About The Role
Are you passionate about making a positive and lasting difference to children and young people? Do you want to work for a progressive independent fostering agency with ambitious plans for the future? Are you an experienced Social Work Manager looking for a new challenge, or a social work practitioner who has led and managed a team looking for career progression?
We are looking for an enthusiastic and passionate Fostering Team Manager to join our experienced and successful team responsible for leading an experienced team of Supervising Social Workers who are reflective and creative in practice. Working collaboratively with all stakeholders, you will strive to ensure that the children and young people in our care reach their full potential.
You will be based at either our West Malling or Whitstable office, though regional travel is part of the role to support your team, and national travel will be required to visit other Compass offices. A car and a valid driving licence are essential to the role.
In this role you will:
1. Contribute to the Fostering Service in delivering the overarching strategic plan for Compass.
2. Work with the Head of Fostering in delivering operational excellence, continuous improvement, and financial performance of the business whilst safeguarding children and young people.
3. Lead, motivate, and guide a team of social care practitioners in ensuring that we provide outstanding care and that the best possible outcomes for our children and child protection and safeguarding principles are embedded in practice.
4. Work within Compass Fostering Policy and legal and regulatory standards and requirements, ensuring that the team’s practice is of a consistently high quality, reflective, evidence-based, documented, and quality assured.
5. Achieve regional targets and KPIs for placement growth and carer recruitment and retention whilst ensuring that the needs of the children and young people and the carers are met when making placements.
6. Demonstrate a positive and dynamic leadership and management style, providing day-to-day operational support to your team of Supervising Social Workers, creating a highly skilled, trained, and motivated team.
7. Safeguard the children and young people in our care, including support to the Registered Manager within the monitoring of Schedule 6/7 matters and, when appropriate, to have delegated responsibility for liaising with Ofsted on these matters.
8. Demonstrate excellent communication and engagement skills in developing, managing, and strengthening the customer relationship with key LA customers.
9. Have a relevant professional qualification in social work and be Social Care England (or equivalent) registered.
Benefits of joining Compass Fostering:
1. Cashback for various medical appointments & treatments including optical and dental with MediCash.
2. Win up to £150 per month in our REACH awards.
3. Receive £200 (2 years), £400 (5 years), and £600 (10 years) service awards, plus up to £500 special recognition award for outstanding practice.
4. 25 days annual leave, rising to 28 days within 4 years, plus all bank holidays. Additional 2.5 days each year for your birthday, a health and wellbeing day, and a half-day festive shopping day.
5. Life Assurance Scheme.
6. Salary sacrifice schemes, including childcare vouchers, technology, and cycle to work.
7. Clear progression pathways with our Management Training programme.
Our recruitment process aims to create and maintain a safe workforce and contains robust vetting procedures. The successful applicants will be offered a role subject to satisfactory references and an enhanced DBS check.
Compass is an equal-opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. As we continue to grow, we know that we must have the most talented employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and experiences to support our children and young people.
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