Supervising Social Worker

Polaris Community; City of Edinburgh; Remote; GBP 35,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

Foster Care Associates Scotland in Scotland is seeking a Supervising Social Worker to provide trauma-informed, child-centred foster care support. The role is home-based across East Scotland with regular supervision of foster carers and collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.

You must have a recognised Social Work qualification and current SSSC registration; driving licence is essential. The position is full-time (35 hours weekly) with a salary up to £39,392.73 and benefits including a car

Qualifications

• Strong written communication skills and ability to produce high-quality reports.
• Commitment to trauma-informed, relationship-based practice.
• Flexibility to travel across East Scotland for visits and meetings.
• Ability to support children and foster carers in challenging situations.
• Demonstrated resilience and emotional awareness in safeguarding roles.

Responsibilities

• Support foster carers to provide trauma-informed care
• Build trusting relationships with carers and promote reflective practice
• Monitor foster carers' wellbeing and development
• Explain fostering standards and safeguarding procedures clearly
• Provide regular supervision and professional guidance to carers
• Work with multi-agency teams to plan child-centred care
• Ensure documentation and plans are complete and up-to-date
• Attend meetings and contribute written reports for commissioning teams
• Promote participation and rights of children and young people
• Participate in Out of Hours and daytime duty rosters

Skills

Written communication

Trauma-informed practice

Travel flexibility

Caring for children

Emotional resilience

Education

Social Work qualification

Job description

Foster Care Associates Scotland (FCAS)
Role: Supervising Social Worker
Location: Home-based - East Scotland
Covering Area: East Scotland
Salary: Up to £39,392.73, dependent upon experience
Status: Full Time, 35 hours per week
Benefits: Company Car or £2,000 Car Allowance, 30 days' annual leave, rising to 35 days with length of service, plus bank holidays, Life Assurance and Employee Discount Scheme

About Us

Since 2002, we have been dedicated to transforming the lives of children and young people through high-quality fostering support and care. Together with our sister organisation, Foster Care Associates, we are part of one of the UK's largest and most respected fostering organisations, giving our teams access to exceptional resources, specialist expertise and sector-leading support.

At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to children, young people and the foster carers who support them across Scotland. We believe every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential, feel valued and thrive within their community. Over the past 24 years, we have supported and cared for more than 2,000 children and young people, helping to create brighter futures and lasting positive outcomes.

We are also proud to have made a pledge to The Promise Scotland, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to ensuring that care-experienced children and young people grow up loved, safe and respected, with opportunities to reach their full potential. Our pledge reflects our dedication to embedding the values and ambitions of The Promise across all areas of our work.

We are proud that our passion, dedication and high standards have been recognised by the Care Inspectorate, who graded our service as "Very Good". This reflects the commitment, professionalism and compassion of our entire team and reinforces our reputation as an organisation where both children and colleagues are supported to succeed.

Duties Will Include:

• Support foster carers and their families to provide safe, nurturing, trauma-informed care that helps children and young people feel secure, valued and able to achieve positive outcomes
• Build trusting and supportive relationships with foster carers, promoting reflective practice and helping them develop the skills, confidence and resilience required to meet the individual needs of children and young people
• Support and monitor the ongoing suitability, wellbeing and development of foster carers to ensure children experience stable, caring and emotionally attuned home environments that promote recovery, growth and learning
• Ensure foster carers have a clear understanding of the fostering role, trauma-informed parenting approaches and the standards, policies and procedures expected within FCA Scotland, including complaints and representation processes
• Provide regular supervision and supportive professional guidance to allocated foster carers in line with FCA Scotland Operational Standards, encouraging reflection, strengths-based practice and continuous learning
• Work collaboratively within a team parenting and multi-agency approach to identify and respond to the holistic needs of children, young people and foster families. This may include support around short breaks, therapeutic input, education, activities, family time, health and community opportunities
• Ensure children, young people and foster carers are supported to maintain all key documentation and plans, recognising the importance of clear communication, stability and coordinated care planning
• Attend meetings and contribute written reports for commissioning teams and professional networks to support the development of responsive, child-centred packages of care
• Promote the voice, participation and rights of children and young people, ensuring they are meaningfully involved in decisions affecting their lives and supported to access opportunities, activities and resources within their local communities
• Participate in an Out of Hours support service on a rota basis, providing responsive and compassionate support to foster carers and young people when needed
• Participate in the daytime duty system on a rota basis, supporting the referrals team and contributing to timely, well-matched and trauma-informed planning

You Must Have:

• A recognised Social Work qualification
• Current Social Work registration with SSSC
• Strong written communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, analytical and high-quality reports
• A sound working knowledge of relevant childcare legislation, safeguarding responsibilities and child protection procedures
• A commitment to trauma-informed, relationship-based practice when supporting children, young people and foster families
• Flexibility and willingness to travel as part of the role, including occasional overnight stays if required
• The confidence, resilience and emotional awareness to safely support and transport children and young people, including during periods of distress or heightened emotion
• A full UK driving licence

For more information about this post please contact Michelle Trevis Smith, Fostering Service Manager, on 0141 646 1400.

Foster Care Associates Scotland is an equal opportunities employer and has Disability Confident Employer status through Jobcentre Plus. The successful applicant will be subject to a PVG check at enhanced level.