The Kinship Care Team offer an assessment and support service to kinship carers (including Connected Persons Foster Carers and Special Guardians), who offer permanence for children who are not able to remain in the care of their birth parents.

We are recruiting for Social Workers to complete the kinship assessments and your role will include assessments of temporary approved foster carers, Special Guardianship Order Assessments for Court and Connected Persons Assessments for Fostering Panel.

You will need to have comprehensive child protection experience to be able to oversee the balance and assessment of risk. You will have a very good understanding of what an excellent assessment looks like and an ability to make good practice decisions in a timely manner.

You will need to work collaboratively with other areas of Children’s Services and professionals involved in the care planning process of a child’s life.

It is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a creative team that strives to keep children with kin when it is not safe or suitable for them to remain with their parents.

This is an exciting time to join Barnsley Kinship Team which is situated within the Fostering Service here in Barnsley.

Children’s Service as we’re a council that prioritises Children’s Services, and we want every child in the borough to achieve their full potential, to be safe and happy. 

Because we highly value the work of our Social Workers, we’ve approved significant additional investment, creating more posts to support our Social Workers in the valuable work that they do. Additionally, we have increased the management support to Social Workers, expanding our fostering service with the creation of an additional Social Workers which reflects our commitment to support and develop our workforce; creating smaller teams where social work practice can flourish.

Why it its great to work in Barnsley:

• A highly competitive social work salary up to £46,464 for experienced practitioners
• £3000 welcome payment – paid in instalments
• Payment of SWE fees
• High quality regular supervision and support and a nurturing management team that encourages learning and development
• Flexible working arrangements
• A commitment to continuous professional development with a strong training and development offer for staff at all levels
• Good IT support and equipment
• A commitment to health and wellbeing and access to dedicated assistance programme
• Just 4 You Benefits https://www.barnsley.gov.uk/services/jobs/just4you/

We are looking to recruit highly motivated, enthusiastic, and committed professional Social Workers at all levels to join out stable workforce. 

You require to have:

·         A degree or diploma in Social Work and Social Work England Registration

·         The ability to build relationships and work in partnership with children, young people, parents, carers, and partners.

·         Curiosity in practice, and a tenacious desire to achieve the very best outcomes for children and their families.

·         Excellent interpersonal skills to engage and enable children, young people, and their families.

The post will entail the following duties, depending of the candidates experience. Undertaking assessments, such as BAAF Form F assessments for General Foster Carers and BAAF Form C assessments for Connected Persons Foster Carers.  As part of this role there will be opportunities to deliver ‘Skills to Foster, preparation training, and be involved in the recruitment & marketing of general foster carers.  In addition, duties will include supporting Special Guardianship Carers, providing support services and accessing therapeutic support through the Adoption Support Fund.  Also undertaking Special Guardianship Assessments and Connected Persons viability assessments.