Fostering Service Manager

Contract to start ASAP

Duration: 12 weeks with a possible extension.

Full job descriptionFostering Service Manager (G10) – Social Care Qualified

Cardiff Council

Hours: Full-time (37 hours per week — no weekend working)

Contract: Temporary – 12-week contract, ending 24 January 2027

Lead Fostering Services and Help Children Thrive in Safe, Supportive Homes

We're recruiting an experienced Fostering Service Manager to support Cardiff Council's fostering service. This role combines operational leadership, staff management and service improvement, with a focus on recruiting, retaining and supporting foster carers. These priorities reflect Cardiff's published Grade 10 Fostering Service Manager profile. Cardiff Council

You'll bring a child-centred approach, supporting colleagues and carers to provide consistent, responsive care while maintaining high professional standards.

About the Role

As Fostering Service Manager, you'll provide direction and oversee the effective running of the allocated service, ensuring clear priorities, appropriate staff support and consistent practice. Social Care Wales identifies operational leadership and effective service delivery as central responsibilities of fostering service managers. socialcare.wales

The role requires strong leadership, sound professional judgement and the ability to manage complex situations while keeping children's safety, stability and wellbeing at the centre of decisions.

What you'll be doing:

• Leading day-to-day fostering service delivery, coordinating priorities, overseeing workloads and addressing operational challenges.
• Supporting foster carer recruitment and retention, helping develop approaches that respond to children's needs and strengthen local fostering provision.
• Leading and motivating staff, promoting professional accountability, constructive supervision and consistent practice.
• Reviewing policies and working procedures, identifying improvements and supporting colleagues through change. These duties reflect the council's published Grade 10 role. Cardiff Council
• Strengthening support and development for foster carers, helping ensure access to relevant training, guidance and peer support. These are established elements of Foster Wales Cardiff's offer to carers. cardiff.fosterwales.gov.wales
• Maintaining oversight of safeguarding and complex practice concerns, ensuring issues are escalated appropriately and actions are followed through.
• Monitoring service quality and performance, using case reviews, feedback and management information to identify priorities for improvement.
• Working collaboratively with children's social care colleagues and partner services, helping resolve difficulties and support stable care arrangements. These proposed duties align with Cardiff's wider published fostering leadership priorities. wecare.wales
• Maintaining clear management records and reports, documenting decisions, outstanding actions and areas requiring senior oversight.
• Ensuring an effective induction and ongoing professional development for staff, supporting the skills and competence needed to deliver the service. socialcare.wales

Requirements

We're looking for an experienced, organised and supportive social care leader who can combine professional expertise with effective people management and a commitment to improving outcomes for children.

You'll need:

• A recognised social work qualification, such as a degree in social work or an accepted equivalent.
• Relevant post-qualifying experience in children's social care, including experience within fostering services.
• Strong leadership skills, with experience supporting staff and improving service delivery. These requirements reflect Cardiff's published Grade 10 profile. Cardiff Council
• Current Social Care Wales registration appropriate to the post. Fostering service managers in Wales are required to register with Social Care Wales; the applicable registration category should be checked for this assignment. GOV.UK

You'll ideally also have:

• Experience managing fostering teams or related family-placement services, including staff supervision and performance management.
• A strong understanding of safeguarding and Welsh fostering requirements, with the ability to apply these to service delivery.
• Experience leading improvement or organisational change, working constructively with staff, carers and partner agencies.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, including confidence addressing sensitive or complex concerns. These areas are consistent with Cardiff's published fostering leadership requirements. wecare.wales
• Relevant leadership or management qualifications. Any mandatory management qualification requirements should be checked against the Social Care Wales framework and the council's current person specification. socialcare.wales

Why Apply

• Opportunity to contribute to safe, stable and supportive care for children and young people.
• Varied leadership role combining staff management, foster carer support and service improvement.
• A 12-week temporary assignment with no weekend working specified.
• Umbrella rate of £49.92 per hour.

Benefits

• Weekly Pay
• Company Pension
• Ongoing Agency Support

Benefits are subject to confirmation of agency and payroll arrangements and individual eligibility.

Additional Information

Client: Cardiff Council

Job Title: Fostering Service Manager (G10)

Job Category: Social Care Qualified

Location: County Hall, Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff, Glamorgan, CF10 4UW

Working Arrangement: No weekend working. Daily hours, office attendance, travel and any hybrid-working arrangements are to be confirmed.

Start Date: 2 November 2026

End Date: 24 January 2027

Contract Duration: 12 weeks

Hours: 37 hours per week

Positions Available: 1

Pay Rate: £49.92 per hour — Umbrella

IR35: Status to be confirmed.

DBS: Cardiff's published Grade 10 role specifies an enhanced DBS check; the precise screening requirements for this temporary assignment should be confirmed. Cardiff Council

Job Types: Full-time, Temporary

Pay: £49.92 per hour — Umbrella

Application question(s):

• Can you describe your experience managing a fostering service or team, including staff supervision, foster carer support and service improvement?
• Please outline your social work qualification, Social Care Wales registration status and relevant leadership or management training.
• Please confirm your current location, your ability to attend County Hall and other required locations, and your availability to start on 2 November 2026.

Experience and Qualifications:

Please provide details of your post-qualifying children's social care experience, fostering responsibilities, management experience and relevant professional qualifications.

Work authorisation:

United Kingdom — right to work required.

Disclaimer: On applying for this vacancy, you agree that your personal details will be passed onto our client for their consideration of your suitability for the role. I acknowledge that it is my responsibility to notify iWork Recruitment Limited of any hirer who I do not want my details to be passed onto.

OR119627-10-26