New charity initiative donates £2000 and gives young care leavers a memorable supercar experience! Two of our young care leavers were delighted to be given the opportunity to spend the day having a go in some super speedy supercars thanks to a new charity initiative, Giving Days, who also donated an incredible £2000 towards our CoffeeBreak van – enabling us to buy a new battery for the van! Launched by 7days Performance, a supercar raffle company based in Norfolk, Giving Days provides an opportunity for the business to contribute to the local community, and we’re delighted that they chose Break to be the first recipient of their new Giving Days Grant. The grant means that our innovative project CoffeeBreak, a mobile coffee van that serves fresh locally sourced coffee and enables our care leavers to gain valuable paid work experience, now has its own power source giving less restrictions on where it can operate.
Commenting on how much this will help Break and the CoffeeBreak project, Joe Walden, Break Opportunities Lead, and who manages CoffeeBreak, said: “We’d like to say a big thank you to Giving Days for their generous donation which will mean we can use our CoffeeBreak van in more places, giving our young people more opportunities for work experience, whilst also helping us raise more funds for the charity. The supercar experience was absolutely amazing and I know that both our young care leavers loved every minute and it will definitely be a day that they’ll never forget.” As well as the grant, 7days Performance also invited some of our care leavers to their headquarters to take a ride in some of their many supercars including a McLaren, a Lamborghini and a Ferrari. Liam and TJ, who are supported by our Staying Close, Staying Connected service for young care leavers, jumped at the chance and were taken out for a memorable supercar drive, while also learning more about the cars. “This was like a dream come a true!” said Liam. “I had no idea what kind of cars we were going to get to have a go in, but I loved the Lamborghini. I’d never been in any car like that, and it was such a smooth drive! We don’t usually get opportunities like this, and everyone has been so nice and easy to talk to. To be given this kind of experience was just amazing!” “To be in the position we are, as a business, would not have been possible without the community around us, therefore we started Giving Days so we could give back to that community,” explains Ross Youngman, Director at 7days Performance and a trustee at Giving Days. “Supporting those more vulnerable than us is a great feeling and seeing the smiles on the young people’s faces throughout the supercar experience was brilliant. Break does incredible work across the region, and we look forward to working with other amazing charities in the future.” Thinking of how your business can work with Break? Learn more about becoming a Corporate Partner, including making Break your 'charity of the year' or coming on board as an event sponsor. Source: https://break-charity.org/charity/news/ Location: Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, and Peterborough Salary: £27,036 - £29,106 depending on experience and qualifications. Contract Type: Permanent / Full Time Closing Date: Monday 17 July 2023 Salary- £27,036 - £29,106 depending on experience and qualifications (maximum job rate potential is £31,117 which is performance related). Pay review pending.
About Break Nobody chooses the family or circumstances they are born into. At Break we firmly believe that with the right care, there is no limit to what can be achieved. We work across East Anglia with children and young people on the edge of care, in care and leaving care. Whether you’re interested in working in our residential homes and short breaks for children with disabilities, our pioneering Staying Close Staying Connected project or vital essentials like our family assessment centre and wraparound care offer, one thing is universal: you’ll be joining a team of passionate and dedicated individuals who want the very best for the young people they care for. Why Break? At Break we invest in the future of our staff just as we do for the young people in our services. We strive to provide the highest quality of care, so whether you’re just starting your career in children’s social care or are already qualified, you’ll be supported, recognised and rewarded for your essential part in our vital work. About the role Our Mentoring Service forms an integral part of our offer to the young people that we care for, and they tell us regularly about how the unique relationship they have with their mentors allows them the space to talk about life challenges with someone outside of their usual support workers. Our aspiration is that all young people within Break will have access to a mentor and as our mentoring lead you will have the opportunity to help grow and maintain that already great relationship our young people have as well as support the creation of positive new relationship with the potential to last a lifetime. We are seeking an experienced candidate who is passionate about delivering this amazing service to children and young people and has the drive and ambition to help us achieve our aspirations for this service. Duties of the role will include:
In your role, you’ll have access to the following benefits:
