments and knowledge of fostering regulations is essential for this position.  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 up to a maximum of 2 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 2 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?

• A Degree / Diploma in Social Work or equivalent
  
• Form F assessment experience essential.
  
• Current HCPC registration
  
• Supervisory experience in a regulatory environment 
  
• Ability to keep the service regulatory safe
  
• Strong ethos of keeping the child at the centre
  
• Strong sense of ability to support therapeutic needs of children
  
• A stable career history and experience of fostering services
  
• Access to a vehicle due to being required to travel across North East/ North Yorkshire area is essential.

What are the rewards?

• Minimum 29 days' holiday plus bank holidays
  
• Flexible working, including maternity, paternity and adoption packages
  
• Season ticket travel loans
  
• Company pension scheme, up to 7% employer match
  
• Ability to buy and sell holiday
  
• Discounts at major high street retailers. 
  
• Plus, there's a lot more besides.

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!

For any questions about this role or a confidential chat, please call Collette Fraser on 07741 736 739.

Full details and application documents here

​Thirty years ago this month a critical piece of legislation received Royal Assent. The Children Act 1989 changed our approach to the way children in the UK are cared for and protected by making the welfare of the child paramount.

Children’s views and wishes must now be taken into account in any decision. Fundamentally, the Act viewed that children are best cared for in their own families, but it also put in place a system to protect children when at risk of harm. At the time, this marked a significant change of approach: children as simply needing protection, to individuals with their own rights.

This was a change that Action for Children welcomed. We provide many early help services supporting families to build healthy relationships and individual resilience, and we see the difference that this type of support can make in preventing issues from becoming more serious.

But while we should celebrate the achievements of the Act, we should also acknowledge that we have much further to go to fully realise the Act’s vision. Legislation is always implemented in a context; the context of the last decade has made achieving the original aims of the Act particularly challenging.

Under section 17, the Act states that local authorities should promote the welfare of any children whose development is at risk. This recognised in law the importance of services that support children, young people and families to promote long term wellbeing.

Over the last decade, available funding for local authority children’s services in England has decreased by £3 billion (29 per cent). Demand for children’s social care has increased, with significantly more children now on child protection plans and being taken into care. Intense pressures on local authorities have inevitably led them to prioritise more intensive statutory services, with early help support bearing the brunt of cuts. Social workers have said that their decisions are now being influenced by the lack of resources, meaning that some cases that would have previously received support under section 17 are less likely to.

This means that thirty years on, a key intention of the Children Act, to promote the welfare of children when there are early signs of a problem and to support families to help keep them together, is still not a reality. In effect, we are rationing the help we give some of our most vulnerable children.

Our ‘Revolving Door’ reports found that as many as 36,000 children who were referred to children’s social care in 2013/14 and did not receive it, were then referred again the following year. 23,000 were then found to be in need, suggesting early opportunities to provide help were missed. We also found that only one in four children who were assessed by social services as ‘no further action’ in 2015/16 were referred onto early help, leaving 140,000 without support. Without early help, problems go unresolved, and vulnerable children are left to suffer until crisis point is reached.

Thirty years on, we are therefore calling on the government to revisit the guiding principles of the Children Act and to re-balance the focus of policy around early intervention and prevention. To make the Act’s vision a reality, the next government must ensure local authorities have the resources to invest in high quality, evidence based early help. They must also introduce a statutory duty on local partners to provide early help, to ensure all children, young people and families get the timely support they need.

Source:
www.actionforchildren.org.uk

Julie Bentley was presented with the prestigious Outstanding Individual Achievement award at this year’s Charity Times Awards ceremony in London.

Julie was praised by the judges for her incredible support to women, to the charity sector and to children and young people.

“Over her career as a CEO, she has developed her own unique leadership style and is proven to be a continual source of inspiration to other leaders within the sector” they said.

The judges went on to praise Julie’s “honesty, humour and empathy to create a culture of transparency and trust within any organisation she works for. Coupled with her passion for children and social justice, she has proven to excel in every single role she has taken on.”

A career that's life changing!

Who are we?
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 370,000 children, young people and their families – but for every child who needs help to get help, there's plenty more to do and that is where you come in.

