Job title: Fostering Review Officer

Salary: PO4 £46,142 - £49,282

Hours: 18.5 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Location: ISU, Belle Isle Foundation, Enterprise Way, Leeds, LS10 3DZ

We’re looking for someone who understands and is passionate about achieving the best possible outcomes for children looked after in Leeds and who has experience and a passion for fostering. As a Fostering Review Officer, you will be part of a team within the Integrated Safeguarding Unit, maintaining a close working relationship with other colleagues, service users, carers and other agencies.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

As a Fostering Review Officer, you will bring to the role:

Ability to form good relationships with foster carers, children of all ages, supervising social workers, family members and other professionals including from external agencies
Analyse complex situations and make considered decisions, based on children’s best interests and contribute to the overall development of services for Children Looked After.
Understanding of safeguarding issues for children and young people who are looked after.
Creativity in supporting and developing the participation of children and young people in the foster care reviews including foster carers’ own children.
A competent understanding of the legal framework relating to Children who are Looked After and Care leavers, including knowledge of statutory guidance in relation to fostering, National Minimum Standards, Fostering and Adoption, Fostering Regulations 2011, Care Planning and Review Regs 2010

About the role

As a Fostering Review Officer, you will play a vital role in ensuring the quality and effectiveness of foster care by independently reviewing foster carers and their practice through evaluating whether carers remain suitable to care for children and whether their approval continues to meet statutory requirements, while gathering feedback from children, carers and professionals. You will need to provide robust analysis, challenge and quality assurance, produce high‑quality reports to inform fostering panel decisions, and contribute to continuous service improvement in line with legislation, policy and best practice.

A Fostering Review Officer role is particularly rewarding for someone who wants to make a real difference while working at a strategic level. You will provide independent oversight, influence practice, and drive improvements in the quality of care for children in foster placements. The role allows you to use your professional judgement, analytical skills and confidence to challenge where needed, while working closely with carers, social workers and partners. It is also well suited to practitioners who are passionate about quality assurance, continuous learning and shaping service development, with the added benefit of working within a small, highly supportive team committed to achieving high standards and better outcomes for children looked after across Leeds.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidance for further advice on completing your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please email Sam Taylor, Service Delivery Manager (SDM) at samuel.taylor2@leeds.gov.uk or Sarah Riddell, Team Manager (TM) at Sarah.Riddell@leeds.gov.uk

Application deadline: 8th September 2026

Interviews: 21st September 2026

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s or Adults’ barred list as applicable will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people
This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job purpose

As a Fostering Review Officer, you will be undertaking reviews of foster carers you will have a key role in evaluating a foster carers practice and ensuring the quality of foster placements is continuously improving. Foster carer reviews are a statutory requirement and governed by a range of regulations. The role of the Fostering Reviewing Officer (FRO) is to undertake such reviews, to help determine whether a foster carer remains suitable to care for looked after children, and if their terms of approval are still appropriate.

Responsibilities

The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

The role requires an in-depth knowledge of the fostering task, of the fostering regulations, and strong commitment to all aspects of the quality assurance and service improvement.
The post holder will be one of a team of four full time Fostering Reviewing Officers, based in the Integrated Safeguarding Unit (ISU). Fostering Review Officers undertake independent reviewing of all Leeds foster placements, including carers of children with disabilities having Short Breaks and long-term kinship carers.
As a Fostering Review Officer for Leeds, you’ll thrive on working in team and driving restorative practice. You will be passionate about working in a service to create a Child Friendly Leeds and be aligned with the Best City Ambition. In this role you will model skills in relationship building, developing positive working partnerships and demonstrate your social work values throughout your work. You will look to ensuring best practice and being innovative in your approach

Qualifications

Appropriate professional qualification (Dip SW, Degree, CQSW or equivalent). The post holder must be registered as a social worker (Social Work England) and maintain yearly registration.

Essential Requirements Candidates will only be shortlisted if they can demonstrate that they meet all the following essential requirements

Skills

Ability to form good relationships with foster carers, children of all ages, supervising social workers, family members and other professionals including from external agencies, based on “High Challenge/ High Support”
Ability to work constructively with colleagues and managers, offering critical analysis, a child-focussed perspective and appropriate challenge
Ability to gather, record and share information effectively, in line with Data Protection Regulations.
Good administrative and self-organisation skills, including diary management, keeping to timescales, and report writing.
Analyse complex situations and make considered decisions, based on children’s best interests.
Analyse and understand statistical information.
Chair multi-disciplinary meetings
Contribute to the overall development of services for Children Looked After.
Understanding of safeguarding issues for children and young people who are looked after.
Competent in the use of information technology, including interrogation of case recording systems, using Outlook, Word etc.
Ability to provide scrutiny and analysis of performance of the fostering service, with a view to identifying areas of practice improvement.
Ability to work flexibly, travel occasional long distances, and be able to work outside normal office hours if required.
Creativity in supporting and developing the participation of children and young people in the foster care reviews including foster carers’ own children.
Commitment to own professional development

Knowledge

Appropriate professional qualification (Dip SW, Degree, CQSW or equivalent). The post holder must be registered as a social worker (Social Work England) and maintain yearly registration.
A competent understanding of the legal framework relating to Children who are Looked After and Care leavers, including knowledge of statutory guidance in relation to fostering, National Minimum Standards, Fostering and Adoption, Fostering Regulations 2011, Care Planning and Review Regs 2010
Knowledge of best practice in working with foster carers to safeguard and promote children’s welfare
Knowledge of relevant research, Case Law, and findings from e.g. Child Safeguarding Practice Review (CSPR) that are relevant to fostering.
Understanding of local government issues and the social, political and legal context in which it operates
Understanding of the roles and responsibilities of partner agencies and working together to safeguard children 2023 statutory guidance.

Experience

Chairing meetings
Involving children in reviewing and decision –making
Fostering social work practice
Considerable experience as a practitioner in all aspects of child protection work
Behavioural and other job-related characteristics
Committed to relationship – based, restorative social work practice
Ability to demonstrate the Councils Values in your practice.
Ability to understand and observe the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy.
To carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under the Council’s Health & Safety Policies and Code of Conduct
Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities to ensure up to date knowledge, skills and continuous professional development
Must be able to meet the physical and travel/mobility requirements of the post (with or without reasonable adjustments).

Essential behavioural and other characteristics

Understand and embrace Leeds City Council values and behaviours and codes of conduct
Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Leeds Ambitions of health and wellbeing, inclusive growth, thriving strong communities, and a resilient sustainable city
Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures
Carry out duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing
Participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up, to date knowledge and skills
Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding equality and diversity of Leeds City Council
Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person
Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters

Desirable RequirementsCandidates are not required to meet all the following desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between candidates.

Skills

Developing interagency and multi-disciplinary problem-solving approaches to issues.
Possession of a full current driving licence

Knowledge

A management qualification
Knowledge of the impact of inequalities on disadvantaged groups

Experience

Of management or supervision of staff.
Experience of developing new approaches to work related issues.