Closing date: 17.07.2023 Interview Date: We will interview suitable candidates as they apply. This means the role may close at short notice and without prior warning. The first interview will be a Safe Care/ Warner style interview. If successful after the first interview, candidates will then be expected to attend a formal interview. Break operate services for vulnerable children and families and we need to ensure that we take steps to protect both them and our staff teams from the transmission of the Covid 19 virus. It is therefore a requirement for all staff unless they provide evidence of an appropriate medical exemption to be able to meet at least two of the following three requirements 1) Maintain a full vaccination status (including any recommend booster injections) 2) Undertake LFT / PCR or other approved Covid tests as required 3) Wear PPE including e.g. face masks when requested. To comply with the Immigration Asylum & Nationality Act 2006 and additional amendments, and UK Visa's and Immigration (UKVI) requirements, all prospective employees will be asked to supply evidence of eligibility to work in the UK. We will ask to see and take a copy of an appropriate official document as set out in the UKVI guidelines. Do not send anything now, further information will be sent to you should you be invited to interview. We are committed to equality of opportunity. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. For more information on this job opportunity, please initially email or call the HR Team via the contact details found on our website. Full details and application documents here Location: Cambs and Peterborough Salary: £25,460 - £26,792 per annum, depending on qualifications Contract Type: Permanent / Full Time Closing Date: Saturday 15 July 2023 Nobody chooses the family or circumstances they are born into. At Break we firmly believe that with the right care, there is no limit to what can be achieved and supporting the most vulnerable young people to experience fulfillment and happiness can be a profoundly rewarding experience.
At Break we invest in the future of our staff just as we do for the young people in our services. We strive to provide the highest quality of care, so whether you’re just starting your career in children’s social care or are already qualified, you’ll be supported, recognised and rewarded for your essential part in our vital work. As a Break Transition Worker, you’ll be working closely with young people who have recently left their children’s residential care home and are taking their first steps into independence. Success in this role will very much hinge on the strong, trusting relationship you’ll build with the group of young people you’re working with. You’ll make regular visits to their home and support them to increase their independent living skills. Whether that means teaching them one of your signature dishes (talk to Transition Worker Matt in Cambridgeshire for his Weetabix burger recipe), helping them to pay bills, applying for benefits or filling in a job application the role you will play in young people’s lives will be fundamental in supporting mental health, wellbeing and their future. You will help them break down the barriers they might feel as a young person leaving care, and be the best possible version of themselves as they enter independence. You’ll work flexibly and have a can do attitude, be able to adapt your working to suit the individuals or professionals you’re working with, be calm under pressure and be resilient enough to cope with challenging emotions and behaviours. To be successful in the role you’ll be patient, a good team player, and a problem solver. In your role, you’ll have access to the following benefits:
Full details of the role, including a job description and person specification can be found within the ‘documents’ section. break-charity.current-vacancies.com/Jobs/Advert/3115558?cid=1886&rsid=0&js=0&LinkType=1&FromSearch=False Closing Date: 15.07.2023 Interview Dates: TBC The first interview will be a Safe Care/ Warner style interview. If successful after the first interview, candidates will then be expected to attend a formal interview. Break operate services for vulnerable children and families and we need to ensure that we take steps to protect both them and our staff teams from the transmission of the Covid 19 virus. It is therefore a requirement for all staff unless they provide evidence of an appropriate medical exemption to be able to meet at least two of the following three requirements 1) Maintain a full vaccination status (including any recommend booster injections) 2) Undertake LFT / PCR or other approved Covid tests as required 3) Wear PPE including e.g. face masks when requested. To comply with the Immigration Asylum & Nationality Act 2006 and additional amendments, and UK Visa's and Immigration (UKVI) requirements, all prospective employees will be asked to supply evidence of eligibility to work in the UK. We will ask to see and take a copy of an appropriate official document as set out in the UKVI guidelines. Do not send anything now, further information will be sent to you should you be invited to interview. We are committed to equality of opportunity. Your current immigration status will not be taken into account when assessing your application against the selection criteria for the post. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. Full details and application documents here Location: Lowestoft Salary: £33,016- £34,592 per annum, depending on qualifications Hours – 38 hours per week Contract Type: Permanent / Full Time Closing Date: Friday 21 July 2023 About Break:
