Social Worker - Fostering

North Yorkshire Council; Harrogate; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

North Yorkshire Council is seeking an experienced Fostering Social Worker to supervise and support approved foster carers across the county, from newly approved carers to those caring for the most complex children. You will work with carers ranging from newly approved to those caring for complex children, focusing on safe, stable, and nurturing outcomes.

You will be a qualified social worker with trauma-informed understanding, collaborate with partner services, and participate in occasional

Qualifications

• Qualified social worker with fostering experience preferred.
• Strong understanding of adverse childhood experiences and trauma.
• Ability to develop outcomes for children through collaborative working relationships.

Responsibilities

• Provide supervision and support to approved foster carers across the county.
• Conduct home visits and participate in group work as part of an out-of-hours rota.
• Work with partner services to meet children's needs and safety.

Skills

Qualified Social Worker experience

Fostering experience

Trauma-informed practice

Excellent communication

Education

Social Work degree (HCPC registered)

Job description

We have an excellent opportunity to joining our experienced team of Fostering Social Workers who are responsible for North Yorkshire foster carers, providing support to all approved foster carers across the county

About the service

North Yorkshire Council have a national reputation for excellence, and we are extremely proud of the work our Children’s Services do.

The team works with both prospective foster carers throughout the assessment process and approved foster carers across the county, ensuring children receive safe, stable, and nurturing care that meets their individual needs.

About the role

The post of Fostering Social Worker involves a range of professional skills; however, this role will predominantly focus on the supervision and support of approved Foster Carers ranging from newly approved Foster Carers to those who care for the most complex children and young people in care.

You will be a qualified Social Worker, ideally experienced in fostering and have a good understanding of the impact of childhood adverse trauma. You will need to be committed to developing excellent outcomes for children through creating productive working relationships with a wide range of services to support our fostering families.

Applicants would benefit from an understanding of the whole fostering process, but specifically the requirements to support and supervise Foster Carers. In addition, you should be familiar with the statutory responsibilities throughout their on-going approval.

The post involves a degree of working outside normal office hours for home visits and group work. North Yorkshire Fostering offer an Out of Hours phone line between 6-10pm weekday and 2pm-6pm weekends, it is an expectation of the post that you are part of this rota which equates to 2 slots per month (Full time).

It is an exciting time in Children and Young Peoples Services in North Yorkshire as we plan our approach in respect of the Families First Partnership Programme and how we will be responding to the social care reforms. Work is underway to plan our approach and implementations for 2027. As a result of this, some realignment may happen with job roles in the future, we want to be transparent about this in respect of this role.

For full details of the role and to help with your application please see Job description

To find out more about what we offer please see Total rewards

For further information regarding the roles contact Victoria Harker at [e-mail]

Using AI? Please follow our guidance to ensure your application reflects your own knowledge and experience: Advice on your job application | North Yorkshire Council

Key Dates

Closing date: 15th November 2026

Interview:- w/c 23rd November 2026