Fostering Panel and Data Performance Advisor

Social Care Today; Lincoln; On-site; GBP 56,000 - 69,000; Part time

Job summary

Essex County Council is recruiting a qualified social worker with fostering expertise to lead and coordinate the Fostering Service's activities. You will support inspection readiness, audit practice, and ensure high standards for foster carers and families.

The role requires HCPC registration, substantial fostering experience, and leadership at a managerial level within Children & Families. You will contribute to service improvement and drive policy and practice changes.

Qualifications

• HCPC registered social worker with recognised social work qualification.
• Evidence of continuing professional development in relevant frameworks.
• Significant fostering experience with managerial level.
• Knowledge of Children Act 1989/2004 and related policy guidance.
• Strong problem solving across individual and organisational issues.
• Excellent communication and partnership-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Ensure fostering panel and agency alignment with legislation, policy and guidance.
• Assist with membership and governance of the fostering panel.
• Review and revise policies ensuring clear written procedures.
• Monitor quality of practice and case information and identify concerns.
• Provide expert advice to social workers presenting to the panel and decision maker.
• Analyze feedback from prospective foster carers and implement necessary changes.
• Compile QA reports for senior child care managers with recommendations.

Skills

Leadership experience

Fostering expertise

HCPC registered social worker

Communication skills

Analytical/problem solving

Education

Social Work degree or equivalent

Job description

Permanent, Part Time

£55,892 to £69,241 to per annum (full time equivalent)

Location: Essex

Working Style: Community-based worker

Closing Date: 23rd September 2026

Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Applicants must have a current, unrestricted right to work in the UK.

Please note that 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.

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.

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.

Accountabilities

• 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.

Skills, Knowledge And Experience

• 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.

To read more about our business area, please visit: Children & Families

Please take a look at our 'No Magic' Children & Families video

Why Essex?

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. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

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

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

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If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email [e-mail]

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Company: Essex County Council

Salary: £55892.0000 - £69241.0000 per annum

Location: Chelmsford, Essex

Sector: Health and Social Care

Sector: Social Care