Member Job Opportunity: Barnardo's - Social Worker - Fostering

Location: Leeds
Salary: £35,360 - £36,920 per annum + On Call Allowance when applicable
Contract type: Fixed term - June 2024
Hours: 37
Closing Date: 2 May 2023
Interview Date: 9 May 2023

---

Location of Post:  Unit 9, Pavilion Business Park, Royds Hall Road, Leeds, LS12 6AJ

History of Service
Barnardo's is an independent fostering agency. Our head office is in Barkingside, Essex with branches throughout the UK. The fostering team is part of the wider Family Placement service which also has adoption services throughout the UK. The Yorkshire and Humber service is based in the Leeds office and covers a wide geographical area in the Yorkshire and Humberside region. 

We recruit, prepare, assess and approve prospective foster carers. We work with Local Authorities across Yorkshire to place and support children looked after. We work closely with our colleagues in the adoption service with whom we share events and training.

Objectives of Service
To recruit, train, assess and support prospective foster carers in the Yorkshire region to provide safe, loving and nurturing families for children in need of foster placements.  To work with our foster carers, the placing authorities and other professionals to maintain the best quality of service, support and outcomes for children.

Initial Specific Responsibilities
We are looking for a social worker to join the Yorkshire Family Placement service (fostering team) in Leeds.  Key tasks include:

• Assessment of prospective foster carers and completion of assessment reports
• Attending relevant multi agency meetings such as CLA reviews, Placement Planning meetings and panels
• Monthly supervision and regular support to foster carers
• Timely recording and good communication with all professionals involved in placements 
• Training delivery in both Group and Individual settings

The post holder will contribute as part of the team to the training and assessment of new carers, and to maintaining the office duty system.  After a suitable induction period the post holder will join the Out of Hours support rota.  Please note this is not a full job description; other duties and responsibilities are allocated within the team according to experience and particular skills.

Supplementary Information
A professional Social Work qualification and HCPC registration are essential for this post as is experience in Family Placement, Child Protection or work with Looked After Children.

The duties of this post require the applicant to have a full current driving license that enables them to drive in the UK and have use of a car and business use insurance.  Barnardo's is, however, willing to consider any proposals put forward by applicants that would allow them to do the job by other means.

For further information or an informal discussion contact Lisa Lewis 0113 263 1464

*please note this advert is for a one year fixed term full time role

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.  We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which should be in place by 1st April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a key pillar of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to grow and develop in their career at Barnardo's.

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.

Workplace Offer: What it means for you
The world of work has changed. We are understanding of what works best for our colleagues both current and future as we look to embrace this new way of working. Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or any combination of these.

Benefits

• Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
• 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing after 5 years service
• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our HolidayPlus scheme
• A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
• Service related sick pay from day 1
• Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
• Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
• Cycle2work scheme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
• Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
• Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
• Access to Barnardo's Corporate University

*T&C's apply based on contract

About Barnardo's
At Barnardo's we believe in children – no matter who they are, what they have done or what they have been through. Please read about our basis and values following the link below. You will be asked questions relating to them as part of the recruitment process for this role.

Barnardo's is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce for staff and volunteers. We actively encourage applications from disabled, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within Barnardo's.

Full details and application documents here