Nobody chooses the family or circumstances they are born into. At Break we firmly believe that with the right care, there is no limit to what can be achieved. We work across East Anglia with children and young people on the edge of care, in care and leaving care. Whether you’re interested in working in our residential homes and short breaks for children with disabilities, our pioneering Staying Close Staying Connected project or vital essentials like our family assessment centre and wraparound care offer, one thing is universal: you’ll be joining a team of passionate and dedicated individuals who want the very best for the young people they care for. At Break we invest in the future of our staff just as we do for the young people in our services. We strive to provide the highest quality of care, so whether you’re just starting your career in children’s social care or are already qualified, you’ll be supported, recognised and rewarded for your essential part in our vital work. About the Role: We are seeking a full-time Social Worker, ideally with a Social Work qualification, to take a lead role planning work with vulnerable families in placement and completing parenting assessments at our Residential Family Assessment Centre in Lowestoft, Suffolk. Our ideal candidate will have a background in Social Work, applications are invited from SWE registered Social Workers although we will consider anyone who has a relevant degree and significant experience of working with children and families. This vacancy is open to men and women as we aim to provide a gender balance in working with our young families. The ability to work a 38 hour rota including evenings and weekends is an essential requirement for this position. We require candidates to show flexibility to cover varied shifts this will also include working from home days. Note: An additional £60.71 is paid for each sleep-in duty. Likely shift pattern will be: 10 shifts over 14 days including every other weekend with 4 days off across a 2-week period, this may include some sleep ins. Shifts are as follows:
In your role, you’ll have access to the following benefits:
Full details of the role, including a job description and person specification can be found within the ‘documents’ section here. For more information regarding this position please contact Salome Thompson, Manager on 01502 560344, Salome.thompson@break-charity.org. Closing Date: 21.07.2023 Interview Date: We will interview suitable candidates as they apply. This means the role may close at short notice and without prior warning. The first interview will be a Safe Care/ Warner style interview. If successful after the first interview, candidates will then be expected to attend a formal interview. Break operate services for vulnerable children and families and we need to ensure that we take steps to protect both them and our staff teams from the transmission of the Covid 19 virus. It is therefore a requirement for all staff unless they provide evidence of an appropriate medical exemption to be able to meet at least two of the following three requirements 1) Maintain a full vaccination status (including any recommend booster injections) 2) Undertake LFT / PCR or other approved Covid tests as required 3) Wear PPE including e.g. face masks when requested. To comply with the Immigration Asylum & Nationality Act 2006 and additional amendments, and UK Visa's and Immigration (UKVI) requirements, all prospective employees will be asked to supply evidence of eligibility to work in the UK. We will ask to see and take a copy of an appropriate official document as set out in the UKVI guidelines. Do not send anything now, further information will be sent to you should you be invited to interview. We are committed to equality of opportunity. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. For more information on this job opportunity, please initially email or call the HR Team via the contact details found on our website. Full details and application documents here This Foster Care Fortnight, we are raising awareness of how vital having a supportive community is for our foster carers. We know it takes a village to raise a child, and we walk beside our foster families making sure they are never alone. Here our CEO, Rachel Cowdry explains why our foster families our so important for the young people we support: Every child deserves to feel loved, to belong and to feel safe. However, there are some children and young people that have a traumatic start in life as their birth family cannot give them these three essential elements. Imagine feeling scared, overwhelmed, hurt, abused, unloved and unworthy of love in the place that is supposed to support you to be the best you can be; your family. We know that young people enter the care system in traumatic circumstances and often they behave in a way that endangers them and those around them which can be hard for us to understand. Sometimes this means that they have to move from home to home before they find a place to call home. This can cause even more hurt, more trauma and sets them back further. Many thrive when they begin to feel safe and loved and this is thanks to the incredible work that foster carers across the country do. But with over 100,000 children and young people in care in the UK, there are simply not enough high quality, loving, understanding, patient families to support them. Following the independent review of children’s social care in May 2022, the government response this year pledged to invest over £27 million into fostering so care can be available for more children who need it. Although these changes are welcome, with thousands of new foster families needed every year they lack the urgency the current broken system requires. That’s why this Foster Care Fortnight, we are raising awareness of the great work our foster families here at Break do, and how this can change a young person’s life. We know that fostering can be difficult and challenging, but it can also be hugely rewarding. It takes a village to raise a child, and at Break we have a wonderful fostering team that creates a whole family around each foster parent and child. Fostering is just one of many services we provide young people, and we act as an extended family, walking alongside