Panel Adviser - Fostering and Permanence Service

Job Title: Panel Adviser - Fostering and Permanence Service

Location: Dudley

Hours: Full time (37 hours per week)

At Dudley MBC we're recruiting for a manager to join our dynamic Fostering Service as Panel Adviser and to provide a lead for some of our permanence work.

Dudley Fostering Service is dedicated to recruiting and assessing the very best Carers to provide a warm and loving home for our children in care, both mainstream and connected/kinship. We are also committed to delivering high quality support and supervision to our Foster Carers and the children that they look after. We are based at Cable Plaza Dudley, which has the advantage of free parking, and of being co-located with the rest of children's services.

In this post you will report directly to the Service Manager for Fostering. You will also be part of a supportive management team within a restorative local authority that is committed to the training and development of its social work practitioners. The management team consists of two team managers for the support teams, one team manager for the assessment team, an adoption/permanence adviser, and the panel adviser.

The managers in the fostering service work closely together and there is an expectation that teams and team managers help each other out when there are any peaks in work, which provides for a supportive and joined up service.

As Panel Adviser you will not have any direct reports that you are responsible for, but there is a dedicated panel administrator. You will also:

• Work with the fostering panel chair to manage the fostering panels and to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of information being presented to the agency decision maker.
• Attend fostering panels, which are normally held face to face and give advice as appropriate.
• Work with team managers and social workers across the fostering service and children's service to ensure that the quality and timeliness of assessments is maintained.
• Ensure permanence matches for children and young people are completed in a timely manner.
• Take an active role in our weekly assessment tracking meetings for kinship and mainstream assessments.

Fostering panel in Dudley is usually held once a fortnight at venues around Dudley. However, additional panels are being planned for before the end of March given the number of our mainstream fostering assessments.

As manager of this team you must be a qualified social worker with previous management experience or management ability. Experience as a panel adviser is essential.

Connect2Dudley is a trading style of Dudley & Kent Commercial Services LTD - A joint venture between Dudley Metropolitan Council & Commercial Services Kent Ltd. Connect2Dudley is an equal opportunities Employment Agency & Business. It positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates.