Social Worker - Fostering
West Berkshire

Are you a Social Worker wanting to support a not-for-profit organisation? Do you have a fostering background and are interested in working in and setting up an Independent Fostering Agency (IFA) to support our charity? Or perhaps you are a Registered Manager who is excited by the idea of shaping a brand-new service?

If so, this is a brilliant opportunity to progress your career with a growing charity.

About Us

We are Step by Step (SbS), a charity dedicated to supporting local young people who are going through hard times, including homelessness. Founded in 1987, we provide accommodation, personal development opportunities and specialist support services to help young people identify and fulfil their aspirations.

We are always looking for more ways to support children and young people to give them the opportunities they deserve. As part of this, we have exciting plans to launch our own Independent Foster Agency (IFA) to support our charity.

We’re currently looking for a Social Worker to join us and act as the Registered Manager for this brand-new service.

The Benefits

- Basic salary of £42,000 - £46, 000 per annum dependent on experience (Up to £55,000 for qualified Registered Managers)
- 25 days’ paid holiday plus an eight day Bank Holiday allowance (increasing with length of service)
- Company pension scheme
- Smart Health (24/7 access to doctor's appointments and well-being)
- Support to gain a management qualification (which we will pay for)
- Employee Assistance Support
- Flexible working, with a great work-life balance culture

This is a rare opportunity to help build an important service from the ground up that will provide safe, stable and nurturing homes to children, young people and asylum seekers.

We will support you to undertake excellent training and gain the qualifications you need to become a Registered Manager. You will be working alongside a friendly team who will be able to support all your marketing, HR and finance needs for the service.

We strive for excellence in all we do, foster an honest and open environment, take ownership of our work, words and actions, and work as an exceptional team through successful collaborations and partnerships. We offer flexible working and a great work/life balance.

So, if you would like to advance your career while driving the success of a service that will transform lives, we would love to hear from you.

The Role

As a Social Worker, you will work with the Step by Step team to establish our Independent Foster Agency.

Working with a team who are passionate about empowering children and young people, you will help to translate a high-level plan to create our IFA into detailed operational plans.

You will be responsible for:

- Liaising with the HR Department to recruit high calibre foster carers
- Developing and rolling out a training programme within your team
- Acting as the Ofsted Registered Manager for the service
- Ensuring that we are fully compliant with legislative and regulatory requirements
- Leading on any court requirements
- Making sure that Fostering Panels operate within statutory requirements and perform to the highest standards

About You

To join us as a Social Worker, you will need:

- At least five years’ experience of family placements in a fostering environment
- Previous experience of setting up projects and responsibility for budgets
- A degree (or equivalent) and a professional social work qualification
- The ability to work well under pressure
- Excellent communication and management skills
- To be willing to work towards a Level 5 Ofsted-approved qualification (paid for by us) to become HCPC registered

We also welcome applications from candidates who are Registered Managers.

Other organisations may call this role Senior Social Worker, Foster Care Supervisor, Family Placement Supervisor, Registered Manager, or Fostering Supervisor.

Webrecruit and Step by Step are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.

So, if you’re seeking your next challenge as a Social Worker, please apply via the button shown. This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.

Working hours: 40 hours per week (including 2.5 hours of paid breaks)