​For the eagle-eyed among you, you may have noticed that our brand is looking quite different to the pink and purple we’ve been sporting for the last 22 years.

Over the last couple of years we have been doing lots of work on who we are as an organisation, what we aspire to be and mean to people and what we’re continuing to work towards. Basically, we were ‘coming of age’ and now we are grown!

We’re really excited to be revealing a completely fresh look and a brand new website too. We believe it takes a community to raise a child and that every young person has the right to a bright future. We want to do things a little bit differently in fostering and be brave enough to challenge the status quo when we don’t agree.

We didn’t feel like our old brand truly portrayed those beliefs, so we set off on a voyage and have now arrived at a more grown up, modern and positive kind of place.

​We worked, largely, off this model where children and young people are at the centre and we provide a stable platform, along with foster families, to give them their best chance at a bright future.

Our motif was designed directly from this premise and it also acts as a play on the faces from our old logo.

This design also pulls together our two strands of work - Community Foster Care and Community Family Care.
​
There are hundreds of Independent Fostering Agencies in the UK and only a handful of these are registered as not for profit charities. We wanted to stand out from the crowd, as we believe profit should never be put above children, and we really feel that this brand work will help us succeed in that.

Every action Community Foster Care takes is with the best interests of children and young people in care at heart. We hope that with this exciting new brand, we will succeed in attracting more fantastic foster carers to join us on our journey, to provide more stable, loving and understanding homes for children and young people within the areas we operate.

Our vision is a world where all children and young people grow up in families rich in the essential ingredients required for them to realise their ambitions and dreams - if you would like to be a part of that, then please do get in touch.

Source:
www.communityfostercare.co.uk

Our Vision 
A world where all children and young people grow up in families rich in the essential ingredients required for them to realise their ambitions and dreams.

Our Mission
To create environments, enrich families and harness communities that enable Children and Young People to overcome adversity and abuse, by creating an enduring sense of belonging.  By doing this and by working together, we will have the courage to overcome barriers, through tenacity and creativity we will release their potential.

Role Summary
A Supervising Social Worker at Community Foster Care will be driven to promote the Child or Young Person’s Ambitions or Dreams.  They will do this by recruiting, enabling and enhancing foster families to provide safe, stable, loving, nurturing family homes.  Children and Young People seeking to live within these families will have often experienced significant trauma and abuse.  Enabling Children and Young people to thrive in our foster families will therefore require a number of special ingredients, which you will need to develop and nurture.

Key drivers of considerations
As a Supervising Social Worker you will at all times:

• Adhere to Relevant Legislation and Regulation including The Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011.
• Work consistently with Community Foster Care’s values and contribute to achieving its mission.
• Seek to develop and enhance good social work practice for yourself and for others.
• Promote Community Foster Care’s reputation and protect its ability to achieve its mission.  

 
Key requirements of which you should be aware 
Supervising Social Workers may often be required to work outside of office hours.  This may be to:

• offer support to Foster Carers in order to promote the wellbeing of the Child or Young Person or Foster Family or both.
• meet with potential foster carers or existing foster carers to assess, provide training or support.
• support a child / young person’s arrival with a family.
• You will need to participate in the out of hours telephone support rota.
• You must be able to travel effectively, as extensive travel will be a key feature of the role.
• You must be a qualified Social Worker with your own HCPC registration.

Full details and application documents here

Exciting things are happening at Community Foster Care, we have big goals and big plans in making sure the children and young people in our care have the best opportunity at a bright future. To keep improving and driving towards this mission, we need more hands on deck, so we are thrilled to announce two new arrivals to our team and very excited to introduce them both to you.

We are pleased to welcome our new team member, Evelyn, to Community Foster Care. Evelyn is joining as a Marketing Assistant in our Gloucester office. She will be a voice behind some of our posts, so you will be hearing from and interacting with her on our social media platforms.

​Evelyn has a background in communications and marketing within organisations in England and Kenya. She is most happy when working within organisations that are making a positive impact in the world, and she is passionate about using marketing as a channel to promote social change.

A little something about Evelyn:

I enjoy spending time with friends and family, the pandemic has truly shown me how important they are to me. I love traveling and the new experiences it brings, especially when it comes to food, and I hope one day to travel more around Africa and the Middle East. I also relish in the arts which absolutely includes YouTube and Netflix.

We are delighted to welcome Kate to our team, who has joined us as a Finance Assistant in our Gloucester Office. Kate’s role will support us to improve our financial capabilities, so we are better able to achieve our goals.

