Flexible working
Self-employed
Competitive rates

Associate Family Court Adviser

Location: National
Closing Date: 15th October 2024
Salary
{Mergefield Value}

This is a {Advertised Permanent / Temporary}, {Advertised Full Time / Part Time} vacancy that will close in {x} days at {xx:xx} BST.

The Vacancy

Associate Family Court Advisers (Associate FCAs) are self-employed social workers, contracted by Cafcass, who form an important part of our flexible workforce. Associate FCAs are commissioned by our local teams across England to assist in managing our work with children and families in the family courts.

Contracting Associate FCAs allows us to preserve our relationship with talented and passionate individuals who have previously worked for Cafcass, and also enables us to draw in skilled safeguarding social workers.

Many factors contribute to social workers choosing to work for Cafcass as an Associate: the distinctiveness of the work; the chance to pursue additional work concurrently with other independent work; the autonomy; the flexibility to manage income; and the opportunity for a healthy work-life balance.

While we are proud that Ofsted judged us to be ‘outstanding’ when they inspected us in early 2024, we haven’t come this far only to come this far. This outcome has energised us to just keep getting better at what we do for children and families.

 

Let us tell you a bit more about the role…

Associates can undertake work within Work After First Hearing (WAFH) Private Law, Public Law or Work to First Hearing (WTFH) Private Law. You will have the option to select your preference or to undertake a mixed workload.

We operate case thresholds to ensure our Associate FCAs carry a manageable caseload (Between 8 and 18 cases WAFH and Public or 2-5 WTFH), and to enable you to undertake other work in line with Inland Revenue expectations. We assess that the work undertaken by Associate FCAs is not covered by IR35 legislation, so you will be responsible for ensuring appropriate arrangements for paying tax and other contributions.

Should you wish to discuss the role informally before applying, please feel free to reach out to the Recruiting Managers via email, providing the best contact number and your preferred times for a call.

If you haven't done so yet, we advise you to spend a few minutes learning about the role of Associate Family Court Advisers at Cafcass. This will give you a clearer insight into what it means to be an Associate FCA, the remuneration, and the support that will be available to you.

What we are looking for:

Associate FCAs are required to meet a few key criteria. These include:

  1. Be social work qualified;
  2. Have at least 3 years post-qualifying experience;
  3. Be Social Work England registered to work in England;

We also think for you to succeed and truly make a difference you should be someone who:

  • Keeps the voice of the child at the heart of your work;
  • Is an expert in safeguarding, child engagement, inter-agency working, case analysis, planning and recording;
  • Can work independently;
  • Is committed to your continuous professional development (CPD);
  • Has experience working with highly vulnerable children and families;
  • Is resilient and organised;
  • Has strong, intuitive IT skills;
  • Is an effective verbal and written communicator.

 

Next steps / timelines

Please be aware that we do not accept applications or CVs via email. The application process requires you to answer some basic questions to show how you fulfil the requirements and to submit your up-to-date CV.  You are required to apply online. The process is straightforward and quick and can be completed by clicking the apply now link in the advert.  If suitable the interview process will then involve a telephone interview and a panel interview (Microsoft Teams).

If you have any queries regarding the recruitment process or compliance checks, please contact the Resourcing team at HRResourcing@cafcass.gov.uk.

Finally, in anticipation of your application being successful, you might want to read about the compliance requirements. Please be advised successful applicants will be subject to a range of pre-engagement checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS). In accordance with the DBS code of practice and our own policy, should an individual have a declared criminal offence an individual assessment will be completed. Further information on what the assessment covers can be found by viewing the Cafcass DBS policy.

Be Their Voice

We are Cafcass – the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service – We represent the interests of children and young people in the family court throughout England.

We independently advise the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests. We focus on their needs, wishes and feelings, making sure that children’s voices are heard and are at the heart of the family court’s thinking and decision making.

Watch our video to find out we don’t just listen to children’s voices, but we can Be Their Voice.

If our purpose resonates with you, and you share our ambitions for children - exceptional experiences, for every child, everywhere and every time - then if you join us, you will work alongside like-minded people in a diverse, inclusive, and supportive organisation.

While we know Associate Family Court Advisers are not our employees, this does not dilute our responsibility to provide practical and practice support when it comes to our contract management, case management and oversight. We offer support and guidance throughout your initial engagement to help you get set-up with us and then throughout your relationship with us.

Whether you already work independently and are interested in being commissioned by us, or this is something you wish to explore, you can find further information at Cafcass Associates. We hope this will help you determine if this is the right opportunity for you before completing our short application process.

Wellbeing

The wellbeing of our colleagues is something we are truly passionate about, as demonstrated by everyone having four dedicated, additional days per year when they are encouraged to spend time focusing on their health and wellbeing.

Overall, we foster a holistic approach to supporting physical, mental and financial health. This is led by a dedicated in-house team, meaning support is targeted and specific to what our work force need.

Diversity

We represent children and families from diverse backgrounds and by having a diverse workforce this helps us to grow, evolve and innovate alongside fulfilling our responsibility authentically. Therefore, we welcome applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds as we strive to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity of the children and families we work with.

Kaleidoscope Network

Colleagues from Black Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

Mental Health Network

Colleagues who experience, or have an interest in, Mental Health issues.

Pride
Network

Colleagues who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans – LGBT+.

Neurodiversity Network

Colleagues who are neurodivergent, or support someone who is

Together

‘Together with Children and Families’ (which we just call ‘Together’) is the name of our relationship-based practice framework. It applies to the work of every individual in Cafcass, from Social Workers to Leaders and includes our Corporate and Business Support teams.

It is at the heart of what we do and is made up of our values, how these values work in practice, the tools to use to incorporate these values in our work and the impact this will have on the children and families we serve.

This framework encourages us to be pro-active and to look for the strengths in ourselves and others. It also enables us to build positive relationships with our colleagues, our partners and most importantly, with the children and families with whom we work.

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