Child Participation Support Worker

Full Job Description

Job Title: Child Participation Support Worker

Location: Regionally based across London and the South with frequent travel

Contract Type: Permanent / Full Time - *We would also consider part time for the right person!*

Salary: Up to £26,000 per annum

Have you got experience of working with children and young people on a paid or voluntary basis?

This is an amazing opportunity to join the National Fostering Group as a Child Participation Support Worker with Next Step Fostering to cover across Thames Valley and South East area. With around 60 foster carers on our register, we provide high quality foster care for more than 115 children and young people. Our current Ofsted rating is Good!

If you really want to make your mark in a rapidly growing business that is committed to improving the lives of children and young people, we have the role for you!

About the Group

We are part of the National Fostering Group – the UK’s largest independent fostering family.

Our highly skilled and dedicated fostering community supports Local Authorities by providing short or long-term foster placements for thousands of vulnerable children and teenagers throughout the UK. Almost all of our 32 regional fostering agencies are officially recognised by Ofsted, Welsh and Scottish regulators as either ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’, it is perhaps not surprising that more people choose to foster with our fostering agencies than any other fostering provider in the UK.

About the Role

We are seeking a motivated, enthusiastic, conscientious and creative Child Participation Support Worker to work closely with our team of Supervising Social Workers and Foster Carers to deliver the best outcomes for children and young people in foster placements.

The Child Participation Support Worker will be the voice of the child within the agency. This is a wide remit, but an opportunity to engage with children and young people through a variety of media and activities, and work with them to express their views and opinions. This will have a direct impact on how the agency meets the needs of the children in our care.

Your role will also include undertaking specific tasks in support of our supervising social workers, including direct work with children and young people, facilitating and supervising contact between children in care and their families where necessary, organising events for foster carers and/or children on a regular or ad hoc basis, and a range of other tasks. 

 Who we are looking for:

A key part of your role will be planning and delivering a regular participation group and a range of participation activities that involve young people in service delivery, service development, recruitment and training, depending on young people’s interests and organisational needs. We want someone who places a focus on the positive outcomes of our children and take responsibility for helping improve the lives of our young people. The ideal candidate will also have experience of participation and work with children.

You will be able to work closely and cooperatively with managers, supervising social workers and other colleagues, have good communication skills, a professional approach to working with children, young people and foster carers, openness to extending your knowledge and skills – and a genuine desire to fulfil the responsibilities of a new and evolving role.

You will also need to be IT literate, have a full driving licence and your own transport. This post does involve frequent travel across the areas Next Step covers.

But what else is in it for you? Your health and wellbeing are important to us, so you’ll get an exceptional reward package including:

• 25 days annual leave increasing by 1 each year until you reach 30 days
• One extra days holiday per year for a special day (birthday, childrens first day at school etc)
• Ability to buy even more holidays!
• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme with options to increase your contributions
• “Your Wellbeing Matters” – access to a wide range of first-class mental health support services and physical health checks

And a market-leading benefit offering through our Flexible Benefits Platform, Vista, enables you to choose the package that’s right for you, including:

• A wide range of health, wellbeing, and insurance benefits
• 100’s of discount options valid in the UK and abroad
• Cycle to Work Schemes
• Electric Car Purchase Scheme
• Critical illness cover

And that’s not all, we place the outcomes of the children and vulnerable young adults in our services at the heart of everything we do, so you’ll wake every day in the knowledge that your role will have a significant positive impact on the lives of others.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and we expect all employees to share this commitment and undertake appropriate checks.

We are an Equal Opportunities Employer.