Service Director - Fostering

The Cambian Group; England; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading therapeutic fostering organisation is seeking an experienced Service Director to oversee fostering services in the North West/Yorkshire region. The successful candidate will ensure operational delivery, compliance, and financial performance while driving foster carer recruitment and retention. Strong leadership and a commitment to safeguarding children are essential for this pivotal role.

Qualifications

• Highly experienced in leading fostering services.
• Strong background in compliance and financial performance.
• Ability to drive foster carer recruitment and retention.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop fostering services across the North West/ Yorkshire region.
• Provide strategic leadership to Registered Managers.
• Ensure compliance with statutory regulations and company policies.

Job description

Overview

By the Bridge with Cambian is an innovative, dynamic, independent therapeutic fostering organisation.

We are committed to providing high-quality foster care and wraparound services that transform the lives of children and young people. Our approach ensures that foster families feel valued, supported and able to make a real difference.

We are part of CareTech Community Services, one of the UK’s leading providers of specialist social care and education services, with a strong track record in delivering positive outcomes for children, young people and families.

The Role

We are seeking a highly experienced and inspirational Service Director to lead and develop our fostering services across the North West/ Yorkshire region. Reporting to the Managing Director of CareTech Fostering, you will hold responsibility for operational delivery, compliance, and financial performance, ensuring that our services remain safe, effective and sustainable.

As the Responsible Individual for the region, you will provide strategic leadership to Registered Managers, ensuring services are delivered in line with statutory regulations, National Minimum Standards and company policies. You will also play a key role in driving foster carer recruitment and retention, building strong relationships with local authorities, and shaping the future direction of fostering services in your region.

Fostering - Statutory / Care

• Hold responsibility for the actions of the South/North region of By the Bridge in particular ensuring that the registered manager is delivering the service in line with legislative requirements and company policies and procedures as well as supporting the delivery of the regional budget.
• Serve as Responsible Individual of the South/North region of the Agency within the terms of the Care Standards Act 2000 and related regulations and maintain robust oversight to ensure that the registered manager and registered office is adhering to the conditions of registration and requirements arising from inspection are appropriately met/acted upon.
• Ensure that all statutory requirements and functions for the Agency are undertaken according to relevant legislation, Regulations and National Minimum Standards, in particular: The Care Standards Act 2000; The Children Act 1989; Health & Safety legislation; Children and Young Person’s Act 2008.
• Ensure services are delivered and the region is managed in accordance with relevant government agendas and frameworks.
• Liaise with senior Local Authority personnel to ensure that commissioning arrangements are robust and new opportunities for working are explored.
• Review and present the regional budget monthly to the Managing Director.
• Keep abreast of national foster care development, research and policy, effecting implementation of the above within the Agency where appropriate.
• Ensure that the team is delivering its targets for assessment, training and supervision of foster carers and staff members in accordance with BTB policies and procedures, to fulfil the agency workload and maximise potential.
• Ensure that the team delivers a quality service with retention of foster carers a priority, also to continuously review regional carer retention targets and support the registered managers to ensure that they support and improve carer retention rates.
• Oversee the direction and line management of the Fostering Recruitment, Assessment and Panel Team.
• Work closely with the Director of Business Development to ensure that the region responds to placement requests effectively and efficiently with due regard to safeguarding and matching issues. And ensure that placements staff build effective relationships with customers and have due regard for customer care principles.

Quality Assurance

• Ensure senior leadership oversight of the regions compliance with legislative requirements, company policies and procedures to ensure that the region safeguards children/ young people and manages business risks. Work closely with the head of quality assurance and practice improvement to identify patterns and trends
• Oversight of complaints both internally from carers and children and ensure that the registered managers inform them of their rights and monitor patterns timescales and outcomes. Ensure that the protection of children/ young people and the promotion of their welfare is given absolute priority in all activities and that critical incidents/allegations are recorded, investigated and acted upon appropriately and in keeping with Park Foster Care’s and relevant local authority child protection procedures.