We are seeking a passionate and confident Children's Rights Officer to work in our busy service in Hackney providing advocacy and support to service users of all ages in the care system ensuring that their voices are heard.

You will be contracted to work Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm but this post does require an element of flexibility as it involves some out of hour visits.  

How will you make a difference?

• By assisting, guiding and teaching the Service Users their rights and how to develop their confidence and key life skills.
• By recruiting, leading and supporting volunteers to act as Independent Visitors to people in care.
• By recording and monitoring information on the central system.
• By building and maintaining excellent rapports with Service Users and other care professionals to promote Equality & Diversity.
• By managing individual case-loads and providing advocacy services to Service Users.
• By providing 1:1 support to service users to achieve positive outcomes.

 
What you will need?

• A Positive and Caring attitude is a MUST
• NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care or equivalent with at least 1 years' experience working directly with vulnerable service users.
• Sound knowledge of Safeguarding and GDPR
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Be able to work under pressure and manage workload
• Recruitment experience would be an advantage but full training will be provided for the right candidate
• Be a passionate individual who is committed to Children's rights.

What are the benefits?

• As an appreciation towards our staff, we offer:
• An excellent company pension scheme
• Minimum of 29 days Annual Leave
• Season ticket travel loans
• Childcare vouchers
• Professional development with access to 100's of courses available from the first day
• Discounts at major high street retailer

 (And that's just to list a few)

This is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to vulnerable children's lives and to build a fulfilling and meaningful career with a leading UK children's charity. So don't delay, apply today!

If you would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact Ewelina Suchocka on 07776657442 or alternatively you can send your CV to Ewelina.suchocka@actionfrochildren.org.uk for immediate consideration.

Full details and application documents here

How We work: 
Action for children does what's right, does what's needed and does what works for children in the UK. Every year our organisation changes the lives of 390,000 children, young people and families.  

What we do:
Wigan MST service is a commissioned service by Wigan Council aimed at supporting families whose children are on the edge of care or entering custody.  

We work intensively with parents, for up to 6 months, in line with the MST treatment model. MST intervention usually takes place in the family home through regular therapist home visits, identifying problems causing misconduct of a child/young person and overcoming these challenges with the family so that they can make and sustain change.  

The service currently operates from Worsley Mesnes Methodist Church, Holt Street, off Poolstock Lane, Wigan. WN3 5HS. The roles require team members to work flexibly and across the whole borough.  

Wigan commissioning has indicated an ongoing commitment to delivering MST intervention for its families, hence these roles being advertised as permanent. However, secondment requests for fixed periods of time will be considered.  

The Role: 
The MST Supervisor is required to hold a recognised professional qualification, alongside extensive post qualifying and relevant experience, including management of teams.  

You will carry out suitability assessments for families and allocate cases amongst a team of 3 therapists. Overseeing pragmatic systemic work with families and cognitive behavioural interventions, you will embed the MST analytical process in all areas of your work. You will manage risks with your team and take responsibility for clinical outcomes which requires high levels of fidelity with the MST model and is highly scrutinised to ensure success. Interpersonal skills will be key, as you engage other professionals, team members and families. You will also work closely with the MST UK network and their expert to ensure quality and adherence to the model.  

Closing date Friday 13th September. Interviews being held week commencing 30th September. 

Other information 
You will require a high degree of flexibility in their role; early and late visits to families being frequent and regular on call responsibility.  

You will receive full training in MST as well as have ongoing development plans in place and access to ‘booster training' by an MST expert quarterly.  

For more information, visit www.MSTUK.org or contact Sarah Tootell, Childrens Services Manager on sarah.tootell@actionforchildren.org.uk or Tel; 0791 2395793 

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.

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

The role
We are looking for a Fostering 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.

We are a small, developing fostering service, located in Doncaster but covering the Yorkshire and Humber area.

You will be responsible for providing support to foster placements.  Fostering experience and knowledge of fostering regulations is essential for this position.  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.

Our team consists of social workers, and referral officers We also work in partnership with Chrysalis psychology services who support our therapeutic work with children and young people.

The 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) 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. 

What will you need?

