Salary - £56,604 - £59,685 per annum ( Spinal points - 59-62)
Location - Kingston upon 
Contract type - Permanent

About the Role
We are looking for a Head of Fostering who is Achieving for Children’s Registered Manager, responsible for developing and leading the Independent Fostering Agency (IFA). 

The postholder will be the Registered Manager for the IFA and will be accountable to Ofsted for its operation within the statutory framework, they will be the Operational Leader for fostering services across Kingston, Richmond and Windsor & Maidenhead. 

The post holder is responsible for ensuring we are fully compliant with legislative and regulatory requirements and leading and supporting colleagues to deliver the best possible service for children and young people and for current and prospective foster carers. 

As the IFA Registered the successful candidate will have a major contribution to make to the development of our IFA, aligning services and setting the strategic priorities for fostering across all three boroughs. 

About us 
Working for Achieving for Children, you will have the opportunity to operate at the cutting edge of children’s services delivery. We are an award-winning social enterprise created by Kingston and Richmond Councils in 2014, joined in 2017 by Windsor and Maidenhead, and responsible for delivering the boroughs’ children’s services. 

We have been up and running for four years, and in that time we have established a reputation as one of the leading children’s services providers in the country. We are one of the Department for Education’s eight ‘Partners in Practice’, tasked with leading improvement across the sector. 6 

Achieving for Children is committed to enabling social workers to develop their potential within an inspirational and supportive learning environment. New recruits receive a thorough induction programme, tailored to their role requirements. A new continuing professional development (CPD) framework for social workers has been established with a comprehensive development programme, including bite-size workshops, learning lunches, seminars, action learning sets CPD portfolio-building support. Continuing professional development social work qualifications, external training and conference attendance are fully funded, along with corporate membership of The College of Social Work and subscription to online research resources.  

About you 
As the IFA Registered Manager, you will be educated at degree level with a professional Social Work qualification and current HCPC registered. You will be looking after both our operational areas and therefore you will be comfortable and able to manage and lead staff and teams across different sites. 

You will have significant knowledge and experience in both a large Social Care department and the legislation and policies/ practises that underpin Social Care. Due to the nature of this you will have experience in using communication and influencing skills in making and leading of strategies to meet business objectives and to improve the services that provide. 

To find out more about this exciting role please see the job description and person specification. 

If you would like to have an informal discussion regarding this role, please contact Matthew Edwards, Associate Director for Provider Services on 07894 230769 or at matthew.edwards@achievingforchildren.org.uk. Please note that from 26th July 2018 to 12th August 2018, Matthew is unavailable.

Benefits of working for Achieving for Children
As a social enterprise owned by three local authorities (Kingston, Richmond and Windsor & Maidenhead), we offer the freedoms of a social enterprise with the employment benefits of local government. We offer a range of excellent staff benefits, including generous annual leave entitlements, cycle to work scheme, annual season ticket loan, childcare vouchers, and discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure and much more.   

The successful candidate will have access to; 

• Excellent learning and development opportunities and schemes of support 
• A competitive and desirable retention package (to include a generous local government pension scheme)
• Retention of continuous service benefits, for those moving from a local government post 
• A clear progression path when key qualification milestones are reached
• Tools and models  including Signs of Safety
• Reflective supervision from an experienced management team

You will find out more about our at https://www.achievingforchildren.org.uk/ 

How to apply
Before applying please refer to the role profile and ensure you meet the essential criteria. You will then need to complete the online application, adding a supporting statement addressing how you meet the criteria outlined the role profile.

Achieving for Children is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. 

All candidates will be required to undertake a Criminal Record Check. The possession of a criminal record will not necessarily prevent an applicant from obtaining this post, as all cases are judged individually according to the nature of the role and information provided. However, should you not declare an that is subsequently revealed, e.g. through the DBS check, then this may place your appointment in jeopardy. 

Closing Date: 25th August 2018