Social Work Assistant - Fostering

Job Introduction

Our Fostering Service is a large and busy team based in Children’s Social Care. We’re responsible for the recruitment, assessment, support, and supervision of foster carers and for placing children and young people with them. We also assess and support kinship carers, oversee private fostering arrangements and advise and support special guardians.

We have a rewarding role for an enthusiastic Duty Social Work Assistant to join our team. You’ll be the first point of contact for the service, answering enquiries from current and potential foster carers and professionals, and helping to match children and young people with carers.

You’ll have good customer service skills and will be able to communicate difficult issues with clarity and sensitivity. It’s even better if you’ve worked or volunteered previously with children, young people and families, though this isn’t essential.

Milton Keynes City Council is a great place to work, with a competitive benefits package including a secure pension, support for career development, and the potential for home working depending on the needs of the role.

Main Responsibility

• Deliver the Fostering Placement duty system in collaboration with qualified Social Workers.
• You’ll respond to incoming telephone queries and be responsible for identifying placements, managing requests for them, and liaising with payments to ensure accurate records are maintained of placement start and end dates.
• Arrange necessary resources to address requests from Foster Carers and Social Workers for day-care/respite/transport support required.
• Work directly with children and young people and their families, including carers, providing advice, guidance and practical and emotional support, as part of a clear plan.
• Support fostering events with children and carers.
• Ensure all work and interactions are clearly recorded on LCS, in line with Children’s Social Care policies.
• Work closely with Social Workers, other agencies and services in a cooperative and holistic way, sharing information and planning care together, to meet the needs of the children, young people and their families and carers.
• Ensure all interactions are delivered in an anti-oppressive manner ensuring equal opportunities are always promoted.

The Ideal Candidate

• Knowledge of the work of Children’s Social Care and its legislative responsibilities, theory and methodology and previous experience of voluntary or paid work with children, young people and families.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and able to articulate difficult issues with sensitivity and clarity.
• Ability to record interactions with service users in an appropriate and timely manner adhering to the City Council’s recording policy.
• Ability to analyse, summarise and write/record relevant information clearly and concisely so that it is easily understood by users and colleagues.
• Ability to question, challenge, solve problems and complete tasks.
• Able to understand risks, give advice, observe and report concerns in a balanced way without delay.
• Able in consultation with a manager to make considered decisions, analyse and evaluate information in situations that may have risks attached to them, including when working alone.
• Able to manage own work, prioritise, plan and use time efficiently, and work as part of a team with children and families including working co-operatively with other professionals and agencies to meet the needs of the child.
• For this role, the candidate is required to have a full UK driving licence, along with access to a vehicle.
• Evidence of the driving licence and vehicle insurance with business insurance will be required from the candidate should they be offered this position. Without this documentation the candidate will not be appointable.
• Should you be offered the role, as part of the pre-employment checks an Enhanced DBS will be actioned for you (unless you are on the DBS Update Service).

Package Description

In addition to your salary, we offer a range of benefits including:

• Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28 days annual leave every year on top of public (bank) holidays, increasing to 32 days after five years.  In addition, there is a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.

• Excellent pension – everyone who works for us can join the national Local Government Pension Scheme, widely regarded as one of the best available.

• A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support and a childcare subsidy.

• Access to an award-winning employee benefits programme that includes a health cash plan, a low-cost bike purchase scheme as well as high street discounts and money off entertainment and travel.

• Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.

Our roles are either designated ‘site based’ or ‘home based’. ‘Site based’ roles can include up to two days a week working from home whilst ‘home based’ roles are based at home four days a week.  Of course, managers designate which category roles are in based on the needs of the service and the circumstances.

About The Organisation

Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round-the-clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live.

We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness. However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference. 

We’re very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Whatever your background, you will be welcome here if you share our values of being dedicated, respectful and collaborative.

We offer great training and support and because of the size and scale of the organisation there are always new opportunities to explore when it’s time for a new role.

If you’d like to know more about how we do things and what matters to us, take a look at our short booklet What makes us Milton Keynes City Council.