them every step of the way. Working through a trauma informed lens, we support our foster carers to parent therapeutically by seeing behaviour as a form of communication rather than something that needs to be managed. Our foster support carers are available to offer foster families some much-needed time and space for themselves, whilst giving their young person a loving place to stay. And we have a range of activities that help that young person find their future – from job taster sessions, apprenticeships and learning skills such as being a barista on our CoffeeBreak van, to our Mentoring team that offer informal relationships to guide young people through life. Young people in our fostering service go on to achieve great things in their lives – some have joined the police, others have gone to university, many are living independently with the support of the Break extended family. Some have told us that moving to Break’s fostering service was the first time in care they felt loved and like they had a home. And this is why we do what we do. However, it is not enough. More young people need what we can offer. And we can only offer more if more families come forward to be foster carers. The best foster families come from all walks of life and have a variety of motivations but most of all they want to offer is stability, love and time to a young person who really needs it. It is hard – but it is very rewarding to see, hear and feel the progress each young person makes. It is amazing. As one of our foster carers told us “I remember the panel asking us ‘why do you want to foster?’ and my answer was ‘well why wouldn’t you?’, because I think if you’re a calm, warm person, who can provide empathy, you can make such a difference to even just one child who needs it.” Source: https://break-charity.org/media/ Location: Cambs and Peterborough Salary: £25,460 - £26,792 per annum, depending on qualifications Contract Type: Permanent / Full Time Closing Date: Monday 12 June 2023 Salary - The starting salary will be £25,460 - £26,792 per annum, depending on qualifications. The maximum job rate potential for this role is £28,156 per annum.
Hours – 38 hours per week Location – Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Nobody chooses the family or circumstances they are born into. At Break we firmly believe that with the right care, there is no limit to what can be achieved and supporting the most vulnerable young people to experience fulfillment and happiness can be a profoundly rewarding experience. At Break we invest in the future of our staff just as we do for the young people in our services. We strive to provide the highest quality of care, so whether you’re just starting your career in children’s social care or are already qualified, you’ll be supported, recognised and rewarded for your essential part in our vital work. As a Break Transition Worker, you’ll be working closely with young people who have recently left their children’s residential care home and are taking their first steps into independence. Success in this role will very much hinge on the strong, trusting relationship you’ll build with the group of young people you’re working with. You’ll make regular visits to their home and support them to increase their independent living skills. Whether that means teaching them one of your signature dishes (talk to Transition Worker Matt in Cambridgeshire for his Weetabix burger recipe), helping them to pay bills, applying for benefits or filling in a job application the role you will play in young people’s lives will be fundamental in supporting mental health, wellbeing and their future. You will help them break down the barriers they might feel as a young person leaving care, and be the best possible version of themselves as they enter independence. You’ll work flexibly and have a can do attitude, be able to adapt your working to suit the individuals or professionals you’re working with, be calm under pressure and be resilient enough to cope with challenging emotions and behaviours. To be successful in the role you’ll be patient, a good team player, and a problem solver. In your role, you’ll have access to the following benefits:
Closing Date: 12.06.2023 Interview Dates: TBC The first interview will be a Safe Care/ Warner style interview. If successful after the first interview, candidates will then be expected to attend a formal interview. Break operate services for vulnerable children and families and we need to ensure that we take steps to protect both them and our staff teams from the transmission of the Covid 19 virus. It is therefore a requirement for all staff unless they provide evidence of an appropriate medical exemption to be able to meet at least two of the following three requirements 1) Maintain a full vaccination status (including any recommend booster injections) 2) Undertake LFT / PCR or other approved Covid tests as required 3) Wear PPE including e.g. face masks when requested. To comply with the Immigration Asylum & Nationality Act 2006 and additional amendments, and UK Visa's and Immigration (UKVI) requirements, all prospective employees will be asked to supply evidence of eligibility to work in the UK. We will ask to see and take a copy of an appropriate official document as set out in the UKVI guidelines. Do not send anything now, further information will be sent to you should you be invited to interview. We are committed to equality of opportunity. Your current immigration status will not be taken into account when assessing your application against the selection criteria for the post. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. For more information on this job opportunity, please initially email or call the HR Team via the contact details found on our website. Full details and application documents here Member News: Young care leavers demand more of care experts at Break’s Care Leaver Summit 202320/3/2023
