team manager - fostering home-finders team.

Job Purpose:

To manage and lead Durham's Fostering Home-Finders Team, ensuring the delivery of a high-quality, responsive, and efficient service that recruits, assesses, and matches foster carers to meet the needs of children in care. The Team Manager will supervise a team of social workers and practitioners to ensure children are placed in safe, nurturing, and appropriate homes that support stability and long-term outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage the Home-Finders Team responsible for foster carer recruitment, assessment, and matching of children to placements.

• Oversee all fostering assessments, including Form F and Connected Persons assessments, ensuring they are completed to a high standard and within statutory timescales.

• Support foster carer recruitment campaigns, enquiry screening, and initial visits.

• Coordinate and quality assure placement matching decisions, working closely with the Placement Team and social workers for children in care.

• Provide reflective supervision, professional guidance, and support to staff to promote safe, child-centered decision-making.

• Ensure compliance with fostering regulations, Fostering National Minimum Standards, and local authority procedures.

• Monitor and evaluate team performance, manage caseloads, and drive continuous service improvement.

• Participate in fostering panels as required and ensure all reports meet panel requirements.

• Work collaboratively with other teams in Children's Social Care (e.g., Looked After Children, Permanence, Adoption, Therapeutic Services).

• Maintain accurate records and oversee the use of electronic case management systems (e.g., Liquidlogic).

Essential Requirements:

• Recognised Social Work qualification (e.g., BA/MA Social Work, DipSW, CQSW)

• Registered with Social Work England

• Substantial experience in children's social care, including fostering or looked after children services

• Proven experience in supervising staff or managing a team

• Strong understanding of relevant legislation and statutory guidance (e.g., Fostering Services Regulations, Children Act 1989, Care Planning Regulations)

• Knowledge of fostering assessments, recruitment strategies, and placement matching processes

• Excellent communication, leadership, and organisational skills

Desirable:

• Experience managing or working within a Home-Finders or Placement Team

• Familiarity with Durham County Council's systems, policies, and local procedures

• Experience using Liquidlogic or similar systems

What's on Offer:

• Competitive hourly rate of £37.75

• Supportive team culture and access to professional supervision

• Flexible/hybrid working (as service needs allow)

• Opportunity to lead a vital fostering function and make a difference in children's lives

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.