Registered Manager - Fostering

Full Job Description

Job Title: Registered Manager - Fostering

Location: Regionally based across South East 

Contract Type: Permanent - Full Time

Salary: up to £65,000 dependent on experience

This is an amazing opportunity to join National Fostering Group as a Registered Manager with Children First Fostering. We cover Essex, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, parts of London and parts of Kent. We provide high quality foster care for children and young people aged between 0 to 18 years old and currently work with more than 50 foster carers and over 55 children. Our most recent Ofsted rating was Outstanding!

You can find out more about us here: https://www.nfa.co.uk/children-first-fostering-agency/office/basildon/ 

About the Group

We are part of the National Fostering Group – the UK’s largest independent fostering family.

Our highly skilled and dedicated fostering community supports Local Authorities by providing short or long-term foster placements for thousands of vulnerable children and teenagers throughout the UK. All of our regional fostering agencies are officially recognised by Ofsted, Welsh, and Scottish regulators as either ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’. So, it is perhaps not surprising that more people choose to foster with our fostering agencies than any other fostering provider in the UK.

About the Role. 

As Registered Manager you will be accountable for providing vision and leadership to teams within Children First Fostering. The successful candidate will promote the agency and follow relevant guidelines ensuring the team meet the “Statement of Purpose” and remain compliant with legislation and regulations. 

The Registered Manager will lead a team including Team Managers, Supervising Social Workers and Support Workers to ensure they have the support they need for effective team working and development. You will seek opportunities for improvement, business growth and maintain key links within Local Authorities.

Who we are looking for?

We are looking for someone who has experience working successfully as a manager and leader to develop high performing teams within Children’s Services. Experience of working within fostering is desirable but not essential. The ideal candidate will have strong knowledge of relevant policies and regulations for Children’s Services and experience providing high quality outcomes for children and young people. 

You will need to be a qualified social worker and hold either:

• A level 4 Leadership and Management for Care Services and Health and Social Care (achieved before January 2011), OR;
• A level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care and Children and Young People’s Services (achieved after January 2011)

Due to the nature of the role you will need to have a full UK driving licence and use of a car for work.

Main Responsibilities

• Monitoring and maintaining full compliance with regulations and standards to ensure excellent outcomes for children and young people and excellent grades from the regulatory bodies.
• Ensures that within the region there is provision of 24 hour professional support for foster carers and that an effective out of hours placement service is available for customers.
• Ensures any matters concerning child protection are dealt with in accord with government guidelines and company policy.
• Ensures assessments of prospective foster carers is in accordance with National Fostering Group policies and procedures and government guidelines.
• Responsible for ensuring the agency drives to achieve good outcomes for children and takes full responsibility for the service delivery to children, young people, the carers and families, in line with legislation, guidance and local policy and procedures.
• Responsible for the recruitment, induction of new staff and retention of current staff.
• Develops new business and fostering resources within the area where the agency operates.
• Ensures effective client management and maintains external market awareness.

Essential Criteria

• A track record in managing cultural and organisational change management.
• Be a qualified social worker.
• A level 4 Leadership and Management for Care Services and Health and Social Care (achieved before January 2011), OR;
• A level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care and Children and Young People’s Services (achieved after January 2011).
• A proven track record of experience within a similar field.
• Experience supervising and managing professional staff.
• Evidence of Continuous professional/ management development.
• Proven experience of managing budgets.

Why work for us

At National Fostering Group, our employee’s health and wellbeing are important to us. We offer an exceptional rewards package as well as access to our flexible benefits platform - so you can choose extra benefits that are suited to you. Below includes some of our offerings:

• Up to 39 days annual leave each year (25 base entitlement + 1 One moment in time + 8 bank holidays + ability to buy up to 5 extra days)
• You will also get 1 extra days holiday per year of service up until 5 years
• Minimum 9% pension contributions
• Life Assurance
• ‘The Hub’ – a discount marketplace
• Tech Scheme – tax and interest free retail vouchers

Plus so much more physical and mental health benefits for you to choose from!

And that’s not all, we place the outcomes of the children and vulnerable young adults in our services at the heart of everything we do, so you’ll wake every day in the knowledge that your role will have a significant positive impact on the lives of others.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and we expect all employees to share this commitment and undertake appropriate checks.

We are an Equal Opportunities employer.