Our first Care Leaver Summit took place last week and saw young care leavers challenge social care experts including Josh MacAlister, Mark Riddell MBE, Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel De Souza and Clare Miller, CEO of Clarion Housing Group, and ended with representatives from across social care, housing and health in the East of England pledging to work together to make life better for those leaving the care system. Taking place at Homerton College, over 100 key decision makers from local authorities, housing associations and health organisations heard from young people on the topics of mental health, housing and cost-of-living and how they impact their journey to independence. They also challenged a panel of central government experts on care experience being a protected characteristic; if the government’s new care strategy goes far enough; and how they see care experienced young people influencing the care agenda. An introduction from Homerton College Principal Lord Simon Woolley of Woodford, with lived care experienced himself, called on the room to today produce magic to ensure young care leavers can fulfil their potential. Mark Riddell MBE asked delegates to look at their own local offer and challenge each organisation to see if it’s ambitious enough for care leavers. Following a review of the afternoon, Dr Mayor Nik Johnson for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority said he was open to working with those in the room to support care leavers and to never forget the three C’s: compassion, co-operation, and community. ark Riddell MBE, National Advisor for Care Leavers said: ‘It’s fantastic to have young people present and co-chair and it’s absolutely the right thing to do. It’s all about the voice of young people and it’s great to see East of England local authorities come together. At a local level, people are working really hard, but we’ve still got to tap into the regional stuff. It’s about making sure we harness joined up relationships and having these people in the room today is part of that important co-production element. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of it and it will be good to see from this a couple of key messages that each local authority in a regional sense could begin to look at.” Pledges from those present talked of making care leaver mental health support accessible and co-produced, with workers being trauma informed; to looking at setting up apprenticeships and employment opportunities; championing a joint approach with housing associations, and to keep talking, keep listening, keep challenging.
“There was an energy in the room that will make a tangible difference to young people,” says Development Manager Stephen Hulme. “What matters is what we do now and how we work together, and I believe there is a commitment and motivation to make things better. We know through our project, Staying Close, Staying Connected by putting young people’s voices at the centre and listening, we can better support them and ensure they have the future they deserve. But no one organisation can do this alone, and I’m looking forward to continuing the conversation with those here today.” Location: Norwich, Norfolk (with home working) Salary: £49,200 - £52,000 with a maximum rate of £56,000 based on performance (pay scales for 2023-24 under review) Contract Type: Permanent / Full Time Closing Date: Monday 27 February 2023 About you
Are you looking for a new challenge and would like to join a team where you can work with like minded people to really make a difference to the lives of children and young people who are in care and leaving care? Do you believe that by co-producing services, valuing and trusting your team and being aspirational helps get the best outcomes? Do you like the idea of working for a vibrant local voluntary organisation where you can really have an impact and help shape the vision for care and leaving care services? Would you like to be part of the leadership team for our forward thinking charity? If so, we would love you to hear from you! About the role You will be taking on the line management of our community services, which currently includes our fostering service, family assessment centre, therapeutic team and our leaving care service but this may be subject to change in the future. About Break Here at Break we love delivering amazing services for children and young people and there are currently 270 across care services and you will sit as part of the care leadership team alongside a team of 8 brilliant people! Our team are committed to providing care, support, and a brighter future for local children, young people, and families who need us, for as long as they need us. As an innovator in transition support for young people leaving care, we also have a range of residential services, a therapeutic service, a family assessment centre, a fostering agency and services for disabled children and their families. Our work allows some of the most vulnerable children and young people locally to stay in their communities and near the people who are important to them. Our approach is unique. Our services are trauma-informed and co-production is at the very heart of everything we do. Our charitable status means we are able to offer wraparound support which goes above and beyond to the young people we care for. This wraparound support doesn’t stop once they’ve left our service, it’s a lifelong offer meaning that we keep our connections with young adults as they turn 18 and are available to them for as long as they need us. We aspire to excellence and employ experienced, resilient, skilful and creative senior managers to inspire our service delivery and provide support to our teams. It is a great time to join Break as we are one year into our three-year care strategy informed by our staff, management teams and, most importantly, the children and young people we support. It focuses in on four key areas: staying local to communities, being ambitious for our young people, staff and services, delivering high quality services and using our charitable income to add value. In your role, you’ll have access to the following benefits:
