Job Category: Social Care - Qualified | Location: County Hall, Cardiff Council | Start Date: Immediate Start | Start Time: 09:00 | End Time: 17:00 | Salary: £28.00
Job Purpose:
This is a Social Work role within the Cardiff Fostering Service. To be responsible for support of kinship foster carers.
To work within current legislation and Council policy, procedures and practice to assess and review services, including planned interventions, for a specific client group.
To work within the statutory guidance and policy/procedural framework to assist in protecting those who are at risk or vulnerable.
To contribute to the development and maintenance of workable systems to ensure quality of service across the city and the identification of people particularly at risk.
Duties and Responsibilities
1. Contribute to the development and maintenance of effective systems to ensure quality services to Children in Need and Looked After Children.
2. Assist where relevant in the recruitment and support of Foster Carers and connected persons.
3. Review and update knowledge of legal, policy and procedural frameworks and demonstrate professional competence in social work practice as laid down in the Code of Practice for Social Workers.
4. Work with individuals, families, carer groups and communities to help them make informed decisions, enabling them to clarify and express their needs and contribute to service planning.
5. Work positively with colleagues in the statutory and independent sector to ensure an appropriate multi‑agency approach, and represent Children’s Services as necessary in multi‑agency forums.
6. Work with Kinship Foster Carers and communities to help them make informed decisions, enabling them to clarify and express their needs and contribute to service planning.
7. Assess needs, risks and options, in family circumstances, taking into account legal and other requirements, including child protection and protection of vulnerable adults.
8. Actively work with children and prospective carers to identify and inform plans to meet their support needs.
9. Prepare for and participate in decision‑making forums including annual reviews and Fostering Panel.
Education & Training
* A good general education
* Degree in Social Work
* Masters Degree in Social Work (post qualifying level)
* Post Qualifying Award in Social Work (including Practice Teaching Award or Childcare Award)
Experience / Knowledge
* Experience of managing a caseload of ranging complexity and problems, and competing demands
* Experience of completing social work assessments
* Experience of managing a varied caseload
* Experience of working with kinship or connected persons within a fostering setting
* Experience of supporting and/or assessing foster carers
Skills and Abilities
* Comprehensive understanding of and the ability to work within all legislation, standards of practice, policies and procedures relevant to the area of work
* Ability to write clear, concise records, assessments and reports
* Ability to work as part of a team
* Ability to effectively organise work within a framework where time and service delivery targets are set
* Advocacy skills
* Ability to work with staff and managers at all levels and in a variety of disciplines/agencies
* Organisational skills
* Ability to organise self and others in order to prioritise work and achieve targets
* Self‑motivation and ability to work on own initiative with minimal supervision within agreed parameters
* Competence in working and negotiating with colleagues from other disciplines to safeguard and promote the welfare of children
* Ability to identify, assess and manage risk and identify possible solutions to problems
* Effective communication skills, both verbally and in writing with service users, staff, managers, other agencies and the public
* Ability to enable service users to contribute to the planning and development of services for the benefit of service users
* Working knowledge of human growth and development throughout the lifespan, recognising the impact of relationships, psychological, socioeconomic, environmental, and physiological factors in people’s lives
* Understanding of the principles of relationship‑based approaches applied to practice
* Knowledge of theories, models and evidence‑based practice for social work intervention with children, families, carers, and communities
* Significant and proven statutory experience
* Understanding of the value and importance of supervision and ability to accept supervision
* Competent IT user with a commitment to using information technology and proficiency in Microsoft Office packages (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
* Proficient in the use of Care First
* Able to speak Welsh
* Able to speak another relevant language (e.g., Arabic, Somali, Polish, or Czech)
* Experience of working within the Signs of Safety framework
* Experience of contributing to the learning of student social workers
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