Foster Panel Members (Freelance) (Dorchester)

Salary details: £ - £

Foster Panel Members

Dorchester

£110 per half day/ £220 per whole day

Dorset Council Fostering Panel is recruiting new Panel Members

“Fostering Panels are intended as multi- disciplinary bodies with a considerable element of independence from the fostering service.”  5.2 The Children act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 4, Fostering Services

Could you help play an important part in promoting the wellbeing, safeguarding and happiness of children and young people living in foster care?

Dorset Council are looking to recruit new Fostering Panel members for its central list, to provide independent oversight of the recruitment and review of foster carers and make reasoned recommendations on their suitability to foster.

The role

A Panel Members role is to read several detailed reports and consider the suitability of foster carers, then to meet with other Panel members in a formal setting usually held in County Hall, Dorchester up to four days a month) to discuss and make recommendations to the Agency Decision Maker. Individual Panel members are not expected to attend all Panel meetings.

 
You will need to be able to access the internet and be able to find private space and time to read electronic documents and to take part in panel meetings. Panel members meet on a planned rota basis with dates of attendance agreed in advance. You’ll be provided with an induction and ongoing training as well as a laptop for Dorset Fostering Panel work.

The person

Panel members should have knowledge or experience of fostering, either professionally, personally, or both. This may be as a worker, carer or having been a child or young person living in foster care or being care experienced. We would particularly welcome applications from individuals with a professional background in education, social work registered, health or who are currently foster carers (but not fostering for Dorset Council).

You will need to have excellent communication and listening skills, good digital skills, and confidence in using IT.

You will have the ability to read, process and analyse large documents of confidential information.

You will have the ability to work collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team of panel members.

You will be on a self-employed contract, however there are opportunities to access training opportunities.

Panel members should be committed to their own learning and development and undertake online training opportunities as well as at least one Panel training day annually.

It is important that our Panel members are from different backgrounds to help us ensure we are making the right decisions for the children and young people in our care and for our foster carers.

The successful applicant must have a passion for children and young people, excellent organisational skills and be able to meet deadlines.

Successful applicants will be required to undertake a DBS check which we would arrange, and personal references will be required. Selection will be through CV, shortlisting, interview, references, and DBS check.

More details and how to apply

Please send your application by CV to the Fostering Panel Adviser susan.mbofana@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk, 01305225982

Closing date: Tuesday 30^th May 2023

Fees: £110 per half day Panel, plus mileage. This fee includes prior reading and preparation.

£220 Per full day Panel, plus mileage. This fee includes prior reading and preparation.

Location: Dorchester.

Dorset Council: A great place to work

We’re passionate about making Dorset a great place to live, work and visit. Working for us should be no exception.

At Dorset Council we:

• provide more than 450 services to over 300,000 residents
• have ambitious aspirations
• are excited about our future
• care about Dorset and all the people who live here
• know that all roles make a difference and that you are key to our success

You will:

• be part of an organisation that supports each other to grow and succeed
• have access to range of training opportunities which will help with your personal development and career progression

We are challenging ourselves to become a more diverse and inclusive organisation. We recognise that recruitment and inclusion of individuals with diverse skills, perspectives and backgrounds will bring real strength to the council and our communities. We have a commitment to equality and welcome applications from everyone.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We offer an interview to everyone who declares a disability and meets the essential criteria for the role.

We are keen to make our interviews accessible. Let us know on your job application if you have a disability and need any reasonable adjustments.

We also look for applicants who share our commitment to our behaviours. We will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the selection process.

If appointed, the personal information we collect from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected, you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found at https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn.

This role is UK based and we will need to establish your Right to Work as part of the appointment process.

We use generic job descriptions and person specifications. This means the job title on any attachments may differ from the job title in the advert. We may provide specific information in a context statement if relevant.