Panel Advisor

Fostering Panel Advisor

Children's Social Care, Fostering and Permanency Service

PO6: £56,436 pa rising in annual increments to £59,574 pa incl. LW

Permanent / Full Time

Hybrid working - 2 days in the office

In Lambeth we put children and their families at the heart of our practice, and practice at the heart of all that we do. Our new Borough Plan has social justice at the centre and a clear vision for improving outcomes for our children and families.

You will be joining an ambitious, passionate, and committed leadership team. We are working at pace to create the conditions for effective social work to flourish and for all our children to receive a good service. We are clear on the challenges we face and have the courage and vision to deliver improvements. Following our inspection in 2022 Ofsted recognised the momentum and investment in Children's Services.

About Us:

Located in the heart of South London, Lambeth Borough is a vibrant community of over 317,600 residents. Stretching from the dynamic neighbourhood of Streatham in the South to the iconic landmarks of Waterloo in the North, we are proud to be the 9th largest borough in London. Our diversity is our strength, with more than 130 languages spoken, making Lambeth the home of the Windrush generation, London's largest LGBTQ+ community, and a thriving Portuguese-speaking community.

It is an exciting time to join Lambeth Council, we have bold ambitions for the future of Lambeth's communities and residents through our Lambeth 2030 Plan 'Our Future, Our Lambeth.

With exceptional schools, lush green spaces including Brockwell Park, cultural gems like the Black Cultural Archives, and world-renowned institutions such as St Thomas's Hospital, Lambeth offers an enriching and dynamic environment.

Please have a look at our dedicated One Lambeth Values and Behaviours page.

About the Role

Lambeth is looking for a highly motivated and experienced Panel Advisor to the Fostering Panel. to do the following:

• To support Agency Decision Making Process, quality assure reports presented to panels as well as non-panel annual reviews.
• To provide communication and liaison between panels and the Service and to brief the Service Manager and Agency Decision Maker on Panel matters.
• To ensure statutory requirements are met under Fostering Regulations 2011, National Minimum Standards March 2011, The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 and Children's Act 2004.
• To manage the panel administrator and ensure that the fostering panels are appropriately administered.
• To assist the agency, in consultation with the panel's chairperson(s), in the appointment, termination and review of members of the fostering panels.
• We are looking for an experienced and Social Work qualified professional with a current SWE registration, that is able to demonstrate their knowledge and experience of working with fostering panel.

About You

• You will need to be Social Work Registered with significant experience in fostering.
• Experience of working in a statutory setting with children and making professional judgments that deliver improved outcomes.
• Evidence of building effective relationships with children, families and other professionals.
• Working knowledge of national policy and developments regarding children's social care, and policy areas that impact on children's social care.
• Demonstrable working knowledge of relevant legislation, statutory guidance, standards and procedures.
• Able to engage and develop effective professional relationships with other professionals and organisations for the benefit of individual children and foster carers.
• Ability to assess children and families/foster carers holistically in relation to their need for support and/or protection from harm.
• Experience of effective analytical reports/assessments and outcomes-focused action/care plans.
• Experience in supporting social workers to be the agents of change and to empower and enable them to spend their time doing good quality, meaningful social work, co-produced and tailored around the needs and issues of each family they work with.
• Strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to work effectively within a performance framework to ensure high quality social work.
• You will ensure performance indicators are met.
• You are expected to demonstrate and role model responses and decisions in the best interests of children, young people, and families by using 'role generosity' when considering service / team / practitioner remits.

Lambeth promotes Systemic approaches to working with families and communities. By embedding systemic values in our innovative 'Children at the Heart of Practice' framework, we are inspiring, resourcing and enabling social workers to undertake impactful relationship-based practice.

Please cleck here to view: Lambeth Staff Benefits

If you have any queries in relation to this vacancy, please contact Olaitan (Ola) Aregbesola on Tel or Email:

Successful candidates will be asked to apply for an Enhanced Certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Further information about the DBS can be found at .

You will be required to undertake a Cifas check. Further information about Cifas can be found here Cifas

How to apply

Click the 'Apply' button and complete an online application form explicitly evidencing in the Supporting Statement field how you meet the criteria marked with an 'A' at shortlist stage, along with uploading your CV.

Job Description and Specification

Advert closing date : 7 th December at midnight

Please note we operate an anonymised application process. If you are uploading your CV or a personal statement, please remove your personal details and replace these with your unique candidate application number.

At Lambeth, we are dedicated to providing quality services and equal opportunities for all. We are committed to safer recruitment and are proud to be a Stonewall diversity champion, a Living Wage Employer, and to guarantee interviews for all disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria of the role. For a full list of our accreditations, please click here .