Senior Practitioner - Fostering Recruitment, Assessment, Panels And Training Team

Role Responsibility

Due to new opportunities being created within Kent County Council’s Fostering Service we are pleased to be seeking one dynamic and highly motivated Senior Practitioner to be based in our Recruitment, Assessment, Panel and Training Team at Kroner House in Ashford.

The successful applicant will be providing a County wide service, managing complex assessments for foster carers and/or kinship carers to join Kent’s fostering community. The role will involve initial visits and assessments of prospective foster carers, you will be delivering the ‘Skills to Foster’ training, supporting the Team Manager at targeted recruitment and information events and attending Fostering Panels, so excellent presentation skills and a confident and articulate style is necessary. 

A key part of the role will also involve deputising for the Team Manager at Management Meetings, act as Panel Advisor and the supervision and support of the co-coordinators within the team. This is an exciting time to be joining the Kent Fostering Service as we expand to include the assessment and support of all kinship carers within our Service.

The successful applicant will be a motivated social work practitioner, passionate about fostering and providing quality care for children who have experienced trauma. They will need to be disciplined, highly organised and able to work to tight deadlines and provide coaching and mentoring support to social workers. Excellent presentation skills and a confident articulate style are essential for running the Skills to Foster course and attending the fostering panels. Sound interpersonal skills with proven experience of completing evidence based and high quality, analytical assessments with adults and children as well as a good knowledge of Fostering Regulations, National Minimum Standards and the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations will be needed.

The successful applicant will also need to be familiar with case management systems to ensure information is maintained as well as being able to work flexible hours to fit with the availability of foster carer applicants and kinship carers. This flexibility will also be necessary for any evening or weekend information and recruitment events and Skills courses when these are required. The ability to travel in a timely and effective manner across Kent and out of county will also be essential.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Closing date for this position is Thursday the 1^st February 2024

Interviews will be held on the 6^th and 7^th February 2024