Service Manager - Foster Wales Cardiff

Service Manager - Foster Wales Cardiff

Location: County Hall, Cardiff (Hybrid Working Available) Pay Rate: £49.92 per hour (Umbrella) Contract Type: Contract

Make a Difference in the Lives of Children and Young People

Foster Wales Cardiff is seeking an experienced and committed Service Manager - Fostering to provide strategic and operational leadership across its fostering services.

This is an excellent opportunity for a confident leader with substantial experience in fostering or children's social care to drive service excellence, strengthen safeguarding practices, and ensure children and young people receive the highest standards of care and support.

You will oversee the assessment, approval, and ongoing support of mainstream foster carers, When I Am Ready placements, connected carers, Special Guardianship Order (SGO) carers, and supported lodgings providers.

Key Responsibilities

Provide strategic and operational leadership across the fostering service, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, regulations, and best practice standards. Lead safeguarding decisions, referrals, work allocation, and critical incident responses to protect children and young people. Directly supervise Principal Social Workers and lead an experienced multidisciplinary team. Act as Panel Advisor to the Fostering Panel, working closely with panel administrators to ensure effective and efficient panel operations. Collaborate with the Foster Wales Regional Development Manager, Regional Marketing Officer, and Recruitment Support Officers to improve foster carer recruitment and retention. Drive service performance, quality assurance, and continuous improvement initiatives. Prepare and present performance updates and reports directly to the Children's Management Team. Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, and child-centred practice throughout the service.

Essential Requirements

To be considered for this role, you must have:

A degree in Social Work or an equivalent qualification. Active registration with Social Care Wales. Significant management and leadership experience within fostering or children's social care services. Strong knowledge of safeguarding, fostering legislation, regulatory requirements, and quality assurance processes. Demonstrable experience in managing complex decisions, leading teams, and improving service performance. The ability to travel within Cardiff, attend in-person meetings at County Hall, and participate in out-of-hours recruitment and retention activities when required.

Why Apply?

Competitive hourly rate: £49.92 per hour via Umbrella. Hybrid working: A combination of remote working and attendance at County Hall, Cardiff. Leadership opportunity: Take a key role in shaping fostering services and supporting high-quality outcomes for children and young people. Meaningful impact: Help strengthen foster carer recruitment, retention, safeguarding, and the overall quality of care.

Apply Today

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