As a Family Support Worker, your role is to provide direct work with the foster family, working in partnership with the foster parents and within the professional team. Your interventions will be purposeful, outcomes-focused and informed by the assessment of need. You will be able to understand, communicate and implement relevant aspects of our therapeutic approach. You will ensure you are driven to ensure the community works to the highest standards.  You will need to be resilient, confident and creative to resolve challenges within the care system and enable foster families to also believe that they can overcome the many challenges children face.   

Main Duties and Responsibilities 

• Work directly with the foster family, and in particular, all children, to provide purposeful, outcomes-led interventions in accordance with their assessment of need and with CFC’s Care Plan. 
• Provide emergency support to foster families as and when required. 
• Plan and provide group-based interventions and activities, including a residential experience for children, young people, carers or families. 
• Undertake introductory and maintain relationship-building visits with children when they join and remain with CFC’s foster families.    
• Promote and facilitate the participation of children & young people in decision-making affecting their lives as well as views regarding CFC. 
• Support Children and Young People to express their views and promote their views and voices in relevant forums and processes, such as reviews. 
• To contribute to the ongoing assessment of the child/ren within the foster family including contributing to specific assessments (e.g. What’s my Story and outcomes assessments). 
• To undertake and compile with Risk Assessments to promote positive engagement in line with CFC policy, such as Activity Risk Assessment. 
• To undertake unannounced visits of foster families in line with agreed expectations. 
• Maintain case files and other records in line with CFC’s Policy and Practice 
• Deliver appropriate training to foster families to meet their needs (such as Safer Care training).  
• To attend and contribute to other meetings as required, i.e. strategy meetings, foster family supervision, case reviews, working parties and training courses. 

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The Longevity Games is supporting our fostering charity in raising awareness of the vital work we do and the need for more foster carers in our community.

What is The Longevity Games?
The Longevity Games is an exciting fitness event dedicated to promoting health, well-being, and longevity. It features endurance, strength, and explosive exercise activities, all aimed at enhancing quality of life.

Our Involvement
Thanks to the generous support of event organiser Tim Howe, our charity has been given the fantastic opportunity to spread awareness by including our leaflets in all competitors’ goody bags. With 143 participants at this indoor event at Delta Tennis Centre, Swindon, that means 143 opportunities to reach people who may be interested in making a difference in a child’s life.

Additionally, members of our fostering community will be actively taking part. Our very own CFC foster carer, Charmaine, will be competing at the event. Our Senior Supervising Social Worker Jenny will also be volunteering while her husband takes part alongside Charmaine. 

Looking Ahead
This is just the beginning! The Longevity Games will return in May, July, and September, moving back to an outdoor setting with greater capacity. This will allow us to have a dedicated stand helping us reach even more people who may be interested in fostering.

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A Senior 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. Community Foster Care is a therapeutic fostering agency; we are developing a reflective culture where our community is encouraged to be curious about themselves and each other and are helped to be so. It is critical that workers are committed and prepared to actively engage in this approach.

Click here for full job details

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.  Community Foster Care is a therapeutic fostering agency; we are developing a reflective culture where our community is encouraged to be curious about themselves and each other and are helped to be so. It is critical that workers are committed and prepared to actively engage in this approach. 

Click here for full job details

We are currently seeking an Engagement and Content Officer to support our marketing & recruitment strategy. 

Role Summary:
To engage and develop trusting relationships with potential and approved foster families, noting their differences and also their different stages of preparedness for the task.  Our starting point is to build belief in our target audiences that they can be effective in our core task of fostering children, with the support of our community.  You will use a range of sophisticated communication methods along their journey to achieve this. 

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This year, CFC had the pleasure of hosting two wonderful Christmas meals, one in Gloucester for our South-based community and one in Lancaster for the North. These events brought together our carers, children, and staff to celebrate the season in festive a atmosphere.

The Gloucester celebration was a heart-warming occasion where the young people, aged 4–17, enjoyed a traditional roast turkey dinner followed by festive activities. The children took part in a gingerbread house decorating competition, showcasing their creativity, and later participated in a lively Christmas quiz.

Rae, our Support Work Coordinator, shared her experience: "I was having a great time with the children, although I didn't get to spend much time with our carers, from what I saw, everyone was having a really fun time!"

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Job Location:  Gloucester
Pay scale: £30,643.63 to £41,846.62 dependent on experience, plus additional payment for out of hours on call
Hours: Full Time - 37.5 hours per week 
​Closing date: 14th June 2024
Interview date: 18th June 2024​
 

​We’re looking to attract talented inspired people to join our crew and help us to achieve our vital mission by becoming a trustee and joining our board. As a trustee, you will work collaboratively with the other members of the board to navigate CFC’s journey towards achieving the mission.

