Senior Practitioner – Fostering Team

£42,500 – £47,000 dependent on qualifications & experience

Additional payments include :-

£50 for on-call duties completed Monday – Thursday

£75 for on-call duties completed Friday – Sunday (including Bank Holidays)

             Essential car allowance of £1500 per annum

Company Benefits include:

• Private Medical care
• Private Optical, Dental and Audiological cover
• An employee assistance and wellbeing program (EAP) for staff which includes counselling services, debt and finance support which is available to staff and adult family members within the home.
• Long service awards for 5, 10 and 15 years service
• Loyalty scheme which rewards you with extra annual leave following 2 years of service, up to 5 extra days.
• Company events such as Awards ceremonies to celebrate employees and children in our care.
• Annual performance reviews
• Team building days

Further benefits include:

• We offer very well supported and manageable caseloads with limited ‘On-Call’ commitments. We also offer an additional on call allowance:
  • £50 for duties completed Monday – Thursday
  • £75 for duties completed Friday – Sunday (including Bank Holidays)
• Essential car allowance of £1500 per annum
• Opportunity to work flexibly under a hybrid home working arrangement
• Regular Clinical Supervision available
• Opportunity to attend therapeutic training courses, including Attachment & Relationship Based Practice Training run by Professor David Shemmings and Pace with Dan Hughes

Channels & Choices is an award winning, dynamic company specialising in children’s residential care, Fostering and Education based in South East Kent. OFSTED judge our services as ‘Outstanding’

We are currently looking to recruit a Senior Practitioner based within our Fostering Agency in South East Kent. This position is a full-time permanent role and you will be responsible for the assessment, supervision and support of foster carers based in Kent. The successful candidate will be part of our unique, expanding organisation which helps children achieve their full potential.

Channels and Choices Therapeutic Fostering specialise in working with children who have experienced trauma, most will have an attachment disorder.  We create a secure base for all the children in our care and we focus on achieving seamless transitions so that children can be part of a loving and nurturing family.

These are exciting times as Channels & Choices continues to expand and develop its Fostering & Residential Services and we are looking for someone to join our dynamic multi-disciplinary staff team who has a passion for promoting outstanding outcomes for children in care.

We have a strong commitment to staff development and there will be considerable opportunities for internal and external training and for sharing good practice within the community.

JOB DESCRIPTION – Senior Practitioner

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• To support our Supervising Social Workers, by providing a good source of knowledge and expertise.
• Day to day line management and regular supervision for a team of supervising social workers who are managing some complex caseloads.
• Providing a high level of support to a small group of foster carers by running groups and delivering training
• Chair and facilitate multi-agency meetings as and when required
• Liaise on a regular basis with internal and external partners
• Provide mentoring and support to new Social Work staff, including any student social workers to support and further their professional knowledge and development
• Ensure compliance with regulations, legislation and best practice guidelines informing your team of any changes in practice legislation
• Contribute to the development of the team and the fostering service by implementing any new initiatives
• Provide high quality services to the children and young people placed with Channels and Choices Fostering Services
• Ensure an excellent quality service that promotes positive outcomes for looked after children
• Be responsible for timely Form F Assessments and other relevant assessments and reports
• Promote the company and ensure professional standards are maintained at all times

Person Specification

Qualifications (ESSENTIAL)

• Professional Registration with HCPC and eligible to work in the UK
• Relevant Social Work qualification (BA/MA Social Work/DipSW or equivalent)

Experience (ESSENTIAL)

• Minimum of 2 years’ experience working with children &, adolescents within the Care System as well as, families and foster carers – preferably within a Fostering Agency or similar setting
• Experience of working with relevant client groups who present with his levels of complexity and difficulty
• Previous line management experience

Skills & Abilities (ESSENTIAL)

• Excellent verbal , communication and interpersonal skills in order to communicate effectively with carers, children, families and colleagues
• Ability to work effectively on own initiative as well as within a team
• Ability to build relationships and promote change
• Computer literate for report and assessment writing
• Skills in providing consultation to foster carers or other client groups
• Ability to identify and provide appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to distressing situations and challenging behaviour

Skills & Abilities (DESIRABLE)

• Ability to facilitate or develop training courses

Knowledge (ESSENTIAL)

• Good understanding of child development
• Full working knowledge of current statutory and regulatory guidelines governing the operation of fostering, services for children and young people and of child care legislation
• Understanding of Child Protection & Safeguarding

Personal Qualities (ESSENTIAL)

• Commitment to continued professional and personal development
• Professional credibility
• Commitment to equal opportunities and valuing diversity
• Demonstrate a commitment to supervision and reflective practice

Additional (ESSENTIAL)

• Driver with use of own car

Channels & Choices are committed to ensuring that we are always recruiting, retaining and promoting a diverse mix of colleagues who are representative of the diversity in our local community. We actively celebrate our staff’s different abilities, sexual orientation, ethnicity, faith, and gender. Everyone is welcome to apply for a job with Channels & Choices and our staff are supported in their development at all stages in their journey with us.

Channels and Choices are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the young people in our care.  Staff are all required to adhere to the organisation’s Safeguarding Policies and Procedures.  This post will be subject to a clear Enhanced DBS Disclosure, an employment background check, satisfactory references & verification of a right to work in the UK.  As part of our commitment to Safer Recruitment, CV’s cannot be considered without a completed application form. Strictly no agencies thank you.