Social Worker - Supervising Social Worker General Fostering And Placements

Social Worker - Supervising Social Worker General Fosteringand Placements
Job description
37 hours per week
An exciting opportunity for a supervising Social Worker who enjoys working within a challenging, fast paced service has arisen within the General Fostering Team in Bridgend.
We are looking for a dynamic, enthusiastic and knowledgeable Social Worker to assess and supervise General foster carers and complete annual reviews in line with regulatory requirements.
You will undertake Form F assessments for prospective general foster carers and support those applicants through the assessment process. You will also supervise general foster carers.
You will need to proactively support the recruitment of foster carers and have up to date knowledge of Fostering Regulations.
You will be involved with our liaison carers (who provide peer support to foster carers), attend coffee mornings, attend/organise support and development workshops for foster carers.
You will play a proactive role in organising/attending children’s events throughout the year, along with recruitment events.  
You will have understanding of the looked after system, an appreciation of the challenges of a fostering provider and knowledge of the relevant legislation.
The role will involve collaborative working across all the Childrens teams within the Local Authority, in particular the Care Experienced Team who support children looked after. We also work closely with the Kinship and Permanence Fostering Team and share Duty.
Bridgend County Borough is a great place to live and work. It occupies an enviable position between Swansea and Cardiff and stretches from the scenic valleys to our beautiful coastline – presenting easy access to urban centres as well as picturesque rural and coastal settings. With excellent schools, affordable housing and excellent public services, there is something for everyone here, and plenty to do all year round to support work/ life balance.
We have award winning social care and wellbeing services and some areas that need improvement and will enable you to make a real difference at a time of change.
We want to ensure the best outcomes for children and young people are achieved via the completion of high-quality assessments and provision of comprehensive support packages for children to reside in permanent homes. Bridgend County Borough Council offers a great opportunity to further your social work career.
As a member of the fostering team, you will benefit from being part of a well-established, supportive and stable staff team. who provide a range of foster care placements to children and young people who are looked after by Bridgend County Borough Council.  
In addition to providing emergency, short term and long term foster care placements, we also operate specialist schemes such as transitional Foster Carers for children with complex needs, parent and child and family link carers who support children with disabilities by providing short breaks. 
We want the best Social Workers to join us, we work closely with foster carers and other professionals to ensure the best outcomes are achieved for our children and young people.
Supervising Social Workers have manageable caseloads and are able to access support workers, who will work with carers to ensure that appropriate advice and guidance is provided to enable them to continue to provide care to the children/young people who they are looking after and can include support during a crisis.
In addition to this, the fostering service also has a dedicated team of reunification workers who can provide support to a child during transition between placements and work collaboratively with safeguarding to support children and young people return home.
You will receive a robust induction, regular reflective supervision as well as additional support and mentoring where required. Our programme of support for newly qualified Social Workers won the ‘Developing a Confident and Sustainable Workforce’ award in the 2018 Social Care Wales Accolades. Additionally, you will be able to further your career with both development and promotional opportunities.
We are a reflective organisation that continuously builds on its strengths and is committed to the principle that the most effective way of improving outcomes for all Children, Young People and Families is through the provision of accessible, universal services. Join us and you will work in a rewarding, learning environment where staff feel valued.
For further information on working as a Social Worker in Bridgend Fostering Team, please contact: Michelle Cox (Michelle.Cox@bridgend.gov.uk) or Alex Fitzpatrick (Alex.Fitzpatrick@bridgend.gov.uk)
 
The ability to greet customers through the medium of Welsh is a requirement for this post.
 
Protecting children, young people or adults at risk is a core responsibility of all council employees.
 
Criminal records check by the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) is a requirement for this post.
 
A relocation package up to £8,000 will be considered for this post.
 
Closing Date: 14 February 2024
Shortlisting Date: 15 February 2024
Interview Date: 26 February 2024
 
Benefits to working at Bridgend County Borough Council
Job Description & Person Specification