Five Rivers Fostering: Fostering Link Social Worker
Fostering Link Social Worker
Title: Fostering Link Social Worker, Dublin Office, Five Rivers Fostering.
Reporting to: Fostering Team Leader.
Qualifications: Qualified Social Worker. Registered Social Worker with CORU.
Working hours: Full time permanent position (37.5 hours).
Salary: €46k-€67k
Company Description:
Five Rivers Fostering is an independent private fostering agency and has been in operation in Ireland since 2002. We were the first private fostering agency to be established in Ireland. Five Rivers was originally founded in England before setting up an office in Dublin, Ireland. Our Cork Office has been in operation since January 2011. We have a team working in the Northwest of the country with an office in Donegal. We work closely with Tusla. We are a social enterprise.
Head Office Location:
Five Rivers Fostering, Unit 4 Block 8, Corporate Business Park 1, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.
Work base:
The job location is flexible (combination of home and Dublin office working is permissible). Areas covered by the Dublin Office: Leinster, Cavan and Monaghan.
Travel:
Any travel expenses incurred will be reimbursed in line with company policy.
Main duties and responsibilities:
The following are the main duties and responsibilities of the Fostering Link Social Worker:
Recruitment and Assessment Work
- Engage in the recruitment of potential foster carers in cooperation with the recruitment officer.
- Follow up enquiries to foster and determine suitability and eligibility for assessment.
- Undertake formal assessment of applicants to foster in line with Tusla’s National Assessment Framework for Foster Care and Tusla’s National Assessment Report Template for Foster Care Applications.
- Present completed fostering assessment reports and required documentation to the local Tusla Foster Care Committees in line with requirements and time scales.
- Take the lead with the matching process.
Support and Supervision
- Inform foster carers of their roles and responsibilities, expectations, policies and procedures.
- Ensure foster carers operate within all standards and legislation.
- Support and supervise foster families in line with legislation, national guidance, policies and procedures.
- Undertake foster carer reviews, long term matching reports and disruption reports and present these to the local Tusla Foster Care Committee in line with requirements and time scales.
- Attend case conferences, child in care review meetings and any other meetings relevant to a child placed in a foster placement.
- Support foster carers should any concerns, issues or complaints arise and to adhere to Tusla protocol.
- Provide foster carers with all relevant background information on any child placed in their care.
- Abide by child protection procedures and Children First guidance and legislation.
- Record data and information in line with GDPR guidance, company policy and recommendations from Tusla and HIQA.
- Liaise with Tusla on behalf of foster carers and foster children.
- Work in partnership with Tusla and other agencies.
- Undertake on-call/out of hours duties for the Emergency Place of Safety on a rota basis.
- Undertake office duty responsibilities as required.
Professional Development
- Actively engage in the agency’s professional development performance appraisal system.
- Prepare for and actively engage in formal supervision.
- Attend and actively engage in team meetings and social work peer support meetings.
- Work as part of a team.