Fostering Support Worker

Foster Care Support Worker working within a private fostering agency, starting salary up to £25,000 depending on experience and/or qualifications

Exciting opportunity to join an established Fostering Agency, working closely with Social Workers to provide day to day support to Foster Carers and children in care. Home based position.

Support Worker key requirements:

• Flexible approach to work, including availability to work weekends where required and be on-call overnight.
• Ability to provide both hands on and administrative support to Fostering Social Workers in their day to day activities
• Must drive, have access to a car and be willing to travel - role involves regular visits to foster carers homes across the region and visits to the Head Office in Stockport as and when required
• Willing to get involved in all aspects of the Social Workers duties, including training foster carers, supporting looked after children in their placements, maintaining accurate and legally compliant records and assisting foster carers to do the same. 
• Must have good attention to detail and awareness of regulatory requirements within a fostering agency 
• Must undergo an Enhanced DBS (criminal record) check which will be paid for by the employer
• Previous experience within the social care or health care sectors would be advantageous
• Previous experience in the residential childcare sector is preferred

Support Worker main duties:

• Day to day support of foster carers and the children they care for
• Day to day support of social workers with their core duties
• Administrative tasks including ensuring foster carers checks and references are completed and kept up to date, children's paperwork is completed and filed as required.
• Assisting with the child referral process to help the company place children with appropriate families, and support those families to accommodate the children, sometimes in an emergency situation
• Ensuring foster carers are aware of their legal obligations and helping them to meet those obligations
• Assisting with the foster carer review process

Support Worker skills and qualities:

• Ability to communicate well with professionals on all levels, from both inside and outside the organisation, from Directors, to office staff, to local authority personnel
• Good administrative and organisational skills
• Ability to effectively manage own time and meet required objectives
• Self motivated, able to use own initiative whilst adhering to legislation in a heavily regulated industry
• A supportive and caring nature in order to provide appropriate support to foster carers and children when required

The Company

Parallel Parents is an Independent Fostering Agency and has been established for over 20 years. As a family run business, the child centred and supportive approach really makes Parallel Parents stand out from other agencies. The Agency has been rated "Outstanding" by Ofsted in their last two inspections. There are opportunities for progression for the right people, including support to achieve Social Work and Management qualifications through the sister organisation, Training 2 Care. The second sister organisation, Care Today, has around 25 Children's Homes across the country, giving further career opportunities to those who want them.