About The Role
Working Hours: 35 Hours per week
Contract Type: Full time / Permanent
Additional Payments: Essential car user allowance
Closing Date: 25 May 2026
Closing time: 11.59pm
Interview Method: Face to Face
This is an exciting opportunity to be involved in the monitoring and quality assurance of the fostering service.
Manchester’s Fostering Service is committed to providing safe, high quality care which supports our children and young people who are unable to live with their own families. We want the best possible care and support for our children so they are able to live with carers who will stick with them through to adulthood and help them live within their own communities both now and in the future.
We want to enhance the support for our foster carers and improve stability for the children and young people they care for and with this in mind we are looking at ways to develop the service and our offer to foster carers in Manchester.
Responsibilities
- Provide independent oversight by chairing and reviewing foster carers’ annual reviews and reviews with concerns, as directed by the fostering service.
- Monitor and evaluate the quality of fostering care and support services.
- Recommend improvements and interventions to ensure the safeguarding and wellbeing of children and young people.
- Collaborate with other professionals and stakeholders to support best practice in fostering.
Qualifications & Experience
- Post-qualification experience as a social worker in a related field, with an understanding of fostering and care planning, placement regulations, statutory guidance and national minimum standards.
- Experience in fostering, residential or family placement services, or experience of care planning and achieving permanence for children cared for.
- Experience chairing meetings, often under complex circumstances.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to make sound, robust recommendations and maintain effective relationships with other professionals.
- Innovation skills and a commitment to anti-oppressive practice.
- Teamworking ability, looking at a whole service approach.
- Strong written reporting skills, producing clear, concise, robust reports that reflect lived experience of carers and children.
- Flexible approach when needed.
- A Social Work qualification and registration with Social Work England.
- Knowledge of the legal framework relating to Looked After Children, Care Leavers, National Minimum Standards, Child Protection and related guidance.
Benefits
- Generous holiday allowance – up to 26 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays; increases to 31 days after five years of local government service. Additional leave may be purchased.
- Access to the UK’s largest local government pension scheme, with life cover of three times salary as a lump sum.
- Enhanced parental and carers leave options.
- Discounts on travel, holidays, phone contracts, cycle to work scheme, flu jabs and eye tests.
- Learning and development opportunities, including workshops, training sessions, apprenticeships and qualifications.
- Good Employment Charter member – secure, flexible work, fair pay, health and wellbeing support.
- Up to 3 days volunteered leave pro-rata of paid volunteering leave.
EEO & Inclusion
At Manchester City Council we are dedicated to creating a workplace that truly reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We actively welcome applications from people of all ages and backgrounds, particularly from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities, Disabled people and young people. We are a Disability Confident Employer.
Contact
For more information or to discuss the role, please contact the hiring manager, Billie Walbank, at 0161 277 1605 or 07534969229, or by email at billie.walbank@manchester.gov.uk.
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