Location: Darlington
Pay Rate: £27.56 per hour (Umbrella)
Contract Type: Full-time (37 hours per week), Ongoing locum assignment
Working Model: Hybrid (Office-based in Darlington with flexible home working and community visits)
Role Overview
An experienced, supportive, and child-focused Qualified Social Worker is required to join a dedicated Fostering Service in Darlington.
In this rewarding role, you will work closely with foster carers, children, and young people to ensure high standards of care, stability, and safeguarding across foster placements. You will be responsible for assessing prospective carers, delivering ongoing supervision, and ensuring foster families receive the statutory and emotional support necessary to provide safe, nurturing environments for care-experienced children.
Key Responsibilities
- Complete detailed Form F assessments, mainstream foster carer reviews, and connected persons/kinship assessments.
- Provide regular statutory supervision, guidance, and support to allocated foster carers in line with Fostering Regulations and NMS (National Minimum Standards).
- Present comprehensive assessment reports and annual carer reviews to the Fostering Panel.
- Match children with suitable foster placements and oversee smooth transition processes.
- Conduct unannounced home visits and monitor safeguarding standards within carer households.
- Collaborate with multi-agency networks, including children's caseworkers, schools, health professionals, and therapeutic support services.
- Participate in duty rotas for placement support and crisis management when required.
Requirements & Experience
- Qualification: Degree/Diploma in Social Work (BA, BSc, MA, DipSW, or CQSW).
- Registration: Active registration with Social Work England (SWE).
- Experience: Minimum 2 years post-qualifying experience in Children's Services, with direct experience within a Fostering, LAC (Looked After Children), or Adoption setting preferred.
- Knowledge: Expert understanding of the Fostering Services Regulations 2011, National Minimum Standards, Children Act 1989/2004, and Form F assessment frameworks.
- Transport: Full UK driving license with daily access to a reliable vehicle for home visits across Darlington and surrounding areas.
What Is Offered
- Competitive pay rate of £27.56 per hour (Umbrella).
- Flexible hybrid working policy balancing office time, remote working, and home visits.
- Supportive team structure with access to regular reflective supervision and professional development.
Randstad Care acts as an employment business when supplying temporary staff and as an employment agency when introducing candidates for permanent employment with a client. Randstad Care is an equal opportunities employer and decisions are made on merits alone.
Did you know that Randstad Care have been awarded a place on the National Clinical Staffing Framework for the NHS? This means we will be able to bring you more opportunities within nursing & midwifery and clinical staffing.
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