1001 Consultant Practitioner - Family Placement Service, NW London

Key Facts

Job Location: NW London
Client Group: Family Placement
Salary: Up to £37,000
Job Type: Perm
Essential Experience and Qualifications: DipSW, CQSW or equivalent qualification as recognised by the GSCC.

Job Description

Help the Head of Family Placements working with local authorities. deliver a first class fostering and adoption service by recruiting, training and assessing foster carers and adopters.

To provide consultation to self employed workers providing services to Family Placements, and support the Head of Family Placements with the overall management of the service.

To deputise for the Head(s) of Family Placement Service as and when required.

To research and develop best practice in relation to family placements.

To disseminate best practice in relation to Family Placements and social work practice across the children’s service.

To be responsible for supporting ex service users accessing records (primarily but not exclusively adoption records).

To support the Head(s) of Service in liasing with Local Authorities.

To undertake direct work with children in placements with foster carers and/or adopters as appropriate.

To undertake specialist assessments when commissioned by local authorities and/or the courts.

To provide an out of hours phone service to foster carers/adopters.

To encourage awareness within the Jewish community of the needs of Jewish children requiring foster care and adoptive families.

To supervise students on placement.

To liaise with Local Authorities in identifying the most appropriate family placements to ensure that foster care and adoptive placements allow for continuity of race, religion and culture.

To recruit, train and assess applicants who apply to adopt, foster or offer respite care and to prepare appropriate reports for Panel.

To present assessed applicants to the Short Term or Permanent Placement Panel and to Local Authority matching panels.

To offer a consultative service to local authorities seeking information about the individual needs of Jewish children for Jewish families.

To provide support to approved foster parents, adoptive parents and respite carers.

To work with Local Authorities and approved foster carers, respite carers and adopters families to ensure ‘smooth’ introductions and placement of children being placed with approved families.

To offer consultation and advice to social workers undertaking adoption/foster/respite care work within the organisation.