Kate has worked in admin and finance for seven years in various settings, and she finds the most rewarding part of her career journey has been with charities with an artistic or community focus.  She is happy to be part of the team and is looking forward to using her skills to support our work.

A little something about Kate:

I have a husband, two teenage girls, a dog and two cats, all of which keep me plenty busy! I love to sing, anything from karaoke show tunes to big choral society stuff. I love being entertained and can’t wait to be able to visit theatres and comedy clubs once life gets back to some kind of normal again.

If you would like to join our expedition, please see our available roles on our jobs board.

Source:
https://www.communityfostercare.co.uk/

Gloucester and Lancaster
​
We are looking to recruit 1x social worker in Gloucester and 1x social worker in Lancaster to fulfil either a Supervising Social Worker role or a Senior Supervising Social Worker role, dependent on experience.

A (Senior) Supervising Social Worker at Community Foster Care will be driven to promote the Child or Young Person’s Ambitions and Dreams.  They will do this by recruiting, enabling and enhancing foster families to provide safe, stable, loving, nurturing family homes.  Children and Young People seeking to live within these families will have often experienced significant trauma and abuse.  Enabling Children and Young people to thrive in our foster families will therefore require a number of special ingredients, which you will need to develop and nurture.

Salary Scales: 
Senior Supervising Social Worker: £31,871-£36,540 + £1095 (car allowance) pro rata + c.£2.4k Out of Hours payment based on 73 nights. Total package approximately - £35,366-£40,035

Supervising Social Worker: £28,318.50-£30,551.50 + £1095 (car allowance) pro rata + £2.4k Out of Hours payment based on 73 nights. Total packahe approximately - £32,013.50-£34,246.50

Full Time

Please complete an application form and email it to emmaw@communityfostercare.co.uk

Closing date: 5th February with interviews on the 9th February

Full details and application documents here

As Panel Chair you will be required to chair panel meetings monthly (or as required); meetings will take place in either of CFC’s main offices located in Gloucester and Lancaster.

Panel meetings are currently taking place via Zoom; during 2021 it is likely that CFC will adopt a ‘blended’ approach, and panels will include face to face as well as operating remotely. 

As a Panel Chair you will be expected to take responsibility to:

Chair panel meetings (to include panel briefing), ensuring that all items of business are covered and that the panel operates in accordance with regulations and CFC’s policies and procedures

Prepare for all panel meetings, reading papers thoroughly and identifying key issues and alerting the panel advisor if necessary, to ensure that the case is adequate for submission to panel.  

Facilitate the active participation of all panel members in contributing to the panel’s consideration of cases and to the making of clear and well evidenced recommendations with the reasons for these.

To address diversity issues and to promote anti-discriminatory practice at all times

Ensure that clear and accurate minutes are written, which record the views of all panel members and to be involved in the checking and agreeing draft minutes with other panel members before they are sent to the agency decision maker

To liaise with the ADM and other senior managers as required

Ensure that the ADM and registered manager are aware of any areas of concern, in relation to individual cases and more general matters

Be involved in the recruitment and appointment of central list members and in any consideration about terminating the appointment of a member

Review, alongside the panel advisor, the performance of central list members as the need arises, and at least annually.

Assist in developing, promoting and monitoring policies and procedures and high standards of work in fostering services in the agency.

Assist in planning training for members and to participate in this at least one day a year

Safeguarding the confidentiality of all panel papers and panel discussions

Be involved in:

• Whether a case is adequate for submission to panel (via panel briefing meeting)
• Deciding on the attendance of observers at panel
• Deciding on the participation of a panel members who declare an interest in the case
• Deciding when an extra panel maybe necessary
• The preparation of an annual report on the panel’s work

Participation in Fostering Quality Assurance meetings (3 times a year), to support the agency monitor and review areas of practice across the fostering service, to include the panel’s performance.

Financial Package: £35 per hour plus £75 reading for each panel

For more information and to apply, please visit: www.communityfostercare.co.uk/panel-chair

As a Practice Manager (Fostering) at Community Foster Care you will be driven to promote the Child or Young Person’s ambitions and dreams, offering support to your team of Social Workers and reporting to the Registered Manager. 

You will do this by recruiting, enabling and enhancing foster families to provide safe, stable, loving, nurturing family homes.  Children and Young People seeking to live within these families will have often experienced significant trauma and abuse.  Enabling Children and Young people to thrive in our foster families will therefore require a number of special ingredients, which you will need to develop and nurture.

