Overview
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 – please note that this also includes any CV uploaded. Equality monitoring information is not accessible by recruiting managers at any stage.
Role details
- Organisation: Kirklees
- Directorate: Children & Families
- Service Area: Child Protection & Family Support
- Hours: 37
- Number of Jobs: 1
- Location(s): Across Kirklees
- Position type: Permanent
- Grade: Grade 16
- Salary: £57,457 – £58,462
- Enhancements / additional payments details: Market Rate Supplement of £4000 (to be reviewed annually)
About The Role
At Kirklees Council, we are ambitious for our children and young people. We are committed to providing high‑quality, safe and stable family‑based care so that children can thrive, feel secure and achieve their potential. We are seeking an experienced and motivated Service Manager to provide strong strategic and operational leadership within our Homes for Children service. This is a Service Manager role with responsibility for leading our regulated fostering, connected carers and supported lodgings services, ensuring children and young people receive high‑quality care and carers are well supported to meet their needs.
You will lead a number of dedicated teams and work closely with partners across the Council and wider system to provide homes for our children and young people who are looked after and deliver safe, effective and sustainable services that meet statutory duties, fostering standards and regulatory requirements.
You will work closely with one of our key stakeholders, the Kirklees Fostering Network, building strong partnerships that ensure foster carers’ voices shape practice, policy and service development. This role is central to strengthening collaboration, improving outcomes for children, and supporting a confident, connected fostering community across Kirklees.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Provide strategic and operational leadership for fostering, connected carers and supported lodgings services, ensuring high‑quality practice and positive outcomes for children and young people
- Be responsible for the support, supervision and development of Kirklees foster carers, ensuring fostering standards, regulations and statutory guidance are consistently met
- Oversee regulated provision, including registration with Ofsted as Registered Manager for the 16+ Supported Lodgings scheme (this will require meeting registration and medical requirements)
- Lead the fostering recruitment and marketing plan, working closely with the Communications team and partner agencies to increase the number of Kirklees foster carers
- Represent the service at recruitment and promotional events, including some evening, weekend and out‑of‑hours work
- Lead the implementation of national fostering reforms and new and innovative approaches to fostering, ensuring the service remains aligned with Department for Education priorities, updated fostering standards and inspection expectations
- Oversee the delivery of viability assessments, regulation 24 assessments, special guardianship assessments, private fostering and presentations to Fostering Panel, ensuring that assessments completed by your teams are of a high quality and that decision making meets statutory requirements and regulations
About You
- Be a qualified Social Worker, registered with Social Work England
- Have significant experience at a senior management level within children’s social care
- Have strong knowledge of fostering and connected carers legislation, regulation and best practice
- Be experienced in managing large teams, complex services and budgets
- Be confident in leading change, managing risk and addressing complex service and workforce issues
- Be a skilled communicator, able to influence and work effectively with partners and stakeholders at all levels
- Be committed to improving outcomes for children through high‑quality, stable family‑based care
- Be confident in managing complex service issues, HR matters, complaints, and change programmes
- A strong communicator, able to present complex information clearly to a wide range of audiences
- Analytical, solutions focused, and able to work across organisational and service boundaries
Why work for Kirklees?
Working for Kirklees Council means making a real difference to the lives of children, young people, and families. We offer:
- The opportunity to lead and shape vital services
- A supportive and values‑led organisation
- Flexible working arrangements where possible
- A strong focus on professional development and leadership support
If this opportunity sounds like a good fit for you, we encourage you to apply and start a conversation with us today.
Interview Date: 28 April 2026
Anna Gledhill is the manager for this role, please contact them on 01484 221000 for an informal discussion, or if you need any more information.
This job is subject to a DBS check at the appropriate level, please refer to the Job Description/Profile. A conviction may not exclude candidates from appointment but will be considered as part of the recruitment process.
We know there’s a wealth of talent among people who have a disability and we encourage applications from people with all differing abilities. So, if you need any support completing an application form, or any other format for the application or Job Description please contact the Recruitment Team for help by email: or phone: 01484 221000 and ask for ‘Recruitment’.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults and children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
We encourage you to read our
Closing date
19 April 2026, 11:55 PM
Important Information
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