Social Worker Children & Families

Social Worker – Children & Families (Fostering)

📍 Location: County Hall, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 1UD 💷 Pay Rate: £31.50 per hour 🕒 Hours: 37 hours per week 📅 Working Pattern: Monday to Friday ⏳ Contract: On-Going 🚀 Start: Immediate start or short notice preferred

Are you an experienced Children's Social Worker with a background in fostering and supporting vulnerable children and families?

We are seeking a dedicated and knowledgeable Social Worker to join the Children & Families service at the Isle of Wight Council, supporting foster carers to provide safe, stable and nurturing homes for children in care.

This is an excellent opportunity for a social work professional with fostering experience who is passionate about safeguarding children, strengthening foster placements and ensuring the highest standards of care.

✨ Key responsibilities: • Assess foster carers' support needs and ensure children receive appropriate care tailored to their individual needs. • Supervise and support mainstream and kinship foster carers to maintain safe, nurturing placements. • Ensure compliance with Fostering Regulations and National Minimum Standards. • Monitor household checks, including DBS clearances, health assessments and safer caring policies. • Work closely with placement teams and children's social workers to identify suitable foster placements. • Prepare high-quality assessments, annual reviews and professional reports. • Attend Fostering Panel meetings to present reviews, variations and relevant reports. • Promote safeguarding, placement stability and positive outcomes for looked-after children.

✅ Essential requirements: • Recognised Social Work qualification, such as a Social Work degree, DipSW or CQSW. • Current Social Work England registration. • Significant post-qualifying experience in Children's Social Care. • Proven experience in fostering, looked-after children or children in need services. • Experience assessing and supervising foster carers, including mainstream or kinship carers. • Strong knowledge of fostering legislation, regulations and statutory guidance. • Excellent assessment, analytical, report-writing and safeguarding skills. • Enhanced DBS clearance required. • Must have the right to work in the UK.

💙 Make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and foster families by helping create safe, stable and supportive homes.

📩 Interested or know a suitable candidate? Get in touch today to discuss this opportunity.

Please note: Immediate availability or the ability to start at short notice is preferred