Panel Advisor Role | Southend-on-Sea City Council | £53,460-£58,959

Please note that only Social Work England Registered Social Workers with Right to Work in the UK will be considered for this role, please do not apply if you are not a SWE Registered Social Worker who has the Right to Work in the UK.
Caritas Recruitment is proud to be supporting Southend-on-Sea Borough Council in the recruitment of an experienced and strategic Fostering & Permanency Panel Advisor to join their Corporate Parenting service.
This is a senior-level opportunity for an experienced Social Worker with strong expertise in permanency planning, fostering services, and quality assurance. You will act as the Council's lead expert for fostering panels and permanency, ensuring that children in care achieve timely, stable, and appropriate long-term outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead, manage, and coordinate the Fostering & Permanency Panel, including training and development of panel members
  • Act as the expert advisor to the Fostering Panel, ensuring high-quality decision-making processes
  • Drive permanency planning outcomes for children in care across adoption, special guardianship, long-term fostering, and other legal routes
  • Oversee quality assurance of panel reports and permanency planning documentation
  • Lead on audits, performance analysis, and reporting on trends, outcomes, and service improvements
  • Identify areas for development and implement changes to policy and practice
  • Work collaboratively with senior leaders, social workers, and multi-agency professionals
  • Provide training, guidance, and support to social work teams and panel members
  • Ensure timely implementation of Agency Decision Maker outcomes

About You

To be successful in this role, you will have:
  • A Social Work qualification and registration with Social Work England
  • Significant experience working with children and families, ideally with management or strategic responsibilities
  • Strong knowledge of fostering regulations, national minimum standards, and permanency planning
  • Proven experience in audit, quality assurance, and performance analysis
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to influence across a wide range of stakeholders
  • The ability to lead change, drive best practice, and improve service delivery
  • Confidence working in a complex local authority environment

Why Apply?

  • Opportunity to shape and influence permanency outcomes at a strategic level
  • Work within a collaborative Corporate Parenting service
  • Play a key role in improving outcomes for children and young people
  • Engage in meaningful leadership, audit, and service development work

Additional Information

  • You will deputise for the Service Manager where required and contribute to wider leadership across the service
  • This is a key leadership role focused on improving practice, embedding policy, and delivering excellence in children's services

For more information on this role or for a discussion about Social Work opportunities across England and Wales please contact Gemma at Caritas Recruitment - g.bridgman @ caritas-recruitment.com / 0 7 3 8 4 5 2 5 2 8 7

Caritas Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.

£53,460.00 - £58,959.00
Per annum
GBP53460 - GBP58959 per annum
Added 22/06/2026
Reference: GB220626A_1782137681

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