At Social adVentures we are made up of people who genuinely care, we want to help people and enjoy being employed to do this. This fits with Social adVentures ethos of working to help people to live healthier and happier lives.
This enables a culture of support where staff teams help each other out, look out for each other, solve problems together and celebrate success together.

We also have a culture of empowering our staff teams to make change in their part of the business. If they can see a way to make things better we don’t want to delay them! We encourage entrepreneurism and celebrate mistakes as we believe this is an important tool to learning.

We have roles available in:

• Fostering Registered Manager (see full job description below)
• Early Years Education within our Nurseries and Forest Schools (including apprenticeships)
• Community Link Workers within our Social Prescribing Team

We also have a number of volunteering roles which are essential in helping us to run our day to day services. Volunteering roles include:

• Welcome Hub Assistant
• Food Club Assistant
• Cafe Assistant
• Gardening and Maintenance Assistant

To find out more about any of these roles email hello@socialadventures.org.uk

Fostering Registered Manager

Salary – £55,000 – £60,000

Foster at HOME is a social enterprise revolutionising the way fostering agencies work.

Launching in Greater Manchester in 2025, we provide opportunities for incredible individuals and couples to become tenants of family homes and offer foster care for sibling groups.

We will work with incredible individuals and couples to provide the very best, stable foster care for siblings by making aspirational, large family homes in great areas available for carers to move into, creating opportunities for brothers and sisters to remain together, building bonds for life.

Investment is in place to support the development, registration and mobilisation of Foster at HOME so this role is a rare opportunity to build a Fostering Agency from the ground, shaping the service with a truly ethical mindset, through an voluntary and community sector organisation.

Social Missions

The company’s activities will provide benefit to children in care, particularly siblings who all too often are being separated due to the national shortage of foster carers. It will deliver against the following social missions:

• Deliver the very best life changing foster care for siblings. This will be underpinned by wraparound trauma-informed support and an evidence-based model linked to the Fostering Network’s Mockingbird approach
• Keeping brothers and sisters together within their local communities. Strengthening the kind of bonds that last a lifetime.
• Growing the number of foster carers by attracting younger couples and families into fostering that otherwise had never considered it as an option.
• Solving challenges that prevent couple and families currently renting from becoming foster carers by providing amazing homes in aspirational areas.

Role Outline

This Role Profile outlines the key tasks you will be expected to perform to give you an understanding of a typical day and the key activities that you will be expected to deliver or contribute to the delivery of.

The ‘About You’ section explores what qualifications, experience, skills and knowledge you will need for the role.

We are a values-based organisation and you will need to reflect our values, as well as the requirements in ‘About You’ in your application.

As the Registered Manager for Foster at HOME your role plays a critical role in overseeing and managing the daily operations of the agency, ensuring it delivers high-quality services to both foster children and foster carers. Their responsibilities include compliance with regulatory standards, staff supervision, and maintaining the welfare of cared for children in the fostering homes.

Key Responsibilities

Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure the agency meets the standards set out by the Ofsted the regulatory body.
• Maintain and update necessary documentation, records, and policies to stay in line with fostering service regulations 2011 and Fostering National Minimum Standards.
• Lead and manage the Ofsted registration process and all subsequent Ofsted inspections.
• Monitoring and maintaining full compliance with regulations and standards to ensure excellent outcomes for children and young people.

Leadership and Management

• Responsible for the recruitment, Induction and Retention of new staff to Foster at HOME, ensuring they adhere to the Safer Recruitment guidelines.
• Manages and leads a team of professional and support staff within the organisation, whilst having responsibility for their Supervision, allocation of workload and tasks.
• Responsible for performance management against the quality assurance and performance framework, undertaking appraisal and managing performance in accord with organisations policy.
• Undertaking Training and development plans for all staff that report to the Registered Manager.

