This Vacancy has closed.

Independent Fostering Panel Member

  • Employer: Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council
  • Reference: CF&E/24/272799
  • Published: Mon 04/03/2024, 15:45 PM
  • Closing on: Sun 21/04/2024, 23:59 PM
  • Working Pattern: Part Time
  • Hours: To be confirmed
  • Salary: £15 per hour
  • DBS Check: Enhanced
  • Workplace: On-Site
  • Location: Wirral, Hybrid Working, Birkenhead Town Hall, Merseyside

Vacancy Location

More Information

Independent Fostering Panel Member

There has never been a more exciting time to join Wirral Council. We’ve got ambitious targets to meet and to achieve everything we have promised to our residents, we need people who are ready to deliver the very best for our communities and show how they can #BeTheDifference. Our vision is to secure the best possible future for our residents, defined by the community prosperity we create and supported by our excellent people and services. If you strive to #BeTheDifference and want to be at the heart of our change and improvement journey, then this could be the perfect job for you.

Wirral Foster Panel are looking to recruit 2 new independent members. To ensure diversity on the panel we are specifically looking for people with either a background in health or someone who is care experienced.

Panel is held on a Thursday 10.00am - 4.00pm at Birkenhead Town Hall. Members sit on panel approximately once every 4 weeks. Pay is £60 until 12.00pm and then £15 ph after this. This payment includes time spent reading and preparing for panel.

The Fostering panel has oversight and makes recommendations on the recruitment, assessment and review of foster carers, including connected persons.  Panel members must be committed to supporting our aim to provide high quality foster care and achieving the best possible outcomes for our children.

We invite applications from candidates who have previous experience professionally and/or personally with looked after children and fostering.  You do not need experience of sitting on fostering panels, as long as you have transferable skills; for example, attending multi-disciplinary meetings and a passion for supporting vulnerable children.

We are in particular need of panel members with the following areas of expertise:  Personal experience of being a Connected Persons Foster Carer or Special Guardian or care leaver Those who work in Education. Those who work in Health Panel members are also provided with the opportunity to attend training relevant to the role; as well as providing an annual training day, we also provide access to online learning.

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

Working at Wirral

You’ll also want to know what it’s like to work here so, as a start:

Our values are more than just pieces of paper on our walls! We’ve all played a role in developing these, so they reflect the immense pride we have in what we do, what matters to us, what inspires us and inform how we think, approach things and behave.

We believe in ensuring staff are well looked after, staff wellbeing is a priority for us. We’re serious about recognising and rewarding people for the great things they do. You’ll benefit from our track record of developing, growing and investing in our people.

We have a range of staff benefits including staff discounts, an excellent pension scheme which includes a generous employer contribution rate, immediate life cover and ill-health protection. We have a strong flexible working approach, hybrid working, family-friendly employment initiatives and an annual leave package starting with 28 days leave plus public holidays.

We have an inclusive, engaged culture, everyone has a voice, everyone is valued for their contribution and understands the role they play in delivering our strategic priorities.

Each voice is heard, each contribution valued. We embrace diversity in our workforce and recognise it is critical to our success. We support an inclusive culture that champions differences and nurtures a sense of belonging. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds, who share our values and our commitment to inclusion to apply for roles with us.

We want you to be your best at work, we create the conditions to help you thrive and we mirror this in our recruitment process. If you’d like us to do anything differently during the recruitment process to make it barrier-free and as accessible as possible please contact recruitment@wirral.gov.uk

Please note that in accordance with the Council’s policy, employees who are in a formal redeployment situation will be considered in the first instance for all vacancies.

It is Council policy not to re-appoint any employee who has left under the terms of the Council's Early Voluntary Retirement (EVR) scheme or who have left with a voluntary severance (VS) package, unless in exceptional circumstances.

Applications will be accepted until midnight on the closing date.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the specified date should we receive sufficient applications.

Applications can only be accepted through the Jobs page following registration.  Forms received via the post will not be processed.

All applicants invited to interview must evidence their right to work in the UK.  Details of required documents can be found by clicking the link at the bottom of the Jobs page.

The job description and other supporting documents will not be accessible once the vacancy closing date has passed so if a copy is required you should download it now.