Registered Fostering Manager

Sandwell Childrens Trust; Oldbury; Hybrid; GBP 62,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Generous annual leave

Job summary

Sandwell Children's Trust is seeking a Registered Fostering Manager to lead the Foster Care and family time centre, ensuring statutory compliance and service excellence. You will oversee care for children and carers, drive the sufficiency strategy, and collaborate with Kinship and Special Guardianship teams to provide robust wrap-around support.

You will report to senior leadership, liaise with Ofsted on regulatory matters, and steer fostering inspections while modelling inspirational leadership

Qualifications

• An experienced Social Worker with significant experience of fostering and how IFA’s operate.
• Level 5 qualification in leadership and management or ready to commence within 6 months.
• Inspirational leader with excellent management skills and the ability to encourage teamwork.
• Excellent communication skills to engage with children, carers and stakeholders.
• Ability to write reports for diverse audiences and present them confidently.
• Good understanding of performance management and commitment to high-quality service.

Responsibilities

• Be responsible for the overall management of the service, including the Trust’s family time centre.
• Liaise with Ofsted regarding regulatory reporting.
• Lead on fostering inspections.
• Provide a strategic approach to service development including the sufficiency strategy.
• Supervise Team Managers and Panel Advisor.
• Ensure support and training for carers with partner agencies.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Management skills

Communication skills

Report writing

Performance management

Ofsted liaison

Education

Level 5 leadership & management

Job description

At Sandwell Children's Trust, we firmly believe that the voice of the child should be at the centre of everything we do. We are on an ambitious journey to ensure that children and families in Sandwell are safe and empowered to thrive.

Our ‘Sandwell Deal’, brings together our offering that make Sandwell Children’s Trust a great place to work.

What we can offer you:-

• Generous annual leave of up to 31 days, plus 5 additional days for long service recognition.
• Your birthday off paid in addition to annual leave entitlement and 8 Bank Holidays, plus a concessionary day at Christmas.
• We recognise individual loyalty with service awards from 2, 5, 10 and every 5 years onwards.

To find out more please visit The Sandwell Deal via this hyperlink

https://sandwelldeal.co.uk

Job title: Registered Fostering Manager
Grade/Salary: Grade J (£62,179 - £65,938 per annum)
Market Supplement: £6,500 per annum
Relocation Allowance: Up to £6,500*
Contract Type: Permanent
Working pattern: 37 hours per week
Location: Oldbury/Hybrid
Closing date: midnight on Monday 16 November 2026

Sandwell Children's Trust are seeking a passionate and committed leader to join us in shaping brighter futures for children and families. As the Registered Fostering Manager (RFM), you will play a vital role in overseeing Sandwell Children's Trust's Ofsted-rated Good Independent Fostering Agency and family time centre. You will ensure our fostering services excel in meeting statutory requirements while continuing to innovate and support the needs of children, carers, and families.

Furthermore, as well as overseeing the main statutory fostering functions you will also have oversight of the Connected Team (Kinship Carers & Special Guardianship). Our ambition is to provide robust wrap around support to all our carers within Sandwell, keeping children local in their communities and where possible reunification with their families.

You will play a key role in the success of the sufficiency strategy, bringing innovation and quality to both provide stable long-term homes for children & young people but also increase internal provision of our highly valued Sandwell Foster Carers.

Your Key Responsibilities as the Registered Fostering Manager

• Be responsible for the overall management of the service, including the Trust’s family time centre, ensuring that statutory requirements are met and exceeded.
• You will liaise directly with Ofsted in relation to regulatory reporting.
• Take the lead on fostering inspections.
• Provide a strategic approach to service development including the sufficiency strategy
• Provide supervision to the Team Managers and Panel Advisor.
• Ensure that support and training is in place for all our carers, working collaboratively with resources from our partner agencies
• Develop and implement policies and procedures based on statutory guidance to ensure that the service is responsive to the needs of children and carers in Sandwell.

Your skills & attributes as the Registered Fostering Manager

• An experienced Social Worker with significant experience of fostering and how IFA’s operate.
• Have a Level 5 qualification in leadership and management or, be prepared to commence the qualification within 6 months of starting in the role.
• An inspirational leader with excellent management skills and the ability to encourage team working.
• Excellent communication skills with an ability to engage with children, carers and relevant stakeholders.
• Ability to write reports for a range of audiences and be able to verbally present these with confidence.
• Good understanding of performance management and a commitment to providing a high-quality service to children and carers.

We are committed to creating an inclusive environment. Reasonable adjustments are available at every stage of the recruitment process and throughout employment, helping everyone to thrive, perform to the best of their ability, and achieve success in their role.

Sandwell Children's Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable groups including children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Completion of an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check is a requirement for working with children and young people.

*Terms & Conditions apply for relocation allowance