Foster Care Associates (FCA)

Senior / Supervising Social Worker

Salary: Up to £36,131.66 per annum (dependent on experience)
Benefits: Company Car or £2,000 Car Allowance, 30 days‘ annual leave (rising to 35 days with length of service) + Bank Holidays (pro rata), Life Assurance, Company Pension, On-site Free Parking, Employee Discount Scheme & Medical Cash Plan
Location: Home-based, supporting foster parents across the Isle of Wight, Southampton and Portsmouth

About Us

Set up by a former foster parent and former social worker in 1994, Foster Care Associates (FCA) is an established fostering agency which forms part of the Polaris Community - one of the UK‘s largest communities of children‘s service providers.

The business was born out of an enthusiasm for delivering fostering services that make a positive difference to the lives of looked-after children. Our first office was in the Worcestershire countryside, and that‘s still where our Head Office is today.

We‘ve come a long way since those early days and, over the years, FCA has built a strong reputation for excellence and now offers a wide range of services to children and families. However, our purpose remains the same: to make a positive and lasting difference for children, families and communities. This is underpinned by a series of values designed to help children and young people reach their full potential.

Today, we‘re one of the country‘s largest and most experienced independent fostering agencies. Despite our size, we remain a close-knit and supportive community. At FCA, we‘re one big family, committed to supporting every child and foster parent, every day.

Duties Will Include

• Supporting foster parents and their families to achieve outstanding outcomes for all children and young people in foster care
• Supporting and monitoring the continued suitability and competence of foster parents, ensuring they provide a safe, healthy, nurturing and learning environment
• Ensuring carers fully understand the fostering task, required competencies and expected standards, including complaints and representation procedures in line with FCA policies
• Providing and recording regular supervision to allocated foster parents in line with FCA‘s Operational Standards
• Working in partnership using a team parenting approach to identify needs within the foster family (e.g. respite, activities, therapy, holidays), contributing to meetings and relevant actions
• Ensuring each child and foster parent is fully compliant with all key documentation
• Attending meetings and/or providing reports for commissioning teams regarding individual care packages
• Promoting participation of children and young people in agency development and access to local resources and opportunities
• Participating in an out-of-hours support service on a rota basis
• Participating in the day duty system on a rota basis, supporting the referrals team
• Undertaking occasional initial home visits and Form F assessments

You Must Have

• A Social Work qualification
• Professional registration with Social Work England or equivalent
• Proven ability to produce a high standard of report writing
• A comprehensive working knowledge of relevant legislation and safeguarding procedures
• The willingness and ability to travel extensively (including occasional overnight stays)
• Confidence transporting children and young people in potentially challenging situations
• A full UK driving licence

For more information about this post, please contact Caroline Ellis, Registered Manager, on or Ray Kalaker, Fostering Service Manager, on .

To be considered, please apply and we will be in touch.

No agencies please.

Foster Care Associates is an equal opportunities employer and has been awarded Disability Confident Employer status by Jobcentre Plus. The successful applicant will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.