Fostering Social Worker – specialist team

We are looking for an enthusiastic and committed Fostering Supervising Social Worker to join our established fostering service. This role sits within the Holiday and Support Care Team and also includes responsibility for the Supported Lodgings Scheme.

Support carers provide regular weekend care to offer short breaks for children and their main carers. Children may be in foster care, kinship arrangements or with birth family. As a specialist role support is tailored to carer’s needs. Many carers work full-time so evening support groups and visits are provided. Annual visits to children are required which may involve some weekend work.

Supported Lodgings Hosts support young people aged 16-21 to develop independence skills. Their assessments and support needs differ from those of foster carers, and training is tailored accordingly. Many of the young people supported are separated migrant children (Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children).

You will hold a manageable case load and play a key role in assessing, supervising and supporting foster carers and Supported Lodgings Hosts to ensure high quality care