Fostering Panel and Data Performance Advisor

Essex County Council; Chelmsford; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 35,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working options

Job summary

Essex County Council requires a qualified Social Worker to lead and coordinate the Fostering Service’s panel preparation and audit activities. The post holder will ensure policy and procedure alignment with legislation and provide expert guidance across fostering practice.

There is a flexible, part-time arrangement, with a pro rata salary and a focus on continuous service improvement and better outcomes for children and families.

Qualifications

• Evidence of continuing professional development aligned to professional competency frameworks.
• Significant experience in fostering work, including managerial level experience.
• Detailed knowledge of Children Act 1989 and 2004 and related childcare legislation.
• Strong problem solving across individual cases to organizational/interagency matters.
• Excellent communication skills enabling influential partnerships and delivery of strategic objectives.
• Proven track record of delivering advice and guidance across children's social care.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate the Fostering Panel and Agency policy to align with regional and national legislation.
• Assist with panel membership and management to ensure well-functioning operations.
• Review and revise agency policy, practice and procedures to ensure clear written policies for panel functions.
• Monitor and audit the quality of practice and case information presented to the fostering panel and decision maker.
• Provide expert advice and feedback to social workers presenting case information to the fostering panel.
• Analyze feedback from prospective foster carers and implement changes with the panel chair.
• Compile 6 monthly QA reports for senior child care managers detailing quality and recommendations.

Skills

Leadership in fostering

Policy interpretation

Communication skills

Problem solving

Stakeholder collaboration

Change management

Audit/QA familiarity

Education

Diploma/degree in social work

Job description

Children and Families service is recognised as a service in which social work can develop and prosper, with a culture of collaboration, integrity and compassion; promoting development and wellbeing of children, young people and their families; protecting them from neglect and abuse. Working together with partners delivering a range of early help, family support and effective social work interventions which build resilience, remove barriers and enable children and young people to look forward to a brighter future. This is a statutory role providing expert knowledge and professional advice to fostering panels, on both individual cases and agency policy, and to provide sound expert advice, guidance and best practice across Children & Families Service. This aspect of the role will require you to lead and coordinate the Fostering Service's preparation for inspection activity, including the completion and analysis of the Ofsted data set. The post holder will take ownership of fostering audit activity, ensuring that audit findings are systematically reviewed and translated into clear practice recommendations. Using performance and quality assurance data, the role will support continuous service improvement, strengthen practice standards, and contribute to enhanced outcomes for children, young people, foster carers and families. The Local Authority is undergoing organisational change and is committed to a practice improvement agenda driven by the Department for Education. As a result, the successful applicant will be expected to contribute to, and where appropriate, lead, development projects that support service improvement and organisational priorities.,

• Responsible for ensuring the work of the fostering panel and the Fostering Agency is consistent with regional and national legislation, policy and guidance.
• Responsible for assisting the fostering agency with all matters relating to the membership and management of a well-functioning panel.
• Review and revise the Agency's existing policy, practice and procedures, ensuring the fostering panels have clear written policies and procedures about the handling of their functions.
• Working collaboratively with the agency manager, monitor and audit the quality of practice and case information, presented to the fostering panel, highlighting any areas of concern.
• Provide expert advice, support, consultation and feedback to social workers presenting case information to the fostering panel and agency decision maker.
• Analyse and respond to feedback from prospective foster carers attending the fostering panel and, in conjunction with the panel chair, effect changes where necessary.
• Work collaboratively with the Fostering Panel Chair, to compile 6 monthly QA reports for senior child care managers, detailing the quality of the work presented to the fostering panels, with any recommendations for change.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework., As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we're committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in

Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you. In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site. Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We're committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We're also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying. Once you've secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs. At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Applicants must have a current, unrestricted right to work in the UK. The role requires a qualified Social Worker with significant experience of fostering practice as well as experience working at a managerial level, and a detailed knowledge and understanding of fostering and related childcare legislation.

Qualifications and Requirements

• A recognised social work qualification i.e. Diploma, degree or Masters in social work, CQSW, CSS or equivalent, with current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a registered social worker.
• Evidence of continuing professional development, aligned to any relevant Professional Competency/Capability frameworks or Knowledge and Skills Statements.
• Significant experience in fostering work, with evidence of working at a managerial level.
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of Children Act 1989 and 2004 and other legislative and policy guidance applicable within Children's Social Care.
• Problem solving skills across a range of issues from individual cases to organisational and interagency matters.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to build strong partnerships which are influential in their nature and engender delivery of strategic objectives.
• Proven track record of delivering advice and guidance across a range of children's social care settings.

This is a part-time opportunity working 18.5 hours per week with a pro rata salary of £27,946 to £34,620 per annum.