• A Diploma in Social Work or equivalent
• Current HCPC registration
• Supervisory experience in a regulatory environment 
• Ability to keep the service regulatory safe
• Strong ethos of keeping the child at the centre
• Strong sense of ability to support therapeutic needs of children
• A stable career history and experience of fostering services
• Access to a vehicle due to being required to travel across Yorkshire and The Humber area is essential.

What are the rewards?

• Minimum 29 days' holiday plus bank holidays
• Flexible working, including maternity, paternity and adoption packages
• Season ticket travel loans
• Company pension scheme, up to 7% employer match
• Ability to buy and sell holiday
• Discounts at major high street retailers. 
• Plus, there's a lot more besides.

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!

For more information or a confidential chat, please call Paul Goodwin on 07590 417119.

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.

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

I remember my childhood as a time of happiness. Yet I know that not everyone is so lucky - some children have no one at all.

These days, we know better than ever how formative these years are. So it’s almost unbelievable that things seem to be getting worse - not better - for children in the UK. Yet a new campaign from charity Action for Children highlights that many children are missing out on the vital support they need to have a safe and happy childhood. 

I’m adding my voice to the campaign because I believe this is unacceptable. Together we can urge the government to take urgent action now: to Choose Childhood.

Latest statistics show that 4.1 million children in the UK are living in poverty. As many as one in five have been exposed to domestic abuse. And there was a 38% increase in children in England identified at being at risk of harm between 2009/10 and 2017/18.

This isn't inevitable - we can help change things. By joining the Choose Childhood campaign, I'm calling on government to create a cross-government National Strategy for Childhood.
 
When Action for Children spoke to children, parents and grandparents as part of its research, it found the majority think childhoods are worse today than for the previous generation. Over a quarter of young people are worried about their mental health, and over a third about how they look. The charity is particularly concerned about vulnerable children and young people, such as those facing domestic abuse and deprivation.

Despite all this, services that help vulnerable children and families are being removed. Funding for children's services in England dropped by £3 billion between 2010/11 and 2017/18. Cuts like these are leaving children without support to face abuse and neglect, poverty and hunger.

But this isn’t inevitable - we can help change things. By joining the Choose Childhood campaign, I’m calling on government to invest in prevention and early help for families, close the £3.1 billion funding gap in local services, and create a cross-government National Strategy for Childhood.

As an ambassador for Action for Children, I’ve seen first-hand the difference that the right support can make. The charity runs more than 476 services across the UK, and supports 387,000 every year. But without government support, children continue to fall through the cracks. That’s why I’m choosing childhood - and I’m urging you to do the same.

Jessica Hynes is an award winning actor, director and writer, and has been a celebrity ambassador for Action for Children since 2007.

Source:
https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk

Circa: £33,000
Department/Division: England North
Contract Type: Permanent Full Time
Closing Date: 1 August 2019​​​

​Fostering Social Worker 
Hours: Permanent, Full-Time (working 37 hours per week)
Area: Yorkshire and Humber.
Salary: £33,000 per annum plus £700 per annum on call allowance
Up to 7 weeks of annual leave (including bank holiday allowance)

The role
We are looking for a Fostering 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.

We are a small, developing fostering service, located in Doncaster but covering the Yorkshire and Humber area.

You will be responsible for providing support to foster placements.  Fostering experience and knowledge of fostering regulations is essential for this position.  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.

Our team consists of social workers, and referral officers We also work in partnership with Chrysalis psychology services who support our therapeutic work with children and young people.

The 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) 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. 

What will you need?

• A Diploma in Social Work or equivalent
  
• Current HCPC registration
  
• Supervisory experience in a regulatory environment
• Ability to keep the service regulatory safe
  
• Strong ethos of keeping the child at the centre
  
• Strong sense of ability to support therapeutic needs of children
  
• A stable career history and experience of fostering services
  
• Access to a vehicle due to being required to travel across Yorkshire and The Humber area is essential.

What are the rewards?

• Minimum 29 days' holiday plus bank holidays
  
• Flexible working, including maternity, paternity and adoption packages
  
• Season ticket travel loans
  
• Company pension scheme, up to 7% employer match
  
• Ability to buy and sell holiday
  
• Discounts at major high street retailers. 
  
• Plus, there's a lot more besides.

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!

For more information or a confidential chat, please call Paul Goodwin on 07590 417119.

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.

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