Job Ref: 213467180

Date: 2021-03-31 17:08:43

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INTEGRATED SERVICES PROGRAMME (ISP)

Fostering Team Manager

Basic Salary: Up to £40,000

Benefits: £3,000 Car Allowance, 30 days’ Annual Leave (rising to 35 days’ with length of service) + Bank Holidays, Company Pension, Life Assurance x2, Employee Discount Scheme & Free Parking

Base Location: Milton Keynes

About Us

Set up in 1987 by a small but passionate group of foster parents, we became the UK’s first independent foster care agency. That gives us the benefit of over 30 years' of fostering experience and we’re still going strong!

The founder members recognised that looked after children – especially those who’d had very difficult starts in life – needed specialist support. So right from the beginning they put the child at the centre of their thinking and surrounded them with an integrated range of support services. In fact, that's what ISP means: Integrated Service Programme.

Over time, this circle of support has increased to include a whole range of professionals that children and foster parents can tap into, whenever they need to. This includes social workers, fostering advisors, teachers and therapists, who all work with our foster parents and the children they look after, helping them understand and manage even the most challenging situations. This is what’s known as a ‘therapeutic approach’ to fostering and it’s something that we pioneered.

About this opportunity

Working with the Registered Manager, the Fostering Team Manager will develop and manage our service whilst providing a Secure Base framework for employees, carers and young people to support them to meet their full potential.

The Fostering Team Manager will provide day to day operational support to the Registered Manager, ensuring the commitment of all staff and foster carers to ISP’s holistic, integrated approach to meeting the needs of children.

Key responsibilities

* Management of staff and services, ensuring our children and young people are receiving the highest standards of foster care, education and therapy possible.

* Oversee and direct statutory and regulatory compliance in operations.

* Supervise, support and appraise Social Workers, Fostering Advisors, Administrators, and other Centre staff.

* Facilitate and develop positive relationships with our Children and Families, Centre staff, staff from other Centres within our wider Group, and external partners.

* Hold a caseload of Foster Carers (up to 50% of total capacity) as and when required by the service during busy periods or when short staffed.

* Contribute to the development plans of the Centre and wider ISP network.

About You

* A registered and qualified Social Worker with evidence of post-qualification study.

* Strong previous experience as a Senior Social Worker in a Fostering environment, ideally within an IFA although this is not essential.

* Demonstrable management experience within Social Work.

* Understanding of UK Fostering legislation and regulations.

* High IT literacy to include the Microsoft Suite ie, Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint, and confident with databases ie, CHARMS.

* Current, valid UK driving licence with unrestricted access to own car.

For an informal conversation about this post please contact Jane Partridge on (phone number removed).

To be considered please do apply today. This advert may be removed early if sufficient applications are received prior to the stated closing date.

Due to the current lockdown situation all interviews are being held virtually and all appointments managed pragmatically in line with individual and company needs.

No agencies please

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