Senior Practitioner

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Working Pattern: 37.5 hours per week, 9am-5pm Monday-Friday

Blue Sky Fostering has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Practitioner to join the team in the Dorset area. This position is based in Dorset but holds a requirement to travel to placements and visits in and around surrounding areas.

Who are we?

BSN Social Care is the parent company of Blue Sky Fostering.

Blue Sky Fostering is an established Independent Fostering Agency, operating across the south of England, to provide foster placements to children and young people. We have been rated 'Outstanding' for five consecutive inspections since 2008.

We provide a number of different services including mainstream fostering for children aged 0-18 and Parent and Child Placements. We also have an established and well regarded Therapeutic Led Care (TLC) service where our team of experienced clinical practitioners work alongside specialist foster carers to provide therapeutic care to children to prevent them moving to residential care.

Our ethos is to provide the best service possible for children, and for all children placed with us to achieve their full potential. We work hard to ensure children experience love, care, nurture and stability with our carers.

The Role

Blue Sky Fostering has a brilliant opportunity for a knowledgeable and experienced Senior Practitioner to join the team in the Dorset area.

We are looking for a dedicated and dependable individual to work with both therapeutic and mainstream programmes, including parent and child placements. This position holds a responsibility for a manageable case load of around 10-13 carers, where you will work within a dedicated team to improve the outcomes and lives of looked after children.

As a Senior Practitioner, you will be responsible for the recruitment, assessment and approval of foster carers to ensure they meet the needs of the fostering service. You will also be responsible for undertaking supervision, offering support and delivering training and development opportunities to a target number of Foster Carers.

The successful candidate will need to be able to confidently provide training and support to foster carers in the delivery of mainstream support services as well the Blue Sky + TLC programme. You will be responsible for ensuring that children's care and development needs are met within placements by undertaking necessary placement management, planning and intervention. This includes completing parenting assessments for parent and child placements as well as supporting foster carers in understanding the developmental trauma needs of children and guiding them in how to care for children who present challenging behaviours.

Location

For this role, willingness to travel and use of a car is essential as the successful applicant will be required to support foster carers and visit placements across the Dorset area.

What we're looking for

To apply for this position, it is essential you:

• Hold a recognised Social Work qualification
• Have a current Social Work England registration
• Have a minimum 2 years post qualifying experience as a Social Worker
• Hold a full UK Driving Licence and have a vehicle
• Are willing to undertake an enhanced DBS
• Have experience in children's services and foster care delivery
• Willing to participate in an out of hours telephone support system and undertake occasional out of hours/weekend work by attending events, meetings and training
• Share a commitment to Equal Opportunities in all work practices and to improving the lives of Looked After Children.

Why work for us?

• Generous Annual Leave – 28 days PLUS your Bank Holiday Entitlement
• Annual Leave increase after 3 full years of service by 1 day - up until a max of 12 years
• Birthday Leave – a paid day off for your birthday
• Good Health Days – no sickness in a 6 month period and get an additional day off
• Refer A Friend Scheme with a monetary incentive
• Comprehensive Employee Assistance Platform that provides access to advice and support 24/7
• Auto Enrolment Pension
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Optional Enhanced Maternity/Paternity/Adoption Leave/Shared Parental Leave

Everyone is welcome

Diversity and inclusion are the principles for how we build our teams and Blue Sky Fostering strives to create an inclusive culture where all forms of diversity are valued and celebrated. We want a workforce which represents the communities we serve and work, to ensure no applicant or employee is treated unfairly on the basis of race, gender, age, disability, religion or identity. We recognise and value the individual differences and contributions of all employees and believe that by working together we can achieve equality for all.

*Blue sky Fostering is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children and vulnerable people in our care. Successful applicants will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Working Pattern: 37.5 hours per week, 9am-5pm Monday-Friday

Blue Sky Fostering has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Practitioner to join the team in the Dorset area. This position is based in Dorset but holds a requirement to travel to placements and visits in and around surrounding areas.

Who are we?

BSN Social Care is the parent company of Blue Sky Fostering.

Blue Sky Fostering is an established Independent Fostering Agency, operating across the south of England, to provide foster placements to children and young people. We have been rated 'Outstanding' for five consecutive inspections since 2008.

We provide a number of different services including mainstream fostering for children aged 0-18 and Parent and Child Placements. We also have an established and well regarded Therapeutic Led Care (TLC) service where our team of experienced clinical practitioners work alongside specialist foster carers to provide therapeutic care to children to prevent them moving to residential care.

Our ethos is to provide the best service possible for children, and for all children placed with us to achieve their full potential. We work hard to ensure children experience love, care, nurture and stability with our carers.

The Role

Blue Sky Fostering has a brilliant opportunity for a knowledgeable and experienced Senior Practitioner to join the team in the Dorset area.

We are looking for a dedicated and dependable individual to work with both therapeutic and mainstream programmes, including parent and child placements. This position holds a responsibility for a manageable case load of around 10-13 carers, where you will work within a dedicated team to improve the outcomes and lives of looked after children.

As a Senior Practitioner, you will be responsible for the recruitment, assessment and approval of foster carers to ensure they meet the needs of the fostering service. You will also be responsible for undertaking supervision, offering support and delivering training and development opportunities to a target number of Foster Carers.

The successful candidate will need to be able to confidently provide training and support to foster carers in the delivery of mainstream support services as well the Blue Sky + TLC programme. You will be responsible for ensuring that children's care and development needs are met within placements by undertaking necessary placement management, planning and intervention. This includes completing parenting assessments for parent and child placements as well as supporting foster carers in understanding the developmental trauma needs of children and guiding them in how to care for children who present challenging behaviours.

Location

For this role, willingness to travel and use of a car is essential as the successful applicant will be required to support foster carers and visit placements across the Dorset area.

What we're looking for

To apply for this position, it is essential you:

• Hold a recognised Social Work qualification
• Have a current Social Work England registration
• Have a minimum 2 years post qualifying experience as a Social Worker
• Hold a full UK Driving Licence and have a vehicle
• Are willing to undertake an enhanced DBS
• Have experience in children's services and foster care delivery
• Willing to participate in an out of hours telephone support system and undertake occasional out of hours/weekend work by attending events, meetings and training
• Share a commitment to Equal Opportunities in all work practices and to improving the lives of Looked After Children.

Why work for us?

• Generous Annual Leave – 28 days PLUS your Bank Holiday Entitlement
• Annual Leave increase after 3 full years of service by 1 day - up until a max of 12 years
• Birthday Leave – a paid day off for your birthday
• Good Health Days – no sickness in a 6 month period and get an additional day off
• Refer A Friend Scheme with a monetary incentive
• Comprehensive Employee Assistance Platform that provides access to advice and support 24/7
• Auto Enrolment Pension
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Optional Enhanced Maternity/Paternity/Adoption Leave/Shared Parental Leave

Everyone is welcome

Diversity and inclusion are the principles for how we build our teams and Blue Sky Fostering strives to create an inclusive culture where all forms of diversity are valued and celebrated. We want a workforce which represents the communities we serve and work, to ensure no applicant or employee is treated unfairly on the basis of race, gender, age, disability, religion or identity. We recognise and value the individual differences and contributions of all employees and believe that by working together we can achieve equality for all.

*Blue sky Fostering is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children and vulnerable people in our care. Successful applicants will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check.