Full details of the role, including a job description and person specification can be found within the ‘documents’ section at the top of this page. Closing date: 26/02/2023 Interview date: 03/03/2023 The first interview will be a Safe Care/ Warner style interview. If successful after the first interview, candidates will then be expected to attend a formal interview which will include a young people’s panel and presentation. We would really like to hear from you before you apply so please contact Rachel Leslie, Director of Care Services on 07931 561256 or email Rachel.Leslie@break-charity.org. Break operate services for vulnerable children and families and we need to ensure that we take steps to protect both them and our staff teams from the transmission of the Covid 19 virus. It is therefore a requirement for all staff unless they provide evidence of an appropriate medical exemption to be able to meet at least two of the following three requirements 1) Maintain a full vaccination status (including any recommend booster injections) 2) Undertake LFT / PCR or other approved Covid tests as required 3) Wear PPE including e.g. face masks when requested. To comply with the Immigration Asylum & Nationality Act 2006 and additional amendments, and UK Visa's and Immigration (UKVI) requirements, all prospective employees will be asked to supply evidence of eligibility to work in the UK. We will ask to see and take a copy of an appropriate official document as set out in the UKVI guidelines. Do not send anything now, further information will be sent to you should you be invited to interview. We are committed to equality of opportunity. Your current immigration status will not be taken into account when assessing your application against the selection criteria for the post. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. This job is also known as: Leadership, Children, Children in Care, Children’s Care Services, Care Head, Head of Service, Head of Care, Care, Children’s Social Care Full details and application documents here Location: Lowestoft Salary: £31,516 - £33,092 per annum (depending on qualifications and experience) Contract Type: Permanent / Full Time Closing Date: Sunday 26 February 2023 About us
Nobody chooses the family or circumstances they are born into. At Break we firmly believe that with the right care, there is no limit to what can be achieved. We work across East Anglia with children and young people on the edge of care, in care and leaving care. Whether you’re interested in working in our residential homes and short breaks for children with disabilities, our pioneering Staying Close Staying Connected project or vital essentials like our family assessment centre and wraparound care offer, one thing is universal: you’ll be joining a team of passionate and dedicated individuals who want the very best for the young people they care for. At Break we invest in the future of our staff just as we do for the young people in our services. We strive to provide the highest quality of care, so whether you’re just starting your career in children’s social care or are already qualified, you’ll be supported, recognised and rewarded for your essential part in our vital work. About the role We are seeking a full-time Social Worker, ideally with a Social Work qualification, to take a lead role planning work with vulnerable families in placement and completing parenting assessments at our Residential Family Assessment Centre in Lowestoft, Suffolk. Our ideal candidate will have a background in Social Work, applications are invited from SWE registered Social Workers although we will consider anyone who has a relevant degree and significant experience of working with children and families. This vacancy is open to men and women as we aim to provide a gender balance in working with our young families. The ability to work a 38 hour rota including evenings and weekends is an essential requirement for this position. We require candidates to show flexibility to cover varied shifts this will also include working from home days. Note: An additional £56.92 is paid for each sleep-in duty. Likely shift pattern will be; 4 shifts per week including every other weekend with 4 days off across a 2 week period this may include some sleep ins. This role will also include working from home days that are allocated across each rota, depending on the needs of the service some working from home days will need to shifts allocated. Shifts are as follows:
In your role, you’ll have access to the following benefits:
