Job Description

Please do not apply to this role using the 'apply now' button. If interested, please e-mail AF.PanelPlansAdmin@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk to request an expression of interest form.

Team: Fostering Team
Salary: Panel fees are as follows:
Half day - £125 (4.5hrs)
Full day - £175 (afternoon session varies depending on number of cases)
Full training day £87.50
Half training day £43.75
The above fees are claimed following attendance at a panel.
Hours: Minimum of 3 Wednesdays per year
Location: Primarily virtual using MS Teams, but occasional panels are held in-person at Priory House, Shefford. There is also an expectation that panel members attend Priory House for an annual training day, and to collect a laptop.
Contract Type: No fixed contract but we review annually with all panel members through their annual appraisal
Closing Date: Thursday 3rd September 2026, 5pm
Interview Date: Afternoon ofThursday 17th September 2026 and morning of Friday 18th September 2026

About the role

Fostering is a child focused team responsible for recruiting and reviewing foster carers. The fostering panel plays a key role in assessing the suitability of prospective foster carers, monitoring the quality of care provided and plays a role in ensuring foster carers and children are offered the support they need. This includes both mainstream and kinship foster carers.

Most of the panels are held virtually using MS Teams, but occasional panels are held in-person at Priory House, Shefford, and we ask panel members if they can attend the office for these panels. We ask all panel members to attend a minimum of 3 panels per year, and many attend more than this. Panel are held on a Wednesday, with 1 or 2 panels held each month.

Good listening and communication skills are essential to the role along with the ability to make balanced and informed recommendations based on the written and oral information presented to the panel. Knowledge and experience of fostering on a personal or professional level is very useful in this role, but not essential. We welcome applicants from other professions that can bring varied expertise to our panel e.g. education, health sectors. We particularly welcome applicants who have experience of living in foster care, from foster carers, and applicants who have become Special Guardians for a child or young person.

Social workers who have registration with Social Work England are welcomed. We ask that any social work professionals commit to maintaining their Social Work England registration if they should join our panel. We are pro-actively working to diversify our panel and ensure our panel has a good understanding about the needs of CBC carers and children. We would like to encourage applicants from a diverse background/minority group (e.g. ethnicity, sexuality, faith, disability).

The panel provides independent oversight of the recruitment, assessment and review of foster carers and makes recommendations about their suitability to foster. This includes both mainstream and kinship foster carers. 6 panel members attend each panel, including the Panel Chair. We ask all panel members attending a panel to thoroughly read and prepare for each case, prior to the panel day.

We offer an in-person training day once per year, held at Priory House in Shefford, and there is an expectation that panel members attend this event. We also ask that panel members complete a number of mandatory e-learnings annually. A laptop is provided to complete all panel tasks.

Closing date for expressions of interest – Thursday 3rd September at 5pm.

For an informal discussion about this position, please contact: Helen Falkner, Panel Adviser, at Helen.Falkner@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

Please note Helen will be on annual leave from Thursday 13th August - Wednesday 26th August.

Please do not apply to this role using the apply button below. If interested, please e-mail AF.PanelPlansAdmin@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk to request an expression of interest form.