Salary: Set fee paid, £400 per panel

Hours: Variable

Location: North Yorkshire. Panels will be held remotely

Northallerton North Yorkshire Council are looking to recruit an enthusiastic and motivated person/s to chair the Fostering Panel. Our aim is for our Fostering Panel to be fully representative of the children, carers and families that we work with in North Yorkshire and of our local population and local communities. As the Chair of our Fostering Panel, you will be passionate about the positive difference foster carers can make for our children and young people.

The fostering panel makes recommendations on approvals of prospective Foster Carers, considers reviews of carers and permanency decisions on matches with Foster Carers. The panel has an important function in the quality assurance of reports and ensuring a degree of independent scrutiny over cases presented and reporting back to the agency.

You will:

·       Have experience and confidence in effectively chairing complex meetings with a range of stakeholders.

·       Have a sound understanding of Fostering Panel processes and the legislative landscape within which the panel operates, including Safeguarding procedures.

We are committed to providing the best service for foster families, children and their families. We are determined to drive forward best practice across our County with creativity and innovation, the fostering panel has an important role in this. We are committed to improving our service through listening to the voice of our service users.

The panel chair is paid a fee per panel which is set at £400 plus travel expenses (where applicable). This includes all reading of papers and preparation for the panel, chairing of the meeting and finalising of the minutes. The chair manages panel members in the meeting and completes annual reviews of all members alongside the agency advisor. The panel chair is supported in their role by vice chairs.

Who can apply?

Candidates will need a sound knowledge of looked after children and fostering. This needs to include social work experience of permanency planning for children, the impact of trauma and loss and the role of foster carers. You will need to understand the recruitment and assessment of foster carers, fostering support and the fostering standards. A working knowledge and understanding of relevant legal frameworks, national standards and regulations is required. You will also need to demonstrate the excellent communication and interpersonal skills necessary to deal with sensitive situations and be able to analyse and explain complex information. You will require excellent interpersonal skills, oral and written communication skills and have the ability to identify key issues, problems and solutions and have experience of chairing complex meetings.

For an informal chat please contact Portia Staveley, via email at portia.staveley@northyorks.gov.uk  or Karen Forrester via email at karen.forrester@northyorks.gov.uk

Key dates:

Closing date: Sunday 6th July 2025

Shortlisting: Wednesday 9th July 2025

Interviews: TBC. In person at County Hall, Northallerton

Key Documents:

Fostering Panel Recruitment Pack

NYC are committed to directly recruiting staff and will not accept applications nor services from agency suppliers in respect of our vacancies. 

We are committed to meeting the needs of our diverse community and aim to have a workforce reflecting this diversity. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.