37 hours per week
The Team Manager for General Fostering is an exciting opportunity to be part of an experienced, dynamic and growing service here in Bridgend. We are looking for a manager to support the General Fostering team to deliver high quality support to support to foster carers and the children in their care in line with The Local Authority Fostering Services (Wales) Regulations 2018. Within the service we have a team of Social Workers and Placement Support workers to provide direct support to carers and families, supported by an experienced Senior Practitioner. We have a dedicated Recruitment Officer within our service and have a regional approach to recruitment with our Cwm Taf partners via Foster Wales. We also work closely with the Placements Team and a Placement Referral Officer who is a liaison between General Fostering, Placements and Childrens Teams. The Officer is a dedicated duty worker who supports the completion of high-quality placement referrals and identifies potential foster carers to support children. As the Team Manager you will provide high quality supervision to team members, ensuring the promotion of foster carer recruitment and retention and supporting placement finding and commissioning. You will maintain oversight of practice standards, ensuring regulatory compliance is met and undertaking quality assurance activities. You will work closely with the Group Manager for Provider Services to develop practice and policy in line with changes to legislation and guidance. You will also work closely alongside the Kinship and Permanence Team who support Connected Persons foster carers and Special Guardians. The Team is co-located with the Care Experienced Children and 16+ teams to enable effective collaborative working, based in Civic Offices. The local authority as flexible working arrangements available including hybrid working opportunities. You will receive high quality, regular supervision as well as having access to training and career opportunities. Whilst we are a Signs of Safety Local Authority, previous training and experience of the model is not a requirement as we provide regular training to support all staff using the model in practice and a dedicated officer to support the teams to integrate the model into their everyday working arrangements. We are looking for a person with experience developing and maintaining collaborative working relationships with partners and supporting staff through change, with a commitment to learning and development. The successful applicant will be a qualified social worker with fostering and management experience and thorough knowledge of fostering regulations and relevant children’s legislation in Wales.
The ability to greet customers through the medium of Welsh is a requirement for this post.
Protecting children, young people or adults at risk is a core responsibility of all council employees.
Criminal records check by the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) is a requirement for this post.
The council’s Hybrid Working Policy applies to this post. This provides a framework for establishing how you will undertake working hours between your home and the office.
Closing Date: 14 August 2024
Shortlisting Date: 16 August 2024
Interview Date: 03 September 2024
Benefits to working at Bridgend County Borough Council
Job Description & Person Specification