Independent Fostering Panel Chair & Vice Chair – Contract tender opportunity – Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
Our Benefits0About the role
Independent Fostering Panel Chair
Cambridgeshire County Council is seeking to appoint an experienced, skilled and suitably qualified Independent Fostering Panel Chair to lead its Fostering Panel and provide robust, impartial oversight of fostering approval, review and deregistration matters. This is an important opportunity to contribute to the delivery of safe, high-quality fostering services and to support the Councils ambition that children and young people in Cambridgeshire have opportunities to thrive.
The Independent Fostering Panel Chair will ensure that Panel meetings are conducted professionally, lawfully and effectively, in accordance with the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011, associated statutory guidance, the National Minimum Standards and Cambridgeshire County Councils policies and procedures. The Chair will provide clear leadership to Panel members, promote balanced and evidence-based discussion, and ensure that all recommendations are fair, transparent, well-reasoned and firmly focused on the welfare, safety and long-term stability of children.
The role requires a confident and authoritative professional who can chair complex meetings, manage differing professional views sensitively, and maintain a respectful and inclusive environment for applicants, foster carers, social workers and Panel members. The successful provider will be expected to demonstrate substantial experience in fostering, adoption, care planning or a closely related field, together with a strong understanding of safeguarding, corporate parenting, trauma, loss, attachment, diversity and the needs of children who are looked after.
Key responsibilities will include preparing thoroughly for Panel meetings by reading papers in advance, identifying matters requiring clarification, ensuring Panel members remain focused on the statutory business of the Panel, and supporting the active participation of all members. The Chair will be responsible for ensuring that recommendations to the Agency Decision Maker are clearly articulated, accurately recorded and supported by sound analysis. The role also includes liaising with the Panel Adviser, Panel Administrator, Agency Decision Maker and senior managers, contributing to quality assurance activity, identifying themes and learning, supporting annual reporting, and helping to promote continuous improvement across the fostering service.
The Council is looking for a Chair who can demonstrate excellent communication, analytical and interpersonal skills, professional integrity, independence, and a strong commitment to equality, anti-discriminatory practice and inclusive decision-making. The successful provider must also comply with confidentiality, information governance, data protection and GDPR requirements at all times, and will be expected to engage positively in contract management arrangements, including performance monitoring and quality assurance discussions.
The contract is expected to support the effective operation of the Fostering Panel, including preparation time, attendance at meetings which may be virtual or in person, and post-Panel reporting. The contract term is for two years commencing September 2026, subject to the provisions set out in the tender documentation. The anticipated contract value for the Independent Fostering Panel Chair is 25,000 over the full contract period, and bidders are expected to submit competitive proposals within this value.
Independent Fostering Panel Vice Chair
Cambridgeshire County Council is seeking to appoint an experienced and suitably qualified Independent Fostering Panel Vice Chair to support the effective, lawful and transparent operation of its Fostering Panel. This role will provide essential resilience and continuity in Panel leadership, ensuring that the Panel continues to operate to high standards in the absence of the Independent Chair. When not acting as Chair, the Vice Chair may be invited to sit as an independent Panel member, contributing to robust scrutiny and balanced decision-making.
The Independent Fostering Panel Vice Chair will be required to lead Panel meetings when the Chair is unavailable, ensuring that all business is conducted in accordance with the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011, the National Minimum Standards, associated statutory guidance and Cambridgeshire County Councils internal policies and procedures. The Vice Chair will be expected to uphold the same high standards of fairness, independence, professional curiosity and child-centred practice that are required of the Chair.
This is a key role within the governance of the fostering service. The Vice Chair will facilitate structured and respectful Panel discussion, encourage contributions from all Panel members, manage differing professional opinions constructively, and ensure that recommendations are clearly reasoned, evidence-based and accurately recorded for consideration by the Agency Decision Maker. The role requires the ability to analyse complex information, identify gaps or areas requiring clarification, and maintain a clear focus on safeguarding, permanence, stability and the lived experience of children and young people.
The successful provider will be expected to demonstrate substantial experience in fostering, adoption, care planning or related childrens social care practice. Experience of chairing, facilitating or contributing to complex multi-agency or professional meetings is essential. The Council is particularly interested in providers who can evidence strong communication, listening and interpersonal skills, the ability to manage conflict and competing viewpoints sensitively, and a clear commitment to anti-discriminatory, inclusive and equitable practice.
When acting in the Chairs absence, the Vice Chair will be responsible for ensuring that Panel meetings are well prepared, well structured and delivered within regulatory expectations. This will include reviewing papers in advance, identifying key issues, supporting effective discussion, ensuring that those attending Panel are treated with respect and courtesy, and liaising with the Panel Adviser, Panel Administrator, Agency Decision Maker and senior managers where required. The Vice Chair will also contribute to the identification of themes, learning and service improvement opportunities, particularly where these arise from assessment quality, Panel readiness, practice issues or wider service trends.
The role requires up-to-date knowledge of fostering legislation, safeguarding practice, corporate parenting principles and best practice developments. The successful provider must also demonstrate professional integrity, independence and a strong understanding of confidentiality, information governance, data protection and GDPR requirements. The service requirement includes preparation time, attendance at Panel meetings which may be virtual or in person, and any necessary post-Panel reporting or follow-up activity.
The anticipated value of the Independent Fostering Panel Vice Chair contract is 10,000 over the full contract period, and bidders are expected to submit competitive proposals within this value. The contract will support the Councils wider objective of strengthening the transparency, consistency and robustness of fostering approval and review processes, while ensuring that childrens welfare remains central to all Panel recommendations.
How to apply
Interested providers are invited to submit an application to tender which sets out their relevant experience, approach to independent vice chairing, understanding of statutory fostering requirements, commitment to equality and inclusion, and ability to contribute to effective Panel governance and continuous improvement. For further information, or to express an interest in making an application to tender, please contact Steve Crossman at steve.crossman@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.
About you0About usCambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes.We are proud to serve the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and want our workforce to be reflective of this diversity, which we believe benefits our employees, the organisation and our communities.https://youtu.be/DDE1nplZttYVisit our jobs and careers section to find out more about our wide range of learning and development opportunities; apprenticeships; our wellbeing package; staff benefits; our commitment to equality, diversity and Inclusion.http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/council/jobs-and-careers…