Fostering Panel Vice Chair

About Haringey

Haringey is a fantastic place to live and work – the world in one borough. A place brimming with creativity, personality, radicalism, and community. It is a place where we stand up for each other. A place that is proudly distinctive. We’ll be celebrating all this and more as the “rebel borough” when we are the 2027 London Borough of Culture.
Our history champions change-makers and everyday rebels; revelling in our differences, battling discrimination, championing equality, and doing things our own way. Haringey’s people are a huge asset, with knowledge, expertise, and passion. Our staff members embody our organisational values: Caring, Creative, Courageous, Collaborative and Community-focused. These values keep us looking forward, ambitious for the future, and continuously striving to do our very best for all of our residents.

About the Role

This is an exciting opportunity for applicants to join a strong and dynamic Fostering Panel. You will become part of a supportive panel where members are encouraged to openly express their view. The Panel Vice Chair is required to attend Fostering Panel meetings prepared to raise issues and to contribute to the panel discussion on various cases including applications to foster, long term matching and more.
Please note, it is not possible for Haringey Foster Carer’s to apply due to potential conflicts of interest.
The successful candidate will be placed onto the Fostering Panel rota. Panel takes place two times per month of the first and third Tuesday of each month; the Panel Vice Chair will not be expected to attend every panel and due to the nature of the role there will be occasions where panel is cancelled with little notice.

Working for Haringey

At Haringey Council we are committed to creating a workplace culture where all our people feel valued, included, and able to be their best at work, and we recognise the benefits of a diverse workforce so welcome applications from all ethnicities and communities so that we continue to make a difference to our residents and community.
Our benefits package includes a leave entitlement up to 31 days + bank holidays, potential hybrid working opportunities, health and well-being support, a generous local government pension scheme and a range of discount schemes across leisure and culture that provide both financial and money-saving discounts.

About You

The service has recruited an experienced number of panel members but now seeks a new Panel Vice Chair who has experience professionally or personally with the care system. The successful candidates will have a good knowledge of fostering.
Some of the key responsibilities include:

• To read the circulated papers carefully and to undertake preparation work prior to the meeting to ensure a thorough understanding of the case prior to panel
• To deputise for the Panel Chair when the Chair is unable to sit on panel, planned or unplanned.
• To attend the meeting prepared to raise issues and to contribute to the panel
• To address diversity issues and promote anti-discriminatory
• To safeguard the confidentiality of all panel papers and panel
• To participate in panel induction and in panel training, which will be at least one day per year
• To participate constructively in the annual review of their panel
• To develop a service consistent with models of partnership working with other agencies, children in care and their families.