Foster Care Recruitment and Retention

• Ensuring assessment of prospective foster carers is in accordance with Foster at HOME policies and procedures and Fostering Standards.
• Supporting the matching of carers to the properties from which they will foster.
• Ensure that foster carers receive ongoing support, training, and guidance to meet the needs of the children in their care.
• Monitor and review the progress of foster placements, ensuring the welfare and safety of children are prioritised.
• Responsible for regularly reviewing the training and development needs of foster carers and ensuring the training plan is effectively implemented.

Child Welfare and Safeguarding

• Implement and monitor safeguarding policies to protect children from abuse or neglect.
• Investigate and respond to any safeguarding concerns or incidents appropriately and line in policy, procedure and legislation.
• Work closely with Local Authorities and other agencies/partners to ensure a coordinated approach to child protection.

Quality Assurance and Improvement

• Continuously assess and improve the quality of services provided to both children and foster carers.
• Gather feedback from children, carers, and staff to ensure that services are tailored to individual needs.
• Develop and implement service and business plans for service improvement based on feedback, inspections, and outcomes.

Collaboration and Networking

• Build strong relationships with Local Authorities, Health, Education, and other partners s involved in the care of children.
• Advocate for the needs and best interests of children in care.
• Stay informed about developments in child welfare, fostering, and social care development

Statutory Requirements

• Operating within the spirit and framework of the Children Act 1989, Fostering National Minimum Standards, Fostering Service Regulations and Safeguarding frameworks.

About You

Qualifications and Professional Development

• Hold a final level Social Work professional or occupational qualification i.e. CQSW, CSS, DipSW and/or Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care or a demonstrable ability to complete the qualification within an agreed timescale
• Plus NVQ4 in Care Management (or willingness to undertake it)

• Evidence of continued personal and professional development

Management and Leadership Experience

• You will need have a minimum of 3 years of management and leadership in Fostering.
• Significant experience in statutory social work with a background in fostering or adoption services.
• You will have experience in supervising staff, managing teams, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality care to foster children.
• Experience of recruitment, training, and retention of foster carers and managing fostering placements and ensuring the suitability of foster homes.
• Overseeing the financial aspects of the agency, budgeting, and resource management.

• You will need have a minimum of 3 years of management and leadership in Fostering.
• Significant experience in statutory social work with a background in fostering or adoption services.
• You will have experience in supervising staff, managing teams, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality care to foster children.
• Experience of recruitment, training, and retention of foster carers and managing fostering placements and ensuring the suitability of foster homes.
• Overseeing the financial aspects of the agency, budgeting, and resource management.

Knowledge

Child Voice and Lived Experience

• A deep commitment to the welfare of children is central to the role. You must be knowledgeable about best practices in ensuring children’s voices are heard and that they are actively involved in decisions about their care and placement.

Working with Vulnerable Children and Families:

• As the Registered Manager you will have significant experience working directly with children who have experienced trauma and harm to be able to assess and support with matching with fostering families.
• You will demonstrate your experience in child development, attachment theory, and behaviour management strategies.
• Experience and skills in managing how to assess the needs of children and foster carers to ensure that placements are appropriate and that children receive the necessary support.

Regulatory Compliance

• You will have experience in leading inspections for fostering services and demonstrating compliance with the Fostering regulations, the Ofsted Inspection Framework and/or similar regulatory bodies in other regions.
• You will be experienced in preparing for inspections, audits, and ensuring that documentation is up-to-date and accurate.

Crisis Management

• Demonstrating your experience of managing challenging situations that may arise in foster placements, including managing crisis with children in care, foster carers, or families.
• This requires problem-solving skills and the ability to make difficult decisions under pressure.

Child Protection and Safeguarding

• In-depth knowledge of safeguarding procedures and child protection. You will be experienced in identifying signs of abuse, neglect, or harm, and understands the legal obligations for reporting and acting appropriately.
• Able to understand how to support children who may have experienced abuse or neglect, including trauma-informed care practices.

Legislation and Policies

• In depth understanding and knowledge of national and local policies related to fostering, including the Children Act 1989 and 2004, the Care Standards Act 2000, and the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011.
• You will stay updated on any changes in legislation and ensure that their agency’s practices are in alignment with these requirements.

