Fostering Assessment Manager

Join Our Team as a Fostering Assessment Manager!

Location: Remote

Contract: Full Time, Permanent - 35 hours per week

Salary: Up to £49,000 per annum

Why Work With Us?

• Enjoy 30 days of annual leave, increasing to 35 days with length of service, plus bank holidays!
• Receive a Car Allowance to support your travel needs.
• Contribute to a Company Pension for your future.
• Benefit from Life Assurance for peace of mind.
• Access our Employee Discount Scheme for great savings.

About Us

Welcome to Polaris, one of the UK's largest communities of children's service providers! For over 30 years, we have been passionately dedicated to improving the lives of young people through our independent fostering and adoption agencies, leaving care services, residential programs, and bespoke children's services.

Our nurturing community collaborates to ensure the best outcomes for every child in our care. We are ambitious for our children, young people, families, and staff, and we believe in their futures.

Your Role

We are excited to invite a dedicated Assessment Manager to join our established assessment team. In this role, you will provide robust leadership and management to the foster parent assessment process, ensuring we deliver high-quality foster parents for the country’s most vulnerable children.

This is a fantastic opportunity to enhance your management skills in a supportive environment focused on making a real difference!

What We Are Looking For

We seek a passionate Assessment Manager who shares our commitment to achieving the best outcomes for children and young people. You will:

• Lead the recruitment and assessment of foster parents, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements and quality standards.
• Manage the entire assessment journey, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders.
• Utilize your experience as a social worker to navigate social work assessments and Form F reports.
• Exhibit excellent organizational skills and effective communication to achieve results.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee the recruitment and assessment of foster parents from enquiry through to panel approval.
• Ensure the quality and timeliness of assessments.
• Build strong partnerships with internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Analyze data and trends to support service improvement and business planning.
• Provide guidance on fostering regulations and best practices.
• Commit to safeguarding, managing all concerns appropriately and promptly.
• Contribute to panel processes as required.

About You

• Hold a professionally recognized qualification in Social Work.
• Have a minimum of four years' experience as a qualified social worker in a children and family setting.
• Possess strong experience in foster parent recruitment and assessment, including Form F and the assessment and panel process.
• Have sound knowledge of fostering legislation, regulations, and standards.
• Experience working with fostering panels and performance targets is essential.
• Demonstrate excellent report writing, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Must possess a full driving license.
• Be fully proficient in the Microsoft Office suite.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. The successful applicant will be subject to a DBS check.

At Polaris, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults, and we expect all staff to share this commitment.

Join us in making a difference!