Operational Manager - Foster Wales Cardiff, Kinship and Permanence

Cyngor Caerdydd/Cardiff Council; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Cardiff Council's Cardiff Children's Services is seeking an experienced Operational Manager to lead Foster Wales Cardiff and Kinship and Permanence Services, shaping high-quality family-based care and ensuring permanence for children.

In this senior role, you will provide strategic and operational leadership, drive permanence strategy, and collaborate with senior leaders, practitioners and regional partners to deliver lasting solutions for vulnerable families.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership and management experience within children's services.
• Strong knowledge of fostering, kinship care, permanence planning and Special Guardianship arrangements.
• Expert understanding of Welsh social care legislation, safeguarding and regulatory requirements.
• Experience leading service transformation, improvement and partnership working.
• Excellent communication, influencing and relationship-building skills.
• A commitment to children's rights and achieving outstanding outcomes for children and families.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop high-quality fostering, kinship and permanence services.
• Ensure children achieve stable, long-term family-based care as early as possible.
• Drive innovation, service improvement and transformational change.
• Strengthen recruitment, assessment and support for foster carers, kinship carers and Special Guardians.
• Embed strengths-based, relationship-focused practice across services.
• Oversee quality assurance, workforce development, performance and regulatory compliance.

Skills

Leadership

Management experience

Fostering & kinship

Permanence planning

Welsh social care law

Safeguarding/regulatory

Service transformation

Communication skills

Children's rights

Job description

At Cardiff Children's Services, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to grow up in a safe, stable and loving family environment. We are seeking an experienced and ambitious Operational Manager to lead Foster Wales Cardiff and our Kinship and Permanence Services, shaping high-quality family-based care and ensuring children achieve permanence at the earliest opportunity.

This is a significant leadership role with responsibility for fostering, Connected Person and Special Guardianship assessments, When I'm Ready and Supported Lodgings, fostering and kinship support services, and permanence arrangements across the city.

About the job

As Operational Manager, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across fostering, kinship and permanence services, driving Cardiff's Permanence Strategy and expanding local care options for children and young people.

Working closely with senior leaders, practitioners and regional partners, you will:

• Lead and develop high-quality fostering, kinship and permanence services.
• Ensure children achieve stable, long-term family-based care as early as possible.
• Drive innovation, service improvement and transformational change.
• Strengthen recruitment, assessment and support for foster carers, kinship carers and Special Guardians.
• Embed strengths-based, relationship-focused practice across services.
• Oversee quality assurance, workforce development, performance and regulatory compliance.

What We Are Looking For From You

You will be an inspirational leader with substantial experience in children's social care and family placement services, bringing:

• Proven leadership and management experience within children's services.
• Strong knowledge of fostering, kinship care, permanence planning and Special Guardianship arrangements.
• Expert understanding of Welsh social care legislation, safeguarding and regulatory requirements.
• Experience leading service transformation, improvement and partnership working.
• Excellent communication, influencing and relationship-building skills.
• A commitment to children's rights and achieving outstanding outcomes for children and families.

This is a rare opportunity to influence the future of fostering, kinship and permanence services in Wales' capital city. You will join a supportive and ambitious leadership team committed to innovation, collaboration and delivering the very best support for children, carers and families.

If you are a values-driven leader who is passionate about helping children remain connected to their families, communities and support networks wherever possible, we would love to hear from you.

Join us and help create more opportunities for children to experience the stability, security and sense of belonging that comes from growing up in a nurturing family home.

This post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service Enhanced check.

Safeguarding and Child Protection are key priorities for the Council. We aim to support children and vulnerable adults to ensure they are as safe as they can possibly be. Our services and schools are committed to ensuring the safety and protection of all children and vulnerable adults, and will take action to safeguard their well-being, and acknowledge that children and vulnerable adults have a right to protection. This is supported in the general ethos of the Council and all schools.

This vacancy is suitable for post share.

We welcome applications in both English and Welsh. Applications received in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than English applications.

Job Category Social Services - Childrens

Working Pattern/Contract Type Full Time Permanent