Panel Vice Chair (Office Holder)

Up to 20 days per year (+ training days)

£200 per Panel (£450 if required to substitute for Chair of Panel)

TACT, the UK’s largest fostering charity and has been providing loving families for vulnerable children and young people across the country for over 25 years. Our reputation and growth rests upon our strength in providing successful placements. As a charity, we do not have shareholders who receive profits - we invest all of our surplus income into service, staff, carers, and children’s development.

As a Panel Vice Chair with TACT, you will be a part of our amazing team of professionals working with our organisational values at the heart of their everyday practice. You can review our values here.

The West Midlands team are seeking a Fostering Panel Vice Chair to support the Chair in conducting monthly virtual panel meetings held on third Wednesday of the month via Microsoft Teams.

In line with our values, we expect each panel member to ensure that all decisions are made regarding the interest of ‘children in care,’ foster carers, and the community in which they live.

The successful candidate may need to travel to West Midlands area to attend occasional in-person meetings and attend 2 training days per year. 

As a Fostering Panel Vice Chair, you will be able to evidence:

• Your understanding of the fostering process and practice within the legislative framework or similar.
• Have at least 2 years’ experience of sitting on a fostering panel.
• A history of employment experience at team manager level or above, ideally in a social work or family placement setting.
• Having substantial experience of chairing meetings.
• An ability to evaluate complex reports and assessments while maintaining clarity within the decision-making parameters.
• The capability to develop, monitor and maintain policies and procedures to the highest standard within TACT

As a Fostering Panel Vice Chair your duties will include:

• Occasionally chairing Panel meetings, in the absence of the Chair, ensuring that multifaceted issues are thoroughly considered and recorded, having undertaken thorough preparation for meetings.
• Co-ordinating and directing the work of the Fostering Panel and ensure the quality of foster carers recruited, meet relevant standards.
• Facilitation of the active participation of all panel members alongside the Chair of Panel.
• Regular liaison with the Chair of Panel, decision-maker and with other senior managers as required.
• Participation in the recruitment, selection, and induction of new panel members.
• To assist the Chair in regular planning of training for and appraisal of panel members and support with Ofsted Inspections as and when required.

A Standard DBS clearance is required for this role. This check will be undertaken by TACT on your behalf. The successful applicant will be engaged on an office holder basis and be required to have professional membership to a social work body if they are currently a practicing social worker or other professional. 

• Closing: Sunday 24th November 2024
• Interviews: Wednesday 11th December 2024 via Microsoft Teams

TACT reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment.

Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believe that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work.  As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications, and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children.  We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people.  All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies.

TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.