Team Manager – Fostering Kinship & Recruitment Team

Position: Team Manager – Fostering Kinship & Recruitment Team (Permanent)
Southend-on-Sea City Council
Team Manager – Fostering Kinship & Recruitment Team
Salary: £53,460–£58,959 + £7,500 R&R payment after 3 years and 1 day | Permanent | Full-time

Intro paragraph:
Southend-on-Sea City Council is recruiting an experienced Team Manager – Fostering Kinship & Recruitment Team to lead the day-to-day delivery of fostering, kinship and recruitment services within Children & Learning Specialist Services.

What’s on Offer

Permanent management role within Specialist Services
Salary range of £53,460–£58,959
£7,500 recruitment and retention payment after 3 years and 1 day
Opportunities for professional development and management training
Supportive senior leadership and collaborative working environment

Key Responsibilities

Provide operational leadership and direction for the fostering, kinship and recruitment service
Manage a team including Advanced Practitioners, supervising social workers and support staff
Ensure recruitment, assessment, training and supervision of foster carers and kinship carers meet statutory requirements
Deliver high-quality supervision, performance management and appraisals, identifying training and development needs
Ensure compliance with Fostering National Minimum Standards, legislation and local procedures
Monitor performance, quality and outcomes, embedding a culture of continuous improvement
Oversee complex and high-risk cases where required and support care planning for children
Work in partnership with internal teams, external agencies and multi-disciplinary forums
Manage complaints appropriately and escalate where necessary
Oversee team budgets and authorise expenditure within agreed limits
Chair meetings, conferences and reviews, ensuring children’s needs remain central
Contribute to senior management decision-making and deputise for the Service Manager when required
As Team Manager – Fostering Kinship & Recruitment Team, ensure services contribute effectively to the Council’s strategic objectives Requirements

Recognised social work qualification (CQSW, DipSW, CSS or equivalent) with current professional registration
Minimum 4 years’ post-qualifying statutory experience in children’s services
Proven experience working as an Advanced Practitioner within fostering services
Demonstrable experience in fostering and/or kinship assessment and recruitment
Strong knowledge of fostering legislation, National Minimum Standards and safeguarding practice

Experience of supervising staff and contributing to service development
Ability to manage performance, resources and budgets effectively
Excellent communication, leadership and decision-making skills
The Team Manager – Fostering Kinship & Recruitment Team must be able to travel within and outside the borough as required

Why Ackerman Pierce?
Dedicated permanent recruitment support
Interview and offer guidance
Long-term career advice

Ready to Apply?
Contact Phil at Ackerman Pierce on (phone number removed) or email (url removed)
to apply or find out more