About the role
We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced leader to join Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council’s Fostering Service as our Fostering Assessment and Recruitment Service Manager.
You will be responsible for ensuring quality fostering, connected person, special guardianship and private fostering assessments. You will also be responsible for the recruitment of Foster Carers across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
You will join an established and dedicated management team.
You will have strong leadership skills and commercial acumen and lead by example.
This role provides the right candidate with a fantastic opportunity to improve outcomes for vulnerable children & young people. You will be integral in supporting our drive to recruit Foster Carers which will enable children in our care to stay within the local community. You will have a passion to support children and young people to, where appropriate, remain in their connected network through ensuring quality connected person assessments.
You need to show us that you can think creatively to support the recruitment of Foster Carers and have knowledge and experience in ensuring quality practice and quality assessments and have experience in managing a team.
What will you be doing?
You will be responsible for
• 3 social work teams each with 1 team manager, 2 senior practitioners and 4 fte. social workers.
• 1 Senior Recruitment Officer and 2 Recruitment Officers.
• Working alongside the Communications’ Manager to support the recruitment of Foster Carers, alongside budget management of this area.
• Ensuring quality assessments (Coram Baaf Form C and F and Private Fostering) for Connected Persons, Special Guardians and Foster Carers.
• Ensuring staff management and HR processes are followed.
• Working alongside 2 other Service Managers within the Service who are responsible for the Supervision and Support of Foster Carers, Household Reviews and Practice Standards.
• Ensuring data is accurate.
Please refer to the Job description for further details.
About you
We are keen to hear from you if you have strong leadership and management skills. You will have a passion for working with applicant Foster Cares, Connected Persons, Special Guardians and Private Foster Carers. You will have experience in ensuring quality assessments and a knowledge base of relevant statutory legislation and guidance.
You will be creative and understand the commercial market in which fostering sits.
You will be evidenced based in your practice and use data to support developments and quality assurance.
Salary grade is P4 £52,055-£56,025.
Interview date will be Wednesday 5th July 2023.
If you wish to discuss this post, please contact Anita Hewson, Fostering Head of Service Anita.Hewson@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
We are proud to serve the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and want our workforce to reflect this diversity, which we believe is beneficial for our employees, the organisation and the communities we serve.
The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.
Our benefits
We value our colleagues in Cambridgeshire County Council and have developed a number of benefits:
- Flexible and creative working arrangements
- Flexible Bank Holidays
- A comprehensive wellbeing package
- Our Cambs Rewards employee discounts
- A comprehensive pension scheme
- IDEAL staff equality, diversity and inclusion network
- Camweb our staff intranet helping to keep you informed
- An employee recognition scheme
For our Social Workers, we offer more specific benefits like:
- Generous annual leave provision (28 days, plus bank holidays)
- A supportive management team that will champion your learning and development
- Employee Assistance Programme – access to free support 24 hours a day
- Payment for business mileage expenses (45p per mile, and for the 2022/2023 financial year an additional fuel allowance for those driving over 300 business miles each month)
- Scalable retention payments to loyal social workers in specific teams after the first full year of employment, starting at £900 which increases during the first three years of service
- A relocation package of up to £8000 for eligible candidates
- Plus, 6 days of protected time each year to enable our Social Workers to maintain their Continuous Professional Development.
Please read our benefits brochure attached for more information.
About us
Cambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes.
We are proud to serve the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and want our workforce to be reflective of this diversity, which we believe benefits our employees, the organisation and our communities.
Visit our jobs and careers section to find out more about our wide range of learning and development opportunities; apprenticeships; our wellbeing package; staff benefits; our commitment to equality, diversity and Inclusion.
Attached documents
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