Job Opportunity with St Christopher’s: Fostering Recruitment Lead - West Midlands (Qualified Social Worker)

Location: West Bromwich
​Salary up to £40,842 depending on experience
Contract Type: Fixed Term
Specific Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Closing Date: 05 January 2024

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About Us
Our vision is for every child and young person to be safe, loved and happy, to achieve their potential and have a bright future.

St Christopher's is a leading charity for children and young people. We are proud of our history of providing fostering, children's homes and innovative leaving care services across the UK & Isle of Man.  We have a passionate commitment to our young people, placing them at the centre of everything we do.  We provide positive life experiences for young people who are unable to sustain a placement in their parental or foster home.

We are an equal-opportunity employer keen to develop an inclusive workforce where people feel they belong.  We hope to attract applications from under- represented groups, including people from different cultures, nationalities, socioeconomic backgrounds, ages, disabilities, religions, faith, sex, orientation, childcare responsibilities, and gender-diverse identities.

About the Role
The role is responsible for the successful recruitment of new St. Christopher’s foster carers, proactively building excellent relationships with potential fostering applicants & guiding them through the assessment & approval process. The role will proactively lead on the recruitment strategy for a given region but the postholder may have to work across other regions as required by workflows. The postholder will deliver an increased number of fostering households through a targeted approach, enabling the recruitment and assessment of foster carers who can meet the needs of St. Christopher’s looked after children.

Applicants should have:

• BA or Master’s in social work or Dip SW, CSS, CQSW.
• Social Work England/Scottish Social Services Council/Social Care Wales Registration.
• Post qualifying experience which should include at least 2 years in relevant family placement work or post qualifying experience in other childcare settings.
• A proven track record in working with and on behalf of children and foster families, using a trauma-informed therapeutic approach.
• Experience of group work and/or delivery of training.
• Assessment of Foster Carers, using BAAF Competency Based Form F.
• Knowledge or relevant experience of recruitment and campaign/project delivery for foster carers.
• Knowledge of prospective carer assessment and the journey of a prospective foster carer.
• A good working knowledge of relevant legislation including Children’s Act 1989 and related regulations and guidance such as Every Child Matters, Working Together; Assessment Framework For Children In Need; Care Standards Act 2000; Understanding of the role of children’s social workers; knowledge of the role of other agencies in particular, health and education; knowledge of the growth and development of children.
• Experience of working with the public and engaging a wide range of community group and organisations.

In return we offer:

• Salary up to £40,842 depending on experience.
• Flexible working arrangements.
• A friendly working environment, a fun, open and honest culture.
• 25 days holiday rising to 27 days after 3 years’ service, plus Bank Holidays, pro-rata.
• Industry Leading training programme including access to level 3 qualifications, children’s right and participation, CSE, empowerment, mental health and Social Pedagogy,
• Contributory pension scheme, Enhanced Maternity and Company Sick Scheme.
• BUPA Employee Assistance Programme, offering counselling, financial advice and legal support.
• Interest-free season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme.
• Discount shopping scheme at hundreds of retailers across the UK.
• Discretionary Funded Training Programs.
• Employee Awards based on performance and length of service.
• Fantastic opportunities to develop your career within our range of services.

 
Recruitment Process
At St Christopher’s we are committed to the safeguarding of all children and young people in our care. During the recruitment process you will be expected to complete an online application form to ensure we capture essential information to meet legislation, best practice and vetting requirements.

Applicants will ideally already be on the DBS Update Service; if this is not the case St Christopher's will carry out a DBS (police) check prior to starting.

Your online application must include a supporting statement addressing the criteria stated in the Person Specification. For the full Job Description and Person Specification click here.

For more information or assistance during the application process, please contact [email protected]

We advise to apply as soon as possible as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and this opportunity might be filled before the closing date. Interviews taking place on 17th January 2024.

St Christopher’s Fellowship has a minimum age requirement of 21 for roles working directly with children and young people in our residential and semi-independent Homes.

Full details and application documents here