Jobs in Sunderland, United Kingdom

This is an exceptional chance for a motivated and experienced Supervising Social Worker to join an Ofsted-rated "Good Provider" not-for-profit independent fostering agency. This organisation is deeply committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, striving to provide them with safety, stability, and hope.

The agency is seeking a dynamic professional for a dual-focus role in West Yorkshire. The position offers significant flexibility, being primarily remote-based with only occasional attendance required at the main office. The successful candidate will blend high-quality supervision for existing foster families with a crucial strategic function: supporting the agency's expansion into a new area.

The Supervising Social Worker will initially undertake a hybrid role essential for growth:

• This includes managing the process for new fostering applicants in the developing area, from completing initial home visits and assessing applicants (referred by the recruitment team) to preparing them for approval.

• Providing ongoing, comprehensive supervision to an allocated caseload of existing and newly approved foster families, ensuring all placements meet national standards and children's needs are effectively addressed.

• As the local caseload grows and stabilises, the emphasis of the role will shift, reducing the focus on recruitment/assessment duties to allow the Supervising Social Worker to concentrate solely on the supervision, support, and case management of their established cohort of foster carers.

This role is primarily remote, offering excellent flexibility, though occasional travel to the main office for meetings and training will be expected. Applicants must hold Significant experience working within an Independent Fostering Agency or similar setting is essential. A full driving licence is essential due to the requirement for home visits across the area.

The role provides a competitive starting salary from £42,000, plus allowances, an essential car user allowance, and a generous package of benefits, including private healthcare and a staff rewards and recognition scheme.

The Supervising Social Worker will be expected to effectively manage the following key responsibilities:

• Lead the initial phase of the fostering journey for applicants in the new area, including conducting initial home visits and completing thorough Form F assessments based on referrals from the recruitment team.

• Provide regular, high-quality, and reflective supervision to an allocated cohort of foster families, ensuring full compliance with agency standards and statutory requirements.

• Ensure all foster families with a child in placement are visited at least monthly, with more frequent visits scheduled for new or complex placements as agreed.

• Collaborate actively as part of the "team around the child," coordinating and managing support to foster placements to ensure alignment with the child's care plan and the foster families' capabilities.

• Undertake essential assessment and review work, including annual foster carer reviews and necessary risk assessments, ensuring documentation is completed accurately and in a timely manner.

• Participate in the agency's social work duty system, covering both the daytime rota and the out-of-hours duty rota, to provide support to all existing and new foster placements.

• Contribute to the ongoing retention strategies for current foster families and participate in delivering training and therapeutic support groups for carers.

• Maintain engagement with professional supervision, attend relevant practice and staff meetings (which may require occasional office attendance), and pursue professional development activities.

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To discuss this vacancy in more detail or if you'd be interested in hearing about similar opportunities please contact Ethan Proud via: Mobile: 07384481925

Randstad Care acts as an employment business when supplying temporary staff and as an employment agency when introducing candidates for permanent employment with a client. Randstad Care is an equal opportunities employer and decisions are made on merits alone.

Did you know that Randstad Care have been awarded a place on the National Clinical Staffing Framework for the NHS? This means we will be able to bring you more opportunities within nursing & midwifery and clinical staffing.