Fostering Social Worker

Number of Vacancies:

1

Time Type:

Full time

Worker Type:

Regular

Proposed Interview Date:

Monday, November 30, 2026

Hours of Work:

37

Hiring Manager:

Glen Priestly

Contact Number:

01482 616006

Job Description Summary:

This is a full time permanent position.

Hull Fostering Service are looking to recruit a Fostering Social Worker to contribute to our robust assessment and supervision of foster carers and support to our foster families.

We are very proud of our foster carers in Hull, and we are proud of our creative and committed team of fostering social workers.

We are looking for dynamic and enthusiastic social workers who can continue to contribute to the development of our fostering community.

We are looking for applicants who have a real passion for ensuring that children's voices and needs are the primary focus within our delivery and our improvement journey.

Due to movement within the wider team, you could be working within any one of our teams, either finding homes and matching children with foster carers, undertaking assessments of foster carers or leading on the supervision and support of our mainstream or connected persons foster carers.

We are seeking a candidate who has an excellent knowledge and understanding of Fostering National Minimum Standards, Regulations and guidance as well as planning for permanence for our children.

We are a team who are trauma informed, so if you have a good understanding of the development needs of children, of attachment and the impact of trauma, and the importance of therapeutic parenting we would love to hear from you.

You should have experience of working with foster carers and children and young people who are looked after, and of ensuring that children's voices inform and influence your practice.

You will have high standards for yourself, evidenced through maintenance of your own professional development and will be able to use professional curiosity, support and challenge with foster carers, colleagues and other professionals to achieve good outcomes for children. Your recording skills should be of a high standard.

The post will provide and support the delivery of high-quality social work activities within the Hull Social Care Practice Model and will work within the Fostering Service with the aim of achieving the best possible outcomes for children and young people in need and their families by the provision of the good family-based placements.

We provide a range of benefits to motivate, reward and recognise the valuable work of our employees this includes:

• An excellent pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Up to 30 days annual leave depending on grade and length of service. You will also get eight public holidays per year, and three additional days off, one in May/August and one during the Christmas/New year period
• Career development and learning experiences from a range of training courses and learning methods
• A generous relocation package available
• Supportive and forward-thinking culture
• Great career development opportunities and support form our established social work academy
• Flexible working hours

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Glen Priestley, on 07511045503 or glen.priestley@hullcc.gov.uk

ROLE AND PURPOSE

Grade 7:
To provide and support the delivery of high quality social work activities for Hull children and families. Works within the Fostering Service to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people in need and their families by the provision of the high quality family based placements, within the Regulations for Fostering Service and Fostering National Minimum Standards (NMS).

This is a developmental role aimed at Newly Qualified Social Workers beginning in the Assessed & Supported Year in Employment (AYSE) and those in the first three years of their Early Professional Development (EPD) (See National Professional Capabilities Framework).

Grade 8, all of the above plus:
To provide and support high quality social work practice with enhanced decision-making autonomy in situations of increasing complexity, need, risk and challenge.

Grade 9, all of the above plus:
To provide and support effective social work practice in complex situations, assessing and managing high levels of risk and providing expert opinion in relation to decisions surrounding complex cases.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:Grade 7

• To promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people including the children of foster carers.

• Contributes to the overarching strategy in Hull Children’s Social Care Services, to ensure that the Fostering Service actively plans for safety, permanency and stability for children and young people to actively support children to live at home or in alternative care as appropriate.

• Works in partnership with colleagues, children, parents and carers, ensuring that child-centred practice is the principal standard and framework for all work undertaken with foster carers, children, young people and families.

• Engages in reflective and constructive challenge within the course of working with colleagues, other agencies and with children, young people and families.

• Recruits, assesses and supports foster carers and people with permanent orders for children. Ensures that Service procedures and relevant legislation are adhered to during the assessment and support of carers including the development, facilitation and implementation of training for prospective and approved foster carers, and for post order carers.

• Undertakes placement finding, matching and allocation of foster carers to best meet the needs of children requiring fostering, supported lodgings and other placements.

