Supervising Social Worker - Independent Fostering Service

Joining our IFA will give you the opportunity to have a varied case load covering different aspects of carer recruitment and retention. This will include assisting with the preparation, assessment, supervision, support and ongoing training of Foster Carers. You will also contribute to the matching process and assist with placing children with Foster Carers, in accordance with the Agency's ethos and guidelines. In addition, as part of our social work team you will help us to provide a level of out of hours support to our carers, on a rota basis, during the evening and at weekends, in order to assist them to maintain high standards of care for all children who are placed with them (an extra allowance is paid for this)., To support the ongoing development of our IFA fostering service.
To assist with the recruitment of Foster Carers and support shared retention activities.
To actively participate in the recruitment, preparation and assessment of prospective Foster Carers.
To provide and deliver professional support and supervision to BFfC's IFA's foster carers in line with regulatory requirements, whilst always promoting the safe care and development of the looked after children/young people who are placed in their care.
To develop and maintain positive working relationships with children, their families and other professionals.
To keep up to date with contemporary issues in children's social work / fostering, including legislation and evidence-based practice, and to attend relevant training and development opportunities.
To at all times comply with the Fostering Service Regulations, National Minimum Standards for Fostering and any other relevant legislation, policy and procedures.
To maintain accurate and timely case recording.
When working with foster carers and vulnerable looked after children/young people, to recognise safeguarding concerns, risk assess and monitor identified risks. Where necessary to escalate any safeguarding concerns in a timely manner and plan mitigating actions, complying with any child protection, and safeguarding requirements.

Social Work Qualification - Diploma in Social Worker, BA or equivalent.
Social Work England (SWE) registration.
Able to understand and apply knowledge of the legal, social, economic, and ecological context of social work practice.
A good understanding of the range of issues relevant to fostering services, including relevant fostering legislation and standards.
Reasonable computer literacy, including the ability and confidence to use email, to access the internet, and to use basic IT systems to maintain electronic records.
A good understanding of safeguarding policies, in particular, Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.

Brighter Futures for Children (BFfC) is a not-for-profit company, owned by, but independent of, Reading Borough Council. As BFfC's Independent Fostering Agency (IFA), we are very much part of the Reading Family. Our staff enjoy many of the same benefits as Council employees, including membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme and continuous service.

We are closely integrated with BFfC's Children's Social Care services and also work closely with partners in the local community and key organisations including Reading Borough Council, policy, public health and voluntary groups. We are members of the SESLIP (South-East Sector Led Improvement Programme) which is a DfE initiative aimed at improving the recruitment and retention of foster carers by local authorities. We also work closely with our local Foster Carers' Association to hear the voice of Foster Carers, and this is central to shaping our service delivery.

Our main aim is to provide local foster placements for Reading Children Looked After, who need to live apart from their families, that protect and enhance the lives of these children, enabling them to lead happy, healthy and successful lives with dedicated Foster Carers.

About the Team/role

We are seeking to develop our IFA service in line with the changing expectations of the courts around permanence through fostering being a suitable long-term care option of Children Looked After, and the need to increase our in-house fostering resource and to reduce the numbers of children being placed away from the Reading area. 2024 will be an exciting time to join our IFA service and help us to shape its future development., We want Brighter Futures for Children to be a great place to work and to ensure that our children, young people and families are represented in leadership roles and positions of power. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and those of Other Ethnicities, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our children, young people and families so that equalities and justice remains at the heart of everything we do.

Asking for Adjustments

Brighter Futures for Children is committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and as accessible as possible for everyone. This includes making adjustments or changes for disabled people, neurodiverse people or people with long-term health conditions.