Fostering Care Standards

• A deep understanding of the fostering care standards is vital, including the standards of care that foster parents are required to meet.
• Ensuring that the agency promotes a culture of respect, inclusion, and positive outcomes for children in care.

Human Resources and Leadership

• Knowledge of recruitment processes for foster carers and the ability to assess their suitability based on experience, personal attributes, and motivation.
• Expertise in staff management, including supervising social workers, support workers, and other administrative staff. This includes performance management, conducting regular supervisions, and fostering a positive team culture.

Training and Development

• Have relevant knowledge of the training requirements for foster carers, including mandatory training on safeguarding, attachment, and managing challenging behaviours.
• Responsible for identifying gaps in training and ensuring that the foster carers and staff are continually developing their skills.

Financial Management

• Although this is not always the primary focus, knowledge of budgeting and financial management within the fostering agency is necessary to ensure that resources are allocated effectively and that services remain sustainable.

Skills and Experience

• Leadership and Decision-Making: Leading teams, making difficult decisions, and ensuring a focus on quality care.
• Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills for liaising with local authorities, foster carers, children, and regulatory bodies.
• Problem-Solving: Ability to think critically and solve issues related to placements, staffing, or safeguarding concerns.
• Interpersonal Skills: Establishing trusting relationships with foster carers, children, and professionals.
• Ability to work on own initiative, using knowledge and experience to exercise judgement before reaching a decision
• Organisational skills: ability to develop plans, identify risks/opportunities, meet service targets and deadlines, and direct clinical specialist resources to meet the needs of the service
• Understanding the principles of child development and support, through promoting a healthy lifestyle, providing a variety of appropriate stimulating activities and being a consistent and caring adult role model.
• Understanding the impact of trauma, neglect and early adversity on children and young people.
• Good level of IT skills including familiarity with Microsoft Office, and possess excellent recording and report writing skills

Special Conditions

• To complete an application to Ofsted and be successful in the registration process to be the Registered Manager of Foster at HOME. This is a condition of continued employment.
• Enhanced DBS clearance
• Car User – ability to meet the travel needs of the post, which may involve significant travel
• Ability to provide management support within the standard core hours of 9am-9pm, ability to work flexibly and provide cover dependent upon service needs

To apply send your CV and a covering letter to email hello@socialadventures.org.uk

We work in caring professions where we are helping people every day. It’s really important to look after our staff teams and, to have resources available to support them when they need it.

We provide an enhanced wellbeing package that includes:

– Free counselling sessions available
– Employee interest free loan schemes
– Salary sacrifice schemes on electronics, making it easier if you need a new washer or TV!
– Enhanced external supervisions for relevant roles
– Staff wellbeing days within local teams (everything from dinners out, to team lunches to visits to the RHS in Worlsey).
– Staff socials for the whole Social adVenutres team
– 40% discounts of our nurseries and holiday clubs
– Your Birthday off work

We are an employee owned organisation. This means everyone has a say in what we do and everyone has the opportunity to develop their part of the business. As an organisation we listen and value the views and ideas of our staff teams. We have a Staff Director who is appointed by the whole staff team. The Staff Director comes to our Board meetings and represents the staff teams as well as reporting back to staff on the meetings meaning everything is completely transparent.

There’s lots of standard training available for the different roles from mental health first aid through to customer services. In addition to statutory training we also give every member of the team an annual training budget of £250 a year which the can pool over several years for bigger training courses. Staff have spent this on everything from yoga training through to an audible subscription.

As an employee owned company we believe it is extremely important to listen to our staff teams. We have an open door policy with Managers and Directors being very visible and approachable.

We are also part of an anonymous quarterly survey scheme called Engagement Multiplier. This gives all staff an opportunity to give feedback on how they feel we are doing as an organisation and to submit any ideas for improvement.

From this we consistently achieve an engagement score in the high 70s which is above the average for our type of organisation.