The Role

It has never been a more exciting time to work for Wandsworth Children’s Services, as we are on an integral journey to implement significant improvements for our Children, Foster carers as well as our workforce and outcomes for our Children and Young People.

We are seeking a motivated and dynamic Social Worker to join the fostering service as a panel advisor who will contribute to our whole service journey to outstanding by providing the safest and best outcomes for our Children and Young people.

The role is 18 hours per week.

The successful candidate will have an in-depth understanding of relevant care planning and fostering legislation and be able to confidently advise the Fostering Panel on relevant statutory requirements, regulations and national minimum standards, as well as local policy and procedures.

You will be committed to the development of consistently good practice within fostering assessments, reviews of Foster Carers, Post Allegation Reviews and Continued Suitability to Foster Reviews, and be able to quality assure documents being presented to the fostering panel, to ensure they meet the required standards.

The post holder will be required to contribute to the statutory reporting for panel and work with the fostering team and panel to implement practice improvements identified within the Local Authority’s wider plans and strategy.

You will be expected to work closely with Team Managers responsible for the recruitment and retention of carers, the Annual Reviewing Officer responsible for the reviews of carers, Children’s Social Workers and the Fostering Panel Chair and Fostering Panel Members.

You will be required to train and provide regular practice updates and learning for our central list panel members and staff. You must be social work qualified and registered with Social Work England

Contact details

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Elizabeth Souter by email – Elizabeth.souter@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

Benefits

We recognise the importance of a good balance between work and home life so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working including, working from home, compressed or part-time hours, term time only, job shares and other arrangements. Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process (and beyond) if these are options you’d like to explore.

We also offer a generous holiday allowance of 39 paid days (pro rata) including bank holidays and a wide range of learning and development opportunities. In addition, we offer a comprehensive range of staff benefits such as membership of the Local Government pension scheme, childcare vouchers, new technology scheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts with many leisure activities, restaurants, shops and other establishments.

Indicative Recruitment Timeline

• Closing Date: 11:59pm on Sunday 6^th March 2022
• Shortlisting Date: Week commencing 7^th March 2022
• Interview Date: Week commencing 14^th March 2022

Useful Information: The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Please note that the advertised dates for interviews may change due to the current Covid-19 situation. If they do, we will let you know as soon as possible. Your health and wellbeing is our top priority. Should you become unwell due to Covid-19 during the recruitment process we would very much appreciate receiving an update from you as soon as possible.

Equality Statement

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Important Information

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

How to apply?

To be considered for interview your application must highlight your knowledge, skills and experience listed in the Job Profile located at the bottom.

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils