Job Summary

We are looking for a bright and articulate team player with excellent IT and interpersonal skills to join our vibrant team. Your role will give you a broad exposure to the workings of a Ofsted rated Outstanding Fostering Agency and Children’s Homes.

You will need a keen attention to detail, brilliant communication and excellent use of systems including Microsoft Excel.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• To provide comprehensive administrative support to the Team Coordinator, Senior Management, the Social Work and Residential Teams and Fostering Panel

• Co-ordinating the collation of HR information required for the recruitment of new staff for Ascent Children Services, including social workers/administrators/residential team/ Form F assessors and Panel Members, staff across the residential and fostering agency. This involves co-ordinating requests for reference checks, DBS etc., medicals and liaising with the Team Coordinator, Social Work team and senior management in relation to the status of these checks

• Supporting the approval and regular receipt of information required for the registration of Foster Carers. This includes carrying out checks and references for new foster carers and back up foster carers and monitoring returns and recording receipts on Social Care IT systems of both prospective foster carers, foster carers.

• To coordinate, plan and disseminate appropriate forms for Foster Carers' annual reviews. Ensure dates for reviews are agreed upon within the approval timescales in conjunction with SSWs, IRO, foster carers, LASW and young people.Ensure reports are completed, signed and where necessary ready for presentation to the Panel

• Disseminate Foster Carer Agreements to carers, ensure correct approval terms are noted and upload returned signed agreement to charms.

• Assist Team coordinator with the preparation of Fostering Panel meetings, ensure case correspondence is uploaded by deadlines, and circulate notifications to Panel members and SSWs involved with specific Panel meetings. Attend Panel meetings to minute take, liaise with the Panel Chair to agree on final minutes and upload final minutes to Dropbox and Charms.

• Take minutes of meetings including fostering Panels, team meetings, HR meetings and foster carer support meetings, providing accurate typed records and disseminating records within agreed timescales

• Data inputting on electronic systems, including the CHARMS, Citation and ClearCare, competent in Microsoft Office (Word/Excel)

• Training and Social Events – Administer carers and team annual training and social calendar, sending out texts and email notifications and reminders to carers and staff. Coordinating room bookings, sending out advanced training text/email reminder alerts to carers, liaising, with course facilitators and assisting with course correspondence in advance of course, preparing and distribution of carers course notes handouts, process and distribution of carers course certificates, coordinate Ascent Carers team meetings, update carers individual training profiles and course attendance log, arrange catering and refreshments for training sessions, present refreshments and lunches and tidy away after sessions, undertake any other duties required by the Team Coordinator, Senior ManagementTeam and SSW’s

• Support the running of the Office. This includes responding to all telephone/email or in person visitor enquiries respectfully and communicate effectively and appropriately

• Where necessary support the team with marketing; responding to calls and enquiries, taking applicant details, sending out letters and information packs and assisting the team at outside events

• Facilities management – supporting the team coordinator with any facilities operations/purchases

• To respect confidentiality and to comply with your duty of confidentiality to all stakeholders in the Agency. Ensure all information is stored safely and securely

Person Specification

Knowledge and Experience

• Experience of working in an administrative role or customer service environment where multi-tasking and decision-making skills are successfully demonstrated
• Experience of working with IT systems, data entry and use of Microsoft Office.
• Demonstrates excellent customer service skills
• Possesses confident and persuasive professional telephone skills
• Proven track record in managing a demanding and varied workload
• Demonstrates understanding of effective teamwork
• Knowledge and understanding of Social Services, in particular, the provision of services for children

Qualifications

• Achievement of a minimum of two A levels, or equivalent
• Good range of GCSE passes to include English and Math’s

Aptitudes and Abilities

• Good interpersonal skills; effective at quickly establishing and building good working relationships internally and externally, at all levels
• Self-sufficient and self-motivated with the ability to work independently, recognizing when matters need input from or referral to others
• Analytical, with high attention to detail and a logical approach to problem-solving
• Confident user on IT systems including Microsoft Excel.
• Multitasker who can manage, prioritise and monitor own work
• Contributes positively to teams, encouraging and facilitating the contribution of others and working sensitively with team colleagues
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively negotiate and influence, especially on the phone
• Decisive with a determination to rise to the challenge, offering creative solutions to overcome difficulties

Disposition

• Anticipates and responds proactively to problems, knowing when to seek guidance
• Able to work on own initiative, recognizing when reference needs to be made to others
• Able to work and make effective decisions under pressure
• A calm and assured approach to work
• Well-organized and a clear thinker
• Able to work individually and as part of a team
• Resilient
• Willing to work flexibly and to strict deadlines
• Able to work on occasion outside of normal office hours