Deputy Service Manager - Fostering and Kinship Service

Full Time,  Fixed Term until the end of March 2027

Are you passionate about improving outcomes for children in care and those living within their families and networks?

Bristol City Council is seeking an experienced and dynamic Deputy Service Manager to support the leadership of our Fostering and Kinship Service. This is a key role where you will help shape and deliver high-quality services that enable children to grow up in safe, stable, and loving homes.

Role Overview

As Deputy Service Manager, you will work closely with the Service Manager to provide operational leadership, oversight, and strategic development across fostering, kinship care, and special guardianship services.

You will:

• Support the delivery of high-quality fostering and kinship services, ensuring statutory duties are met.
• Promote stability and permanence for children, prioritising family-based care wherever possible.
• Lead and develop teams to deliver effective support to foster carers, kinship carers and special guardians.
• Ensure children experience safe, nurturing care arrangements that meet their needs and support positive outcomes.

You will play a critical role in strengthening practice, supporting workforce development, and embedding consistency across services.

What You’ll Be Responsible For

Leadership & Management

• Provide day-to-day leadership and support to fostering and kinship teams.
• Deputise for the Service Manager as required.
• Promote a culture of high support and high challenge, enabling staff to thrive.

Quality & Practice

• Ensure excellent social work practice across fostering and kinship services.
• Drive improvement in placement stability, carer support, and permanence planning.
• Promote trauma-informed and relationship-based practice.

Partnership Working

• Work collaboratively with internal teams and external partners including:
  - Children’s social work teams
  - Bristol Therapeutic Support Service (BTSS)
  - Bristol’s foster carers and special guardians- Health, education,
    and voluntary sector organisationsStrengthen pathways that
     support kinship arrangements and foster care placements.

Performance & Resources

• Support management of service performance, budgets, and resources.
• Monitor outcomes for children and carers, ensuring continuous improvement.

Service Development

• Contribute to the ongoing development of fostering and kinship services.
• Support innovation, including new models of care and support for carers.
• Help shape policies and processes to improve service delivery.

About You

We are looking for a motivated and experienced leader who:

• Has a strong background in children’s social care, particularly fostering, kinship, or permanence.
• Demonstrates a clear commitment to improving outcomes for children and families.
• Has experience of managing teams and driving service improvement.
• Is confident in working across complex systems and partnerships.
• Champions inclusive, restorative, and relational practice.

Please note that this role is subject to an Enhanced DBS Check.

Why Bristol City Council?

At Bristol City Council, we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a work environment which is fast moving and supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation. For the majority of our roles hybrid working arrangements are available, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice - mixing both home and office working.

Join us and you’ll receive an excellent rewards package including flexible working and flexitime, membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance. In addition, you’ll be working in a supportive environment where you’ll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future.

How do I apply?

If you share our values and are ready to be part of our exciting journey please select the apply button below.

To be shortlisted for interview you’ll need to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria in the Person Specification within the Further Information section of your application. On occasion we will receive high numbers of applications, we may then shortlist against the desirable criteria along with the essential criteria, so if you can, please demonstrate how you meet this in your application.

For permanent Bristol City Council employees, this post will be a secondment.

For employees who are currently on a fixed term contract with Bristol City Council, the secondment must not extend beyond the end of the fixed term period to ensure there is a substantive post to return to.

If you are currently a casual worker or a member of an employment agency (currently working with Bristol City Council) this post will be a fixed term contract.

We're a Disability Confident employer which means we value recruiting and retaining disabled people. Any job applicants who consider themselves to be disabled and meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification are guaranteed an interview. We'll make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.

For more information or to discuss opportunities, contact:  Sarah Bridgman, Service Manager Fostering, Kinship and Adoption sarah.bridgman@bristol.gov.uk

Bristol City Council strives to have a workforce that reflects the communities it serves, we are therefore committed to ensuring diversity in our hiring process. We welcome, develop and promote people from all sections of the community. We particularly welcome applications from Black and racially minoritised, Disabled, LGBTQ+, and Male candidates who are currently under-represented within this Service of Bristol City Council. Appointments will be made on merit.

The personal information section (including your name) you’ll complete as part of the application form will not be visible to hiring managers, but is used confidentially to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.