About Southwark:
Southwark is a large, ambitious and progressive council with a ‘can do’ attitude and enviable reputation.
At Southwark, we cover an area that stretches from the vibrant riverside around London Bridge to Canada Water in the east and through Camberwell and Peckham to the peace of Dulwich Woods in the south. With more than 290,000 residents and a rich variety of communities, the Borough enjoys a unique cultural and social diversity. The redevelopment of the housing estates around Elephant and Castle is evidence of the rapid progression.
It is this diversity that makes Southwark so special, and we are working with local people, communities and businesses to innovate, improve and transform public services, from housing and education to green spaces and leisure. As we continue this ambitious regeneration and growth programme, you will play a key role, providing legal advice and guidance on a range of potentially complex issues.
The Council is determined to continue the regeneration of the Borough and central to this is the commitment to build more Council homes. Many of these will be sited in the areas around Old Kent Road and Canada Water which have both been designated by the Mayor as Opportunity Areas and this has led to significant development proposals.
Our vision is a ‘Fairer Future for All’ in Southwark, and this applies to our employees as well as our residents. It is an exciting time to join us as we set out to improve and transform the lives of people across our diverse borough. You’ll find an exciting, vibrant and supportive environment where you can continue to develop your skills and expertise.
The role:
Southwark Council is recruiting a Fostering Service Manager to lead the Southwark Fostering Service which also incorporates supporting Connected Carers and Special Guardians. This post is responsible to the Head of Service for Permanence and Resources. This is an exciting role that requires a candidate with ambition, creativity and proven experience in leadership in Children’s Services to help to continue to develop a fantastic Fostering Service for Southwark.
As a member of the management team in our Permanence Service based in Peckham, you will work with the Head of Service to provide leadership to your groups and to continue to develop an excellent and innovative Fostering Service. Our aim to offer all Children who are Looked After the opportunity of family life and to expand this opportunity for more older children and those looking to move to foster families from a period in Residential Care.
We are highly ambitious to continue to improve placement stability for Looked After Children and ensure all children have the best possible placement or resource that supports them to live with their family. The collaborative nature of the work requires excellent communication, interpersonal and influencing skills. The broad scope of the role requires a results-focused approach, supported by well-developed analytical planning, excellent practice knowledge and strong organizational skills, all of which will be used to best effect in helping to instill a reflective and open culture.
About you:
You will ideally have managed operational teams within a children’s social care (or comparable) context as well as having Fostering experience and have a genuine commitment to the provision of high quality services for families. A commitment to systemic ways of working and freeing practitioners to spend their time with families is vital! We are looking for creative and experienced leader with the drive, resilience and creativity to help lead a busy, fast paced service within a high performing inner London borough. You will be the Registered Manager for the Fostering Service.
Additional details:
Our offer includes:
- Basic salary up to £65,697 per annum, plus JNC financial benefits package of £2,724 per annum, pro-rata (April-March)
- Substantial training and development is provided.
- Dedicated specialist administrative support and modern technology including iPhone devices for all social work staff and tablet use when needed
Benefits and more information:
From flexible working to job sharing (where possible) we are committed to providing a healthy work life balance. You will benefit from 33 days annual leave, rising to 36 days with continuous service, a generous local government salary related pension, cycle to work or season-ticket loan, Employee Assistance Programme. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our benefits for Southwark Council staff.
Recruitment timetable:
Closing Date: 10th April 2022 at 23:59
Assessment and Interview Date: 20th April 2022
We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together programme. We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.
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