Assistant Team Manager - Family and Friends Fostering

Overview

Are you passionate about improving the lives of children and young people? Do you want to work for an employer who places major importance on high quality supervision, wellbeing and career development?

At Buckinghamshire Council we have an opportunity for a high-calibre Assistant Team Manager within our Family and Friends Fostering team. We are looking for a candidate who is not only qualified and experienced but also passionate about supporting kinship carers with a demonstrated commitment to achieving equality and positive outcomes for all children and young people.

This is a fixed term/secondment until 31/12/2026

In addition to the advertised salary, you will receive a market premium payment of £2,250 per annum.

Take a look at our Children's Social Care Candidate Pack to find out more.

About us

Our Fostering Service has been rejuvenated with an increased focus on support for our carers and development of the teams connected to the recruitment, assessment and support of foster carers in Buckinghamshire.

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally. 

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

About the role

You will work closely and collaboratively with the Team Manager and Service Manager for Adoption and Fostering to ensure that overall supervision, support and practice of staff meets statutory requirements and provides a safe and effective Family and Friends Fostering service.

You will also be responsible for the effective supervision of staff, ensuring supervision and monitoring of work outcomes and development of high standards.

The role is based in the Assessment Team of Family and Friends, which is focused on assessments of prospective family and friends for temporary and long-term approval as kinship foster carers as well as assessments of prospective Special Guardians and the development of support plans.

For a full list of responsibilities please see attached job description.

About you

We would like to hear from Assistant Team Managers who:

• Have a social work qualification
• Have an active SWE registration
• Have completed their ASYE
• Minimum of 3 years post qualifying experience of working within a statutory environment with children
• Experience of working in looked after children and/or with kinship carers
• Knowledge of research, inquiries and recent studies affecting this sector of service and an ability to monitor its application in practice
• Will care enough to go the extra mile

Most importantly you will share our dedication and passion to improve the lives of children and young people. 

Other information

For more information about the role, please contact Maryke McCarthy, Team Manager Family and Friends at [email protected] or Rachel Farrell, Service Manager Adoption and Fostering at [email protected]

Closing date: Midnight on Sunday 30th November

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

Our values

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements.

We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants and shops, a generous employer pension contribution in line with the Local Government Pension Scheme, discounts on gym memberships and more - https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/

Social Workers are also entitled to a generous enhanced reward package, as follows:

• Competitive salary with a market increment
• Annual leave up to 30 days per year, as well as other types of leave and the opportunity to buy further leave
• Up to 15 days per year training, learning and development offer
• Free parking across all of our office sites

If you are interested in relocating to Buckinghamshire and working with us, relocation packages are also available.