• Undertakes specific pieces of direct work with carers, children, young people and families both individually and co-working with colleagues. Supervises and manages carers in accordance with statutory regulations, NMS and service procedures.

• Actively engages in team activities to ensure focused and purposeful social work is undertaken with all cases so that the fostering service and the carers work to achieve positive outcomes for children, in line with relevant plans for each child.

• Ensures that case recording, assessments, supervision, plans and reviews are up to date, accurate and reflects the child’s and carer’s journey, and complaint with Hull’s Social Work Practice Standards and Fostering Regulations/ other legislation.

• Works alongside colleagues in relation to decision-making on complex/high risk cases, and co-ordinates services to ensure appropriate matching so as to safeguard the well-being of children.

• Prepares for and attends relevant decision-making meetings and panels on specific cases where required e.g. Foster Panel/ Fostering Reviews/ CLA Reviews/ Professional and Strategy meetings.

• Provides professional supervision to foster carers and their household members in accordance with Fostering NMS and Regulations.

• Actively engages in personal and professional development and continuous learning as required for professional registration and high quality delivery of services.

• The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated legislation places responsibilities for health and safety on Hull City Council, as your employer and you as an employee of the council. In addition to the Councils overall duties, the post holder has personal responsibility for their own health & safety and that of other employees; additional and more specific responsibilities are identified in the Council’s Corporate H&S policy.

Grade 8, all of the above plus:

• Engages in and advises in professional decision-making processes with children, young people, families, carers, and colleagues in relation to complex/high risk cases.

• Provides co-working support and advice to other staff members within the team.

• Engages in and provides peer supervision and development forums to improve and develop services to carers and children looked after.

• Prepares for and attends court as required in relation to specific cases.

Grade 9, all of the above plus:

• Actively supports and leads on practice development and the provision of information/professional expertise e.g. for policy amendments or improved ways of working.

• Provides advice, support and day-to-day supervision to social work students and non-qualified members of the team.

OUT OF HOURS SERVICE

In order to comply with the Fostering Regulations and National Standards the post-holder is required to be on call on a rota basis to provide an out of hours service to Foster Carers.

NC3302.NC3303.NC3304.Fostering Social Worker.docx

Compensation Grades:

GRADES 7, 8,9

Pay Ranges:

£33,673.00 - £44,253.00

Job Classifications:

3- Not Politically Restricted - Designated As Not Politically Sensitive (Politically Restricted Posts), 5- Enhanced & Childrens Barring List - (Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)), Essential 3A - It is essential for the postholder to have a current driving licence and to provide a car for work. (i.e. someone who did not meet these requirements could not be appointed to the post, since it would be impossible for the postholder to do the job without using a private car). These requirements would be essential criteria on the person specification for the post. (Travel Allowance Policy), No - (Childcare Disqualification Requirement), Post Fulfilling Statutory Duty - (Statutory Post)

Benefits of Working of Hull City Council:

• A competitive salary
• An excellent pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Initially 23 days annual leave depending on length of service. You will also get eight public holidays per year, and three additional days off, one in May/August and one during the Christmas/New year period
• Career development and learning experiences from a range of training courses and learning methods
• Supportive and forward-thinking culture
• Great career development opportunities

PLEASE NOTE: you MUST complete and submit your application by midnight prior to the closing date. For example: If the closing date is Friday 16 October 2026 then your application must be submitted by 11:59pm on Thursday 15 October 2026.

Please ensure that your application demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria against the person specification as listed in the job description. Provide examples to support your application rather than use of lists.

We are committed to increasing the diversity, equality, and inclusion within our workforce to represent the people we serve and build an environment in which everyone can feel like they belong. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

We adopt a ‘name blind’ approach to shortlisting. Recruiting managers will not have access to personal information, including your name and contact details, until a shortlisting decision has been made. Equality monitoring information is not accessible by recruiting managers at any stage.

We reserve the right to amend the dates associated with this advert, which may include closing the advert early where required.

The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

Online searches, including social media, may be carried out as part of the recruitment process.

We are committed to “our values” at the Council of People First, Respect, Learning, Ambition and Partnership. If these align with you then we welcome your application.