Fostering Reviewing Officer

Overview

As part of Buckinghamshire Council’s commitment to providing the best foster placements for our children who are looked after and to the ongoing development of our Fostering Service, we have a new and exciting role for an experienced fostering Social Worker as a Fostering Reviewing Officer.

As a Fostering Reviewing Officer, you will be undertaking reviews of all Buckinghamshire foster placements, including foster carers, short breaks carers and long-term Family and Friends carers. Working as part of the Fostering Service and reporting to the Service Manager, the Reviewing Officer will offer their objective view to evaluate the quality of practice both in respect of the foster carers and the fostering service as a whole.

The child’s voice and their lived experience are central to the reviews of our foster carers, and you will have a comprehensive understanding of the needs of looked after children and child safeguarding. We are looking for someone with an ability to analyse complex information and form recommendations in line with policy and procedures.  

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.  

Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

About the role

You will have a key role in evaluating foster carers practice and ensuring the quality of foster placements is continuously improving. Foster carer reviews are a statutory requirement and governed by a range of regulations. As a Fostering Reviewing Officer, you will be responsible for chairing and coordinating foster carers annual reviews. You will have a good working knowledge of the Fostering National Minimum Standards, Fostering Regulations and relevant legislation, guidance and good practice.

Your role will involve:

• Chairing statutory reviews for Buckinghamshire foster carers.
• Evaluating foster carers' practices and ensuring continuous improvement.
• Providing expert advice and guidance on fostering regulations and best practices.
• Collaborating with multi-agency teams to support foster carers and children.
• Producing high-quality review reports to inform decision-making at Fostering Panels.
• Developing and implementing policies and procedures to enhance service delivery.
• Promoting the fostering service internally and externally, representing Buckinghamshire Council at various events.

About you

To be successful in this role, you should have:

• Extensive experience in child protection and fostering within a statutory children’s social work setting.
• Expert knowledge of fostering regulations, National Minimum Standards, and relevant legislation.
• Strong assessment and risk management skills to carry out complex client risk assessments.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to influence and motivate diverse audiences.
• A relevant professional qualification as a qualified Social Worker with current registration.
• A full driving license

Other information

If you would like to find out more about the role, please contact Rachel Farrell at [email protected] for an informal discussion.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

Our values

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/