Fostering Recruitment Officer

Walsall Council; Walsall; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working arrangements

Base at Walsall Civic Centre

Learning and development opportunities

Job summary

The Black Country Fostering Hub, led by Walsall Council, seeks a Senior Fostering Recruitment Officer to steer the recruitment journey and support families across the Black Country.

You will manage the Fostering Recruitment Officers, coordinate enquiries, foster partnerships, and drive data-informed improvements while working with a hybrid model and a base at Walsall Civic Centre. This role shapes a new regional service with real impact.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in managing and developing staff in a busy relational service.
• Foundation-level qualification or equivalent relevant experience in fostering, children's services, recruitment, family support or guidance.
• Commitment to equity and leadership for diverse communities.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate fostering enquiries and applicant journeys through to assessment.
• Develop robust systems to track enquiries and monitor progress.
• Manage, supervise and develop Fostering Recruitment Officers and allocate work.
• Provide senior oversight of complex enquiries and address delays promptly.
• Ensure practice and communications are accurate, inclusive and consistent.
• Use data to manage team performance and improve applicant journeys.
• Lead information sessions, outreach and co-production.
• Build strong partnerships and embed regional standards.

Skills

Staff management

Performance development

Data analysis

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Foundation-level qualification or equivalent in fostering/child services

Job description

The Black Country Fostering Hub brings together Walsall, Wolverhampton, Dudley and Sandwell Children's Trust to recruit and support more local foster carers. By combining regional reach with local knowledge and support, we aim to increase the number and diversity of fostering households so that more children can live close to their families, schools and communities. As our Senior Fostering Recruitment Officer, you will lead the team that turns initial interest in fostering into a warm, well-supported and purposeful journey. Working alongside the Marketing and Recruitment Manager, you will lead the day-to-day delivery of the recruitment service. You will manage, supervise and develop the Fostering Recruitment Officers, allocate work, monitor performance and quality, and ensure applicants receive a consistent and responsive service across the Black Country. As Senior Fostering Recruitment Officer, you will:

• Coordinate fostering enquiries and applicant journeys through to assessment.
• Develop robust systems to track enquiries, monitor progress and ensure applicants receive timely support.
• Manage, supervise and develop Fostering Recruitment Officers, setting clear expectations, allocating work and addressing performance or practice issues.
• Provide senior oversight of more complex enquiries, helping applicants move forward and addressing any delays promptly.
• Ensure practice and communications are accurate, inclusive and consistent.
• Use enquiry, conversion and timeliness data to manage team performance, identify barriers and improve applicant journeys.
• Lead information sessions, outreach and co-production.
• Build strong partnerships and embed shared regional standards., You will work as part of a joined-up regional fostering recruitment service alongside colleagues leading strategic marketing, community engagement, partnerships and local lead generation. By combining these strengths, the team will help more people across the Black Country consider fostering and begin their journey.
• Hybrid working arrangements.
• A designated base at Walsall Civic Centre.
• Learning and development opportunities to support your career progression.
• The opportunity to help shape a new regional service from the ground up.
• A role where your work will have a direct and lasting impact on children, families and communities across the Black Country.

The role requires travel across the Black Country and flexibility to support occasional evening and weekend recruitment activity, campaigns and events.

You will have significant experience of managing and developing staff in a busy, relational service, including setting expectations, supervising practice and addressing performance concerns. You will make sound decisions in complex or sensitive situations, use data and professional judgement to improve delivery, and build trusted relationships with applicants, foster carers, colleagues, partners and communities. You will have a foundation-level qualification or equivalent relevant experience in fostering, children's services, recruitment, family support, advice and guidance or another comparable service. We particularly welcome applications from people with experience of fostering and from people of diverse backgrounds who can bring valuable insight, empathy and leadership skills to the role.

At Walsall Council, we appreciate that AI can be a useful tool for ideas or guidance. However, we encourage you to make sure your application reflects your own voice and experiences. Over-reliance on AI can make responses feel less personal, and we really want to understand what makes you unique. Your experiences, skills, and perspective are what set you apart, so please ensure your application as a whole - particularly your 'Supporting Information' - reflects your own voice., Walsall Council's Children's Services are the only Ofsted 'Outstanding' local authority in the Black Country. During a visit in May 2025, Inspectors described Walsall Council as a place where children were at the heart of. The council's journey of continuous improvement started in 2017 and has since transformed into a service with a clear vision, clear priorities and a clear plan, all informed by the views of our staff and children. Staff are at the core of delivering great outcomes for children and young people in Walsall, which is underpinned by our Walsall Right 4 Children vision. The latest Ofsted inspection demonstrated that staff in children's services are proud to work for Walsall Council and feel supported to do great work.