Job Description

The Service & Team:

Here are two exciting opportunities within the Fostering and Kinship Service to be part of the ‘Specialist Fostering Support Team’.

We believe that the children of Cornwall deserve the best. When you join us, you’ll be changing their lives for the better, as well as your own.

We have a strong learning and performance culture within the Fostering and Kinship Service which has enabled continuous development opportunities within the Specialist Fostering Support Team.

We remain committed to continuously improving practice and service delivery, whilst also adapting and strengthening our teams’ resilience with enhanced support and flexible working practices.

The Role:

The Liaison Worker will collaborate with key partners to develop the understanding and commitment needed to sustain the Mockingbird Model.

We are seeking someone who is able to work under their own initiative as well as part of a collaborative team. The post requires flexibility as it includes evening and weekend working.

Cornwall Council has partnered with The Fostering Network to deliver the Mockingbird Family Model. The model has been running within Cornwall now for over 12 months and there are 3 established constellations so far with plans to extend further. Mockingbird is an extended family model that aims to improve the stability of fostering placements and strengthen the relationships between carers, children and young people, fostering services and birth families.

A Mockingbird Liaison Worker will have an active role in the development of Mockingbird constellations alongside the Mockingbird Lead. They will be well organised and have the skills to put the Mockingbird Family Model into practice with fidelity requirements.

They will provide effective communication about the offer and work of the Mockingbird Constellation and ensure that the Fostering and social work teams work effectively with the constellation and Hub Home Carer.

The Liaison Worker will collaborate with key partners to develop the understanding and commitment needed to sustain the Mockingbird Model. The Liaison Worker will support constellations, and work with families in the constellation to create an extended family community for children and young people.

The postholder will be supervised by The Mockingbird Lead and will support the wider work of the Fostering Service.

Key responsibilities:

• Work collaboratively with the Mockingbird Lead for the service to ensure constellations run smoothly and are within fidelity.
• Acting as the primary link between the constellation and the service with lead responsibility for communications between fostering teams, placement service, etc. and the Mockingbird constellation.
• Build relationships with each foster carer and each young person within their constellation.
• Ensure the needs of the fostering family household are well understood and supported within the constellation structure.
• Upholding regular contact with the hub home carer/s.
• Reviewing the satellite carers attendance and participation in planned Mockingbird activities, support care, monthly constellation meetings and training.
• Providing emotional support to the hub home carer and creates a safe space for guidance to be sought.
• Regularly participates in Mockingbird programme activities and social events.
• Advocate for access to resources and any additional support needed by the constellation, and its members.
• Collaborate with hub home carer to ensure constellation activities reflect the core Mockingbird values.
• Support the learning and development needs of the hub home carer and satellite carers.
• Provide quantitative and qualitative information and performance data reports to enable evaluation of impact.

This is a public/customer-facing role, where the statutory English language requirement for public sector workers applies.

This position will be subject to a enhanced criminal record disclosure check.

What you’ll need to succeed:

Person specification:

• Has a collaborative approach to teamwork and problem solving.
• Reflective in their practice and able to create space for reflection with all working relationships.
• Excellent communication skills and flexibility of communication style.
• Able to maintain professional boundaries whilst working closely with carers and families, balanced by approachability and friendliness in their personal manner.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with adults and children from all backgrounds.
• Enjoys a varied workload and flexible schedule.
• Energetic and sociable.

Knowledge and Experience:

• A comprehensive understanding of the Mockingbird model and the core values underpinning the model.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships
• An understanding of the needs of young people in care.
• Direct experience of children experiencing trauma, attachment and associated disorders.

Please read the role profile for the full details of this role attached below in this advert

What you’ll get in return:

Cornwall Council’s ambition is to be an employer of choice, a high performing Council and a learning organisation. We commit to providing a reward and benefits package to attract, motivate and reward our employees. We offer a range of flexible working options to our staff. This helps provide our employees with a greater work/life balance. Whilst still ensuring that service needs are met.

Our core employee rewards and benefits include:

· a competitive salary.

· a defined benefit pension scheme, based on your career average earnings. This includes the option for extra voluntary contributions.

· a generous annual leave entitlement with the potential to purchase additional leave.

· A national award-winning employee health and wellbeing programme.

· Employee benefits scheme giving employees access to a wide range of discounts to local and national goods and services.

Additional Information:

Cornwall Council is unable to offer visa sponsorship or transfer existing sponsorship for this role.

The full role profile is attached here

We recommend saving a copy of this to refer to if you are invited to an interview.

For more information or an informal chat about the role please contact Catherine Hattem - Lead Worker - Mockingbird by emailing: catherine.hattem@cornwall.gov.uk

Application Process

Please attach a supporting statement to your application, you can add your Education & Qualifications details manually using the application form timeline or you can upload your CV. Remember to demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points marked as ‘Application’ on the Role Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had. Guidance on how to complete your application can be found here – The application process

Please note that applications cannot be edited after they have been submitted, please contact careers@cornwall.gov.uk if you have any queries or require assistance with your application.

Existing employees must apply using their Cornwall Council email address through the Opportunity Marketplace on Oracle.

Cornwall Council deliver services to more than half a million local people and over five million visitors a year. Working here - Cornwall Council

We are happy to talk about flexible working options such as part-time or compressed hours. More examples of our flexible working opportunities can be found here - flexible working options

Fairness and inclusion are at the heart of our vision for Cornwall. In order to best serve our communities, we are striving to achieve a diverse workforce that is inclusive of all backgrounds, cultures and identities; e.g., race, disability, sex, gender reassignment status, age, religion and sexual orientation. We are an equal opportunities and Disability Confident employer, and we will assess applicants on their merits.

Cornwall Council is committed to safeguarding and following safer recruitment principles to help make sure our staff and volunteers are suitable to work with children, young people and adults at risk. It’s a vital part of creating a safe and positive environment and making a commitment to keeping all service users safe from harm.