For more information regarding this position please contact Salome Thompson, Manager on 01502 560344, Salome.thompson@break-charity.org. Closing date: 26.02.2023 Interviews: We will shortlist and interview suitable candidates as they apply. This means the role may close at short notice and without prior warning. The first interview will be a Safe Care/ Warner style interview. If successful after the first interview, candidates will then be expected to attend a formal interview. Break operate services for vulnerable children and families and we need to ensure that we take steps to protect both them and our staff teams from the transmission of the Covid 19 virus. It is therefore a requirement for all staff unless they provide evidence of an appropriate medical exemption to be able to meet at least two of the following three requirements 1) Maintain a full vaccination status (including any recommend booster injections) 2) Undertake LFT / PCR or other approved Covid tests as required 3) Wear PPE including e.g. face masks when requested. To comply with the Immigration Asylum & Nationality Act 2006 and additional amendments, and UK Visa's and Immigration (UKVI) requirements, all prospective employees will be asked to supply evidence of eligibility to work in the UK. We will ask to see and take a copy of an appropriate official document as set out in the UKVI guidelines. Do not send anything now, further information will be sent to you should you be invited to interview. We are committed to equality of opportunity. Your current immigration status will not be taken into account when assessing your application against the selection criteria for the post. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. For more information on this job opportunity, please initially email or call the HR Team via the contact details found on our website. Full details and application documents here Today, the government responded to recommendations made by the three independent reviews into the care system for children in the England and Wales, including Josh MacAlister’s Independent Review of Children’s Social Care. It called for radical change with a £2.6bn, five-year plan, stating that major reforms are needed to improve the lives of England’s most vulnerable children and families. Following the reviews, the Department for Education had pledged to produce an “ambitious and detailed government response and implementation strategy” and have announced that they will be investing over £200m in the next two years to address these recommendations. Measures in the new strategy includes putting relationships at the heart of the care system by prioritising family-like placements enabling local authorities to find care placements more locally either with a relative or family-friend, or in homes close to family. Investment will be made in training for extended family, befriending and mentoring programmes to support care experienced young people to find and maintain loving relationships, and a new Family Help service within schools aims to help recognise issues before crisis support is needed. Foster carers will also see an above-inflation increase in their allowance, and there will be a two-year recruitment and retention programme to attract more people to offer a loving home for young people who need it. And the government have also said more will be done to expanding and strengthen the children’s social care workforce. For those leaving care, the government have said they will increase the leaving care allowance from £2,000 to £3,000 to help them set up home independently. However, we know that this is not enough to furnish a whole flat and with the continuing rise in the cost of living, care leavers will still be left struggling when at 18, by law, have to leave care. CEO, Rachel Cowdry says: "Today’s response from the government lacks not only the investment required but also the urgency by which changes are needed in children’s social care. The Independent Review in May 2022 described a broken system desperately in need of systematic change to ensure that every child gets the chance to have the future they deserve. Today, nine months after the publication of the Review, we are still left waiting for the government to be as ambitious for the 82,000 young people in care as we are. “The outlined vision is something we can wholeheartedly get behind. Our own strategy places paramount importance on building relationships founded on love and trust, and we are also in absolute agreement on points such as the need to support foster carer recruitment and the significance of increasing early interventions. We are also very pleased to see the commitment to regional commissioning, which will allow the system to invest in the people that it supports, rather than the private care organisations who can often turn a profit. However, promises of pilot schemes and actions “when parliamentary time allows”, is not good enough. The young people we support deserve more. They deserve a better system, now. “As ever, our commitment will be a promise of lifelong support to any young person who ever walks through our doors. You only have to spend a short amount of time with any young person in our care to know that we should demand the very best for them. We will challenge ourselves and the partners we work with to innovate, go above and beyond – just like you would for your own children. “With the right commitment and investment there is the potential to make a monumental change and ensure there are no limits to what any child can achieve. We hope the government hears the appeals from us and others in our sector, urging them to do the right thing for the 82,000 children in the care system.” Break already delivers on a number of these recommendations. We build trusting and loving relationships within our children’s homes and our therapeutic parenting fostering service offers wrap-around support for all carers. We also have a mentoring programme which gives young people the opportunity to develop new relationships; and our pioneering Staying Close, Staying Connected service ensures care leavers always have someone there for them. Whilst the government works on its long-term strategy for children’s social care, Break will continue with its commitment to those in care, leaving care and on the edge of care. Source: https://break-charity.org |
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