Please find full role description below and email your application form to [email protected] in the first instance. The application form can be downloaded here.

​

We are currently seeking a Family Finding & Compliance Officer to seek families for children referred, supporting a successful effective transition.

Alongside this, they will monitor on behalf of CFC to ensure that we are compliant in terms of fostering regulations, GDPR and Health & Safety to assure a safe service and positive outcomes for the child. 

Please click here for full job description and application form and email your completed form to [email protected] 

CVs will not be accepted under any circumstances; all applicants must complete an application form.

Full details and application documents here 

​We’re looking to attract talented inspired people to join our crew and help us to achieve our vital mission by becoming a trustee and joining our board. As a trustee, you will work collaboratively with the other members of the board to navigate CFC’s journey towards achieving the mission.

Please find full role description below and email your application form to [email protected] in the first instance. 

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 a community that gives individuals the strength and foundation to realise a better future for young people and families.

Our Purpose
Every young person has the right to a bright future.

Role Summary
Community Foster Care’s (CFC) trustees are essential in ensuring that we can continue to strive towards our mission. As a trustee you will ensure that CFC remains on course with delivering its key activities. At CFC we are committed to creating a culture driven by our values and based on diversity, exploration, critical reflection, courage to challenge and belief in the power of people.

Trustees have the overall legal responsibility for a charity. The law describes charity trustees as ‘the persons having the general control and management of the administration of a charity’ (Charities Act 2011, section 177). 

Charity trustees are those responsible under the charity's governing document for controlling the administration and management of the charity. This is the case regardless of the terminology used to describe the role. For CFC, the charity trustees are the board of trustees.

The Role of the Board
At its simplest, the role of the board of trustees is to ensure all of CFC’s assets are safeguarded and applied to the charitable purposes of CFC. The board of trustees must always act in the best interests of CFC, exercising the same standard of duty of care that a prudent person would apply if looking after the affairs of someone for whom they have responsibility. The trustee board must act as a group and not as individuals.

Key requirements of which you should be aware
Trustees are expected to attend an induction session with CFC prior to their first board meeting. Trustees are expected to attend all board meetings. Board meetings are held three times a year, usually in the late afternoon – early evening. The meetings tend to be held at our
Kingsholm Office in Gloucester, but participants can attend via remote video call. From time to time there are additional meetings and planning sessions.

• Papers are distributed one week in advance of meetings.
• Trustees are asked to join one of three board sub committees, each of which meets
• three times a year, for approximately two hours, during normal office hours.
• Trustees can claim out of pocket expenses.

Main Duties and Responsibilities
The duties of a trustee board member are to:

• ensure that CFC complies with its governing document (its Articles of Association), charity law, company law and any other relevant legislation or regulations including the Fostering Regulations 2011.
• ensure that CFC pursues its objectives as defined in its governing document.
• ensure CFC applies its resources exclusively in pursuance of its objects. For example, it must not spend money on activities which are not included in the objects, however worthwhile they may be.
• contribute actively to the board of trustees by giving firm strategic direction to CFC, setting overall policy, defining goals, setting targets, and evaluating performance against agreed targets.
• own the organisation’s Risk Register and mitigations.
• safeguard the good name and values of CFC.
• ensure the financial stability of CFC.

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, identifying key issues, providing advice and guidance on new initiatives, and evaluating or offering advice on other areas in which the trustee has particular expertise.

What we require from all our employees and volunteers:

• A commitment and alignment with Community Foster Care’s Values.
• A tenacity and commitment to resolve and develop our ability to enable children to thrive.
• A willingness to embrace challenge and actively seek constructive feedback.
• A willingness and ability to be a highly functioning team player.
• A willingness to work in a flexible way.
• A commitment to anti-oppressive practice, underpinned by an understanding and promotion of equality and diversity.
• Positively promote and publicise the work of Community Foster Care.
• Always represent Community Foster Care in a professional manner.
• Undertake training and development deemed necessary for the pursuance and development of the post.
• Comply with Equal Opportunities, GDPR and employment practices.
  

Community Foster Care is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children; applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service clearance at enhanced level.

CVs will not be accepted in any circumstances; all applicants must complete an application form.

Person Specification
Each trustee must have:

• a commitment to the mission of CFC
• a willingness to meet the minimum time requirement integrity
• strategic vision
• good, independent judgement
• an ability to think creatively
• a willingness to speak their mind
• an understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship
• an ability to work effectively as a member of a team and to take decisions for the good of CFC

Full details and application documents here