Job Opportunity with FFP Member, TACT: Agency Decision Maker and Senior Policy Lead

Location: Homebased with occasional travel for in person meetings and training

Salary: £52,939 per annum plus £750 per annum Homeworking Allowance and £4082 per annum London Weighting (if eligible)

Hours: 35 Hours Per Week
Closing Date: 13/12/2023
Interview Date: 09/01/2024

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As a ‘not for profit’ organisation, TACT puts the needs of our children and carers first and look to appoint individuals who are as passionate about fostering as we are. TACT invests all surplus income into staff, carers, and child development. This means that we have been able to establish expert in-house support services such as our TACT Health and Education Services and create TACT Connect, our ground-breaking scheme for care experienced young people and adults.  New staff will join us as we  embark on a journey to become a wholly trauma-informed organisation with the aim of increasing our effectiveness and improving outcomes for the children and young people in our care.

We pride ourselves on our flexible working opportunities, an extensive wellbeing programme and our benefits package, all curated to support a healthy work-life balance for all our staff. We will also invest in your learning, supporting you to grow and develop during your employment with TACT.  You will be encouraged to attend personal and professional development opportunities and will have access to learning and resources to empower you to advance your knowledge and skills.

We are currently the 4th Best Charity to work for and the 16th Best Mid-Sized Company in the UK according to The Best Companies criteria and our survey results have evidenced “outstanding” levels of engagement amongst staff in recent years. You can view our Best Companies summary video here.

Working directly to the CEO, this exciting new role at TACT will provide a varied and influential range of duties. The role will combine fostering Agency Decision Maker responsibilities with leading on policy and research review. The role will be responsible for exploring and collating policy and guidance on internal and external best practice, with a view to it informing best practice across TACT . The role will inform and guide the advancement of specialist services within TACT to enable excellent care to children, that is also responsive to the emerging needs of the sector.

Main Duties of the Agency Decision Maker and Policy Lead:

• Responsibility for decision making and approval of foster carer registration and renewals.
• Leading on compliance with regulatory requirements, requiring up to date knowledge of legislation, case law and policy development.
• Monitoring and guiding fostering panel performance and improvement.
• Responsibility for national and regional policy and research and coordination of the Policies and Procedures Board.

The Agency Decision Maker and Policy Lead will be:

• A registered and experienced senior social work manager with experience of the Decision Maker role.
• Knowledgeable of child protection and safeguarding regulations and current and developing legislation.
• Skilled in research / policy development and be able to draft policy documents and submissions.
• Confident in chairing and facilitating meetings and have the ability to influence and negotiate with a range of stakeholders at all levels of the organisation.
• An excellent time manager, administrator and communicator, with the ability to self organise and be an effective team member in a remote working organisation.
• Have a positive and flexible attitude to change and development, be able to generate and use creative and innovative techniques in developing and implementing new policies and practices.

TACT offer an excellent employee benefits package including:

• 31 days paid holiday plus bank holidays (pro rata if part time).
• Flexible working arrangements (including compressed hours, flexibility around core hours, and volunteer days policy).
• Family-friendly policies.
• Homeworking ‘bundle’ including annual allowance of £750, IT equipment and a loan for home office set up.
• Stakeholder pension scheme (salary sacrifice) and life insurance from day one.
• Employee Assistance Programme (including free CBT counselling, remote GP appointments, physiotherapy, mental health support and second opinions).
• Fantastic professional learning and personal development opportunities.

The Agency Decision Maker and Policy Lead will be homebased within England, Scotland or Wales and will be required to travel occasionally for face-to-face meetings and training.

An Enhanced DBS clearance is required for this role and will be processed by TACT on your behalf.

Please see the Job Information Pack, Job Description and TACT website at tactcare.org.uk for more detailed information.

Closing Date: Wednesday 13th December 2023
Interview Date: Tuesday 9th January 2024 (via Microsoft Teams)

Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believes that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work.  As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications, and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children.  We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people.  All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies.

TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.

Full details and application documents here