Panel Chair

As Panel Chair you will be required to chair panel meetings monthly (or as required); meetings will take place in either of CFC's main offices located in Gloucester and Lancaster. We undertake a blended approach to our Panel's; some are face to face whilst some remain on zoom. Our preference is for Panels to take place face to face wherever possible.

Key drivers of considerations

· Adhere to Relevant Legislation and Regulation including The Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011.

· Work consistently with Community Foster Care's values and contribute to achieving its mission.

· Seek to develop and enhance good social work practice for yourself and for others.

· Promote Community Foster Care's reputation and protect its ability to achieve its mission. Key requirements of which you should be aware.

· You must be able to travel effectively, the ability to Chair Panel meetings in both Lancaster and Gloucester will be a key requirement of this role.

· You must be experienced in chairing complex meetings, skilled and effective in chairing meetings in person and through video conference facilities.

Main duties and responsibilities

As a Panel Chair you will be expected to take responsibility to:

- Chair panel meetings (to include panel briefing), ensuring that all items of business are covered and that the panel operates in accordance with regulations and CFC's policies and procedures

- Prepare for all panel meetings, reading papers thoroughly and identifying key issues and alerting the panel advisor if necessary, to ensure that the case is adequate for submission to panel.

- Facilitate the active participation of all panel members in contributing to the panel's consideration of cases and to the making of clear and well evidenced recommendations with the reasons for these.

- To address diversity issues and to promote anti-discriminatory practice at all times

- Ensure that clear and accurate minutes are written, which record the views of all panel members and to be involved in the checking and agreeing draft minutes with other panel members before they are sent to the agency decision maker

- To liaise with the ADM and other senior managers as required

- Ensure that the ADM and registered manager are aware of any areas of concern, in relation to individual cases and more general matters

- Be involved in the recruitment and appointment of central list members and in any consideration about terminating the appointment of a member

- Review, alongside the panel advisor, the performance of central list members as the need arises, and at least annually.

- Assist in developing, promoting and monitoring policies and procedures and high standards of work in fostering services in the agency.

- Assist in planning training for members and to participate in this at least one day a year

- Safeguarding the confidentiality of all panel papers and panel discussions

- Be involved in

o Whether a case is adequate for submission to panel (via panel briefing meeting)

o Deciding on the attendance of observers at panel

o Deciding on the participation of a panel members who declare an interest in the case

o Deciding when an extra panel maybe necessary

o The preparation of an annual report on the panel's work

Participation in Fostering Quality Assurance meetings (3 times a year), to support the agency monitor and review areas of practice across the fostering service, to include the panel's performance.

Safeguarding

· Work with tenacity and courage in line with best practice to safeguard all children. This will include, but is not restricted to:

o Quality assurance and monitoring fostering assessments and annual review reports as presented for Panel's consideration, alerting the panel advisor and/or Registered Manager of any areas of concern

o Monitoring the safe practice of Foster Carers via the annual review process

o Working effectively within the Charities policies and structures and with other Agencies and Professionals.

o Ensuring effective communication with Children, Young people and Adults.

o Working effectively within the relevant local policies.

o Challenging ineffective or unsafe practice or decisions.

o Ensure adherence to the Health and Safety Policy.

Training

· Attend at least one panel training event per year as per regulations.

· Support the panel advisor in identifying training needs of panel members in line with their annual appraisal

· As an independent worker you must maintain and attend to your own training needs in accordance with Social Work England requirements if registered.

These approaches require all the people that work as part of this community to be: Alignment with CFC core values. Prepared to bring your true and best self to the work Mentally and physically resilient. Ability to think about what you did well and what you could have done better and how this impacted on you and others. Ability to mentalise, to put themselves in other's shoes. Prepared to be open to challenges from others. Willing to tolerate significant exposure from professional network and remain engaged as a team player with them. Commitment to engage Therapeutic parenting approaches. Committed to ongoing personal development and training Minded to collaborate with other in and across teams

Community Foster Care is a Therapeutic Independent Foster Agency. We are also a charity with an important history based on principles of social justice and the power of communities. The children and young people Community Foster Care works with have experience Relational and Developmental trauma. These experiences lead to the presentation of multiple complexities, which require the love, security and sense of a belonging provided by a nurturing family. These families need to be resilient, highly skilled and well supported. We believe it takes a community to raise a child. As a therapeutic agency, we are exploring key approaches to refine how to achieve our vision.