The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.
Location: Covering Hertfordshire, Cambridge & Bedfordshire. Flexible work base – home or office.
Who are we?
Nexus Fostering is a well-established and highly regarded independent fostering agency. Set up in 2002 by qualified and experienced social workers, Nexus Fostering continues to be owned and run by the same founding team today.
We have been rated ‘Outstanding’ for three consecutive inspections since 2011 and are dedicated to improving the lives of looked after children.
We work in close partnership with local authorities to identify and meet the needs of their children, providing safe, secure, and therapeutic placements. We work hard to ensure children experience love, care, nurture, and stability with our carers.
The Role
We are looking for an experienced, focused and dedicated professional to oversee our Therapeutic Fostering services and lead our Clinicians.
Carers in our Therapeutic Fostering services - Care+ and 360 - receive therapeutic input. Young people and carers in our 360 service receive a full package of complementary wraparound support. Our therapeutic team supports all 360 placements and consists of a Clinician, Family Support Worker, Education Lead and Therapeutic Lead Social Worker.
Our clinicians deliver fortnightly clinics for foster carers with Care+ and 360 placements, including clinic notes which cover strategies for our foster carers and include foster carers' development, learning and resilience.
As Clinical Lead, you will participate in 6 weekly Team Around the Child meetings (360 service), complete a Needs Summary for each new therapeutic placement and complete a Therapeutic Care Plan for each young person and update these as needed. You will also complete Individual Assessments for young people as required.
Theoretical Model
The Nexus Fostering therapeutic model provides for young people who have lived complex lives, experienced trauma, and damaged attachments, who have complex psychological health needs. Our model shares some of the key features of the Trauma Recovery Model (Skuse and Matthews, 2015), PACE approaches, (Hughes, 1998) and Michael McKnight and Lori Desautals (2016) with an emphasis on developing positive and safe relationships in low stress and kind environments.
Our approach recognises that foster carers are the key agents of change in a young person’s life and as such they receive an enhanced level of support from our multi-disciplinary TATC approach.
Main Duties
* To provide supervision and individual case management and support on therapeutic matters to Clinicians including review of therapeutic care plans
* To oversee performance of, and review targets with, Clinicians
* To facilitate Group Sessions for Clinicians as required
* To review and develop our therapeutic services in conjunction with the Project Manager
* To ensure the therapeutic work of Clinicians and Social Work teams is delivered consistently across the organisation
* To develop and provide delivery of training for staff and foster carers which covers:
o the therapeutic approach
o therapeutic fostering services
o empathic behaviour management strategies
* To develop and maintain positive working relationships with Local Authority commissioning and social work teams to promote both services
* To provide cover for clinicians if required
* To develop case studies, videos and materials for training for carers and staff
* To provide service updates for the Senior Management Team
Requirements
* Therapeutic qualification: qualified therapist and registered with BACP, HCPC, UKCP or equivalent
* Experience of working therapeutically in the fields of childhood trauma and abuse, attachment and/or therapeutic parenting
* Good communication skills (written and verbal) - including an ability to relate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive
* Ability to work with a range of carers to enable them to therapeutically parent traumatised children and young people
* Ability to support carers empathically, enabling them to reflect on their parenting and how they are being impacted
* Awareness of child protection and safeguarding procedures, including professional curiosity
* Ability to travel as required with a valid driving license and own vehicle
* Willingness to work flexible hours to meet the needs of the services
* A commitment to Equal Opportunities in all work practices and a commitment to improving the lives of Looked After Children
* Nexus Fostering is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and you are expected to share this commitment
Why work for us?
* Generous Annual Leave – 28 days PLUS your Bank Holiday Entitlement
* Birthday Leave – a paid day off for your birthday
* Good Health Days – no sickness in a 6-month period and get an additional day off!
* Refer A Friend Scheme with a monetary incentive
* Comprehensive Employee Assistance Platform that provides access to advice and support 24/7
* Auto Enrolment Pension
Want to find out more?
If you would like more information regarding this role, please contact recruitment@bsnsocialcare.co.uk and one of our Recruitment Advisors will be happy to discuss further.
Everyone is welcome…
Diversity and inclusion are the principles for how we build our teams and Nexus Fostering strives to create an inclusive culture where all forms of diversity are valued and celebrated. We want a workforce which represents the communities we serve and work, to ensure no applicant or employee is treated unfairly on the basis of race, gender, age, disability, religion or identity. We recognise and value the individual differences and contributions of all employees and believe that by working together we can achieve equality for all.
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