Team Manager - Fostering RA Team

Job Details:

Job Reference: HCC619542

Salary Range: £47,430 - £52,735, plus Market Supplement of £1,600 per annum

Work Location: Glen House, Southampton

Hours per Week: 37

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 7 January 2025

Interview Date: 20 January 2025

The Role:

Hampshire County Council are currently looking to recruit an enthusiastic and dynamic Team Manager to join our Fostering Service. The appointed Team Manager will be responsible for the Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Team. We are looking for someone with motivation to support our foster carer recruitment strategy and provide excellent management and leadership to the team. You will have knowledge, experience and interest in fostering regulations and national minimum standards as well as marketing and recruitment strategies to increase our carer cohort.

As a Fostering Team Manager you will be expected to supervise and oversee a busy team of social workers, recruitment officers, trainers and an events officer with the objective of providing an effective, high quality service to recruit and assess prospective foster carers, to meet the needs of Hampshire’s children in care.

The role of the team focusses on recruitment of prospective foster carers, oversees the rigorous assessment processes and supporting prospective foster carers to develop the skills needed in their future fostering role. An element of the role is working in partnership with the South East Fostering Recruitment Hub which Hampshire are a part of. This includes overseas incoming enquiries via the Hub, contributing to overarching marketing campaigns across the region as well as sharing best practice with other Local Authorities. 

About Hampshire’s Fostering Service

Hampshire Children’s Services is rated outstanding by Ofsted. Hampshire County Council’s fostering agency (branded Fostering Hampshire Children) is a local authority owned fostering agency recruiting and supporting foster carers for children who are unable to live with their own families, either until they can return home or, sometimes, until adulthood. There are currently approximately 480 fostering households registered with Hampshire County Council. 
 

Our ideal candidate

Reporting to the Fostering Service Manager, you will have experience of managing a busy team, providing supervision to social care practitioners and making suitability decisions in regard to foster care. We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate impeccable knowledge of Fostering Minimum Standards, Safeguarding and Fostering Legislation and Care Planning Regulations. A social work qualification is essential.

Additional Information:

Team Manager - Fostering RA Team Job Description and Person Specification

Vetting Requirements:

This post is subject to a Criminal Records Check. As such, please note that under safer recruitment requirements for Children’s Services, references will be requested prior to interview.

Contact Details for an Informal Discussion:

Sarah Smith, Service Manager Fostering and Adoption on Sarah.Smith2@hants.gov.uk