Registered Manager – Fostering

Team Fostering; North Shields, Tees Valley; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days annual leave plus bank holiday

Hybrid home and office working

Flexible working

Flexi-time and TOIL

Monthly supervision and annual apprais

Life assurance

Employee Assistance Programme

Learning and development opportunities

Job summary

Team Fostering is recruiting an experienced leader to become the registered manager for its North East service, overseeing social work and fostering operations across North Shields and Middlesbrough. You will drive high standards, safeguarding, staff development, and strong relationships with Local Authorities and Ofsted.

The role requires a social work qualification (level 4+) and a management qualification (level 4+), with at least two years fostering experience and one year supervising staff.

Qualifications

• Social work qualification or professional qualification relevant to working with children at least level 4.
• Management qualification at least level 4*.
• At least two years' experience relevant to fostering within the last five years.
• At least one year supervising and managing professional staff.

Responsibilities

• Be the Ofsted Registered Manager for the North East service.
• Provide leadership to managers and staff, promoting high standards and professional development.
• Ensure safeguarding, referrals, assessments and allocations are robust.
• Oversee recruitment, training, support and retention of foster carers.
• Lead quality assurance and auditing across the service.
• Monitor outcomes and drive improvements in placement stability and care experiences.
• Ensure compliance with fostering legislation and regulatory standards.
• Develop relationships with Local Authorities, Ofsted and partner agencies.
• Contribute to budget planning, targets, and performance reporting.
• Support tendering, contract opportunities and regional growth.
• Report to Board and Senior Leadership Team on performance and viability.

Skills

Leadership

Management experience

Stakeholder relations

Ofsted knowledge

Safeguarding

Education

Social Work qualification (level 4+)

Management qualification (level 4+)

Job description

Team Fostering | North Shields / Middlesbrough

Lead an Outstanding fostering service and help shape its future across the North East

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and inspirational fostering or children’s social care leader to join Team Fostering, an ethical, not-for-profit fostering agency with a strong reputation for delivering high-quality placements and positive outcomes for children and young people.

Their North East service was rated Outstanding by Ofsted in November 2025, and they are now looking for a Registered Manager to provide strategic and operational leadership across the region.

The Opportunity

As Registered Manager, you will have responsibility for the Social Work Service, providing leadership to managers and staff while ensuring the service continues to deliver outstanding outcomes for children, young people and foster families.

Working closely with the Senior Leadership Team, you will ensure services remain effective, well-led and fully compliant with fostering legislation, National Minimum Standards and regulatory requirements. You will also play an important part in continuous improvement and the future growth and development of the North East service.

This is a leadership position, but you don’t necessarily need to already be working as a Registered Manager to be considered.

We would be particularly interested in speaking with experienced professionals currently working within:

• Independent fostering agencies
• Local Authority fostering or children’s social care services
• Other not-for-profit, charitable or values-led children’s services organisations
• Fostering services with significant Ofsted and regulatory responsibility
• Fostering Team Manager, Service Manager or equivalent-level positions, where you are ready to take that next step into Registered Manager responsibility

What you’ll be doing

You will:

• Be the Ofsted Registered Manager for Team Fostering’s North East service.
• Provide leadership, management and support to managers and staff, creating a culture of high standards, accountability and professional development.
• Ensure safe and robust decision-making across safeguarding, referrals, assessments and allocation of work.
• Oversee the recruitment, assessment, training, support and retention of foster carers.
• Lead quality assurance and auditing activity across the service.
• Monitor outcomes for children and young people and identify opportunities to improve placement stability and care experiences.
• Ensure compliance with fostering legislation, National Minimum Standards and regulatory requirements.
• Develop strong working relationships with Local Authorities, Ofsted, partner agencies and other key stakeholders.
• Contribute to budget planning, annual targets and performance reporting.
• Support tendering activity, contract opportunities and regional growth.
• Report on performance, compliance and financial viability to the Board and Senior Leadership Team.
• Drive continuous improvement, innovation and strategic development across the North East service.

Who we’re looking for

Above all, Team Fostering is looking for an experienced, credible and values-led leader who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people. In line with Fostering Standards, you will have a recognised social work qualification or a professional qualification relevant to working with children at least at level 4; a qualification in management at least at level 4*; at least two years experience relevant to fostering within the last five years; and at least one years experience supervising and managing professional staff.

Appointees to the role of registered manager who do not have the relevant management qualification (above) must enrol on a management training course within six months, and obtain a relevant management qualification within three years, of their appointment.

You are likely to bring:

• Significant leadership and management experience within fostering or children’s social care.
• Strong knowledge of fostering legislation, safeguarding, National Minimum Standards and regulatory frameworks.
• Experience of managing teams, performance and service improvement.
• A strong understanding of Ofsted requirements, inspection and quality assurance.
• Confident safeguarding and risk-based decision-making.
• Excellent relationship-building skills, including working with Local Authorities, Ofsted and partner organisations.
• The ability to balance operational delivery with strategic leadership.
• A genuine commitment to achieving outstanding outcomes for children, young people and foster families.
• A full UK driving licence and flexibility to travel as required.

Why Team Fostering?

Team Fostering is an ethical, not-for-profit fostering agency with a strong track record of providing high-quality fostering placements for looked-after children.

The organisation is values-driven and invests heavily in its people, professional development, health and wellbeing. Team Fostering is also a Real Living Wage Foundation Employer, Investors in People Employer and Mindful Employer.

Their benefits include:

• 30 days’ annual leave plus 8 bank holidays
• Hybrid home and office working
• Flexible working arrangements
• Flexi-time and TOIL
• Monthly supervision and annual appraisal
• Company sick pay
• Staff loyalty bonus
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Retail discount and salary sacrifice schemes
• Life assurance
• GP Helpline
• Learning and development opportunities

There will be travel across the North East and occasional travel to Team Fostering’s Yorkshire and East Midlands offices, alongside participation in the agency’s out-of-hours rota.

Interested?

Team Fostering is an equal opportunity and Disability Confident Committed employer that is committed to equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging at work. As we continue to grow, we know that we must have the most talented employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and experiences to support our children and young people.

Team Fostering strives to be diverse and inclusive – a place where we can ALL be ourselves. We particularly encourage applications from people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic background, who are underrepresented within the agency.

Please note if you are shortlisted for interview we will contact you via the email you have provided. Please ensure you check your emails including your junk folder regularly.