what is a supervising social worker?
As a supervising social worker, you play a crucial role in the foster care system. You work alongside foster carers and families to advise and support them on their fostering journey. Your work involves taking care of foster children and carers. For instance, you conduct regular assessments to ensure the children are making progress and acclimatising to their new foster homes. You also check for signs of abuse and emotional problems and find solutions to ensure the children are comfortable. Since you report every incident and keep records of the children's progress in fostering, you should recommend solutions that benefit children in your care. You can also relocate them to new homes or offer help if they need counselling or rehabilitation.
what does a supervising social worker do?
Aside from caring for children, as a supervising social worker, you also prepare foster carers for their duties. You need to build a strong relationship with foster families and provide the support that the children need to feel comfortable. Being close to the foster families also helps you make the right children placements. Sometimes, your role also involves the recruitment of foster carers and training them to ensure they can provide emotional support to children. You need people and communication skills since you will work in a highly collaborative environment. You spend most time speaking to children or foster families.
Would working as a supervising social worker in social care suit your people skills and passion for improving other people's lives? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in a supervising social worker role.
average salary of a supervising social worker
According to ONS, a supervising social worker takes home an average salary of £34,000 per year. At the beginning of your career, your average earnings will be £31,721 annually, but with additional qualifications and experience, your compensation package can increase to £40,403 per year. As a supervising social worker, you also receive additional benefits like travel allowance and contribution to a pension scheme. The role provides numerous opportunities to increase your earnings through overtime work.
what factors affect the salary of a supervising social worker?
As a supervising social worker, your salary fluctuates depending on your experience level. Entry-level supervising social workers have minimal transferable skills, limiting their compensation package. Experienced supervising social workers have specialised skills and competencies, making them valuable to the foster care system.
Aside from your experience level, your employer also determines your salary. For instance, a supervising social worker working for private foster entities is likely to earn more than those working for the local authorities. You can also improve your salary prospects by changing locations. Areas with a huge demand for supervising social workers pay more than regions with low demand. Working in large cities also attracts better salaries than working in smaller towns.
types of supervising social workers
The types of supervising social workers depend on the employer and whether they work for the public or private sector. Some common supervising social workers include:
- supervising social workers in not-for-profit organisations: as a supervising social worker working for a non-governmental organisation, you keep an eye on children in the foster systems and their carers. Private foster care institutions assist local authorities with foster care placements and managing foster families.
- supervising social workers in the public sector: a supervising social worker may work for the local authorities or government social services. Your job is to identify foster families and match them with children. You also ensure the families receive government support and follow up on the child's progress in the foster system.
working as a supervising social worker
Working as a supervising social worker involves protecting the foster carers' interests and supporting them in accomplishing their obligations. You also monitor the well-being of the children in the foster system.
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supervising social worker job description
Typical duties of a supervising social worker include:
- taking care of foster carers: as a supervising social worker, you build a relationship with foster parents and take them through the fostering procedures. You help them with placement and filing paperwork. You also advise foster parents and listen to them when they have problems. If they need assistance with a foster child, you are the first point of contact. Helping a carer allows them to focus on providing support to children.
- training foster families: training helps foster carers provide stability and emotional support to children. As a supervising social worker, you identify training opportunities for the foster carer. For instance, a foster carer needs to learn how to support a child with disabilities or a victim of abuse. The training sessions are face-to-face or online; you can also personalise the training depending on the needs of a foster carer.
- keeping in touch with foster families: as a supervising social worker, you need to be available to the foster carers in case of a problem. You can stay in touch with foster families and the children throughout the placement. Sometimes, you need to make home visits weekly or bimonthly and write progress reports for the children.
- arranging for additional support: as a supervising social worker, your priority is to ensure both the child and foster carer are comfortable. Some children may need learning support or therapy.
- supporting birth parents: some children are placed into the foster system due to the incarceration of their birth parents. In such instances, a supervising social worker needs to help children maintain contact with their birth parents.
- liaising with local authorities: as a supervising social worker, you need to communicate relevant matters and changes in regulations to the child's social worker and the foster carer. You also have to liaise with local authorities to comply with the latest regulations.
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work environment
A supervising social worker's career is an office-based role since you spend time identifying foster families in a region and vetting them. You also assess the needs of children before matching them to foster families. Sometimes, you work outdoors during home visits or when meeting with foster carers for training. You also travel to attend training sessions for foster families or workshops for social workers. When working in local governments, you may work on community projects for foster children and families.
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who are your colleagues?
A supervising social worker either works in the public or private sector, and your colleagues will include social workers, foster carers and youth workers. You are also likely to work in close proximity to healthcare assistants and family support workers, as well as other specialists like community development workers, counsellors and communication support workers.
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work schedule
As a supervising social worker, you work on full-time or part-time schedules. Full-time work schedules cover 40 hours a week, and supervising social workers work from 9 am to 5 pm. Working unsociable hours is common in the profession since emergencies demand your presence in foster homes at night or early mornings. Part-time schedules are possible if you are not managing multiple foster homes. The job involves travelling since you have to visit foster homes during verification and child placement. Remote work opportunities may not be possible in supervising social workers since you have to make home visits to foster parents. However, you can work from home when completing paperwork and reports.
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job outlook
A supervising social worker can become a fostering manager or senior social work supervisor in charge of all social work activities in an area. You can also diversify to other childcare or adult social work roles. Some supervising social workers become specialists in child welfare or issues affecting them like mental health problems or drug abuse.
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advantages of finding a supervising social worker job through randstad
Finding your supervising social worker job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:
- a wide variety of training and development opportunities
- an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
- a range of opportunities in your area
- get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
- temporary and permanent contracts
Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a supervising social worker is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too!
education and skills
As a supervising social worker, you need an undergraduate degree in social work authorised by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). A postgraduate degree can boost your chances of landing a job, but it is not a requirement. A postgraduate degree is only mandatory for those transitioning from other careers into social work.
Apart from educational qualifications, you need work experience in foster care practice. You can gain experience from internships and voluntary work. Most employers also require a Disclosure and Barring Service check and a driving licence since the job involves a lot of travelling.
skills and competencies
Supervising social workers need the following skills and competencies:
- organisational skills: as a supervising social worker, you supervise multiple foster carers. Without organisational skills, you may forget to complete home visits in some areas. Prioritisation helps you deal with urgent child placement cases and foster carers' issues.
- people skills: as a supervising social worker, you have to be friendly and maintain a positive attitude when dealing with foster carers. People skills help you relate with children and foster families well and solve any problems with child placement.
- communication skills: as a supervising social worker, communication skills help you pass information clearly between different parties. Listening skills are also valuable to ensure you provide the necessary help. Communication skills assist you in preparing reports and assessments.
- a good dose of empathy: a supervising social worker requires emotional intelligence to empathise with children or foster carers.
FAQs
FAQs about working as a supervising social worker.
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what does a supervising social worker do?
As a supervising social worker, you assist children in the foster system and their families. You help all parties navigate the realities of living in care.
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how do I become a supervising social worker in the UK?
You can become a supervising social worker if you have experience in foster care and a degree in social work.
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what is social worker misconduct?
Social worker misconduct usually happens due to malpractices and neglect of regulations. Misconduct arise due to poor safeguarding of parties in the foster system or breaches in confidentiality.
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why is supervision necessary for foster carers?
Supervision enables foster carers to develop their skills and provide the required support to foster children. The supervising social worker also ensures the children are happy.
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how do I apply for a supervising social worker vacancy?
Applying for a supervising social worker job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our job offers for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here!