In addition to the above you will also take lead responsibility for leading and developing in connecting more families with children - foster carer recruitment - and fostering better outcomes – therapeutic practice, learning and development. Please see job description for further information.

Salary Scale: £37,656-£40,600 + £1095 (car allowance) pro rata + c.£2.6k Out of Hours payment based on 122 nights. (up to c.£44.5k)

Full Time

Out of Hours: 
Managers OOH rota participant. 

Nightly payment:
Weekday night Cost        £15.00
Weekend night cost        £30.00

Total finance package: Up to c.£44,345

Please complete an application form and email it to emmaw@communityfostercare.co.uk

Closing date: 15 January with interviews on 22 January

Click here for more information and application form.

The chair of Community Foster Care's fostering panel, John Powell, has retired. We would like to thank John for all his hard work and the role he has played for the last seven years. Below are a few words from John on his experience.

"I have, in December 2020, retired from my position as Chair of CFC Fostering Panel, a post I have held for the past 7 years.

Throughout that time I have always been impressed with the very professional approach taken by the agency, in terms of being strongly child centred, ethically sound and supportive.

I am particularly pleased to be leaving an agency that has a single panel approach, that is robust in nature, independent, transparent and has significant knowledge about the Fostering Task. Panel has grown, with the support of CFC always available. It's a Fostering Agency that I would recommend as having the right balance of care, innovation and good professional standards.

I have really enjoyed being the Chairperson and will, forever, remember the qualities they bring to enhance the lives of children looked after by their excellent set of dedicated carers ."

Source:
https://www.communityfostercare.co.uk

​Community Foster Care (CFC), has moved into larger premises so that they can accommodate an increase in demand for foster carers in West Cumbria.

The new space, which is located on Tarne Howe Building West on the Derwent Howe building estate in Workington, will allow the local team to meet the needs of more young people who need loving homes, as well as the foster carers who look after them.

“The decision to move reflects the need and our growth in West Cumbria,” said Emma Weaver, a Registered Manager for CFC. “Our ethos is to ensure that wherever we operate, we have small caseloads for our social workers and have strong, solid local support in place for all of our amazing carers.”

Community Foster Care’s new home will house a dedicated area for play sessions, as well as space for monthly carer support groups and regular training events.

Viv Gibson, CFC’s placement support worker in West Cumbria, said, “We want to be accessible to our carers and children, and we want to provide a warm family feel too. This new space has a wonderfully welcoming environment so people can pop in for coffee and have a chat.”

Currently, there are about 700 young people who are looked after in Cumbria. Around 160 of them are from Allerdale and 150 from Carlisle.

“When CFC was set up in 1989, we wanted to do things differently,” said Emma. “Our goal was to disrupt the status quo around foster care recruitment and provision.

We continuously challenge ideas about who can foster because we think it is so vital that children in care have the chance to stay in their local area with people from similar backgrounds. As a result, we work with a variety of carers, but we need more.”

In particular, CFC is looking for people who can look after sibling groups, older children, and parent and child placements. Specialist training is provided for all carers, along with access to monthly support groups, financial allowances, and regular consultations with a child psychotherapist.

Supervising Social Worker, Loren Hannah, said, “This move is so important on several levels. But one thing I’d say is if people want to find out more about fostering – just come along and see us – the kettle is always on.”

Source:
www.cumbriacrack.com

Community Foster Care’s Rebecca Robson has won a top national award for her outstanding work as a social worker.

She clinched the honour at an awards ceremony run by The Fostering Network – the UK’s most prestigious foster care awards which shine the spotlight on those who make an exceptional contribution to the sector.

She was nominated by CFC foster carer Andrea Jones who said: “Rebecca is dedicated, caring and so very often goes way above and beyond any expectations of a social worker. She is an all-round fantastic example of a decent human being and exceptional social worker.”

There was plenty of cheering when Community Foster Care held an open day to celebrate the opening of new premises in the heart of Gloucester.

As the charity marks its 21st anniversary, Chief Executive Mark Kingston said the move to Kingsholm Road “marks a mighty step in our coming-of-age strategy”.

“When Community Foster Care started life, it was inspired by a belief in the local communities of Matson, Coney Hill and Hester’s Way. The aim was to invest in these communities and together provide loving homes to the children in our care,” he said.

“Since we have moved here from Staunton, we have seen many more children, young people and carers here at Kingsholm - which is brilliant.”