Agency Decision Maker – Fostering and Adoption

Overview

Are you ready to make a real difference in the lives of children and families? Buckinghamshire Council is seeking an experienced and passionate Agency Decision Maker – Fostering and Adoption to lead statutory decision-making for fostering and adoption services. This is a senior leadership role where your expertise will shape the future of permanence planning and ensure every child has the best possible start.

This a permanent, part time role working 4 days per week.

The salary is up to £75,075 per annum, but will be pro-rated based on 4 days per week.

About us

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

As our Agency Decision Maker (ADM), you’ll hold delegated authority to make critical decisions on fostering and adoption approvals, reviews, and children’s permanence plans. You’ll provide independent scrutiny, uphold legal compliance, and ensure decisions are timely and in the best interests of children.

Working closely with panels, advisors, and senior leaders, you’ll drive high standards of governance, quality assurance, and inspection readiness. You’ll also lead strategic development of our decision-making framework, influencing long-term service planning and continuous improvement.

This role reports directly to the Service Director for Provider Services and includes line management of two advisors. It’s an opportunity to combine professional independence with strategic impact.

About you

You’re a qualified and registered social worker with substantial post-qualifying experience in fostering and/or adoption. You bring:

• Proven senior leadership experience in children’s social care, with responsibility for complex, risk-based decisions.
• Expert knowledge of legislation and statutory guidance, including the Children Act 1989, Adoption and Children Act 2002, and relevant regulations.
• Credibility and authority to provide professional challenge and advice at the highest level.
• Strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring fair and transparent decision-making.
• Excellent communication skills to engage confidently with panels, partners, and inspectors.

Please refer to the job description attached to see a full list of duties and responsibilities for the role.

If you’re ambitious, collaborative, and passionate about improving outcomes for children, we’d love to hear from you.

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

Other information

If you would like to find out more about this role, please contact Emma Kavanagh at [email protected]

Closing date: Midnight on Monday 5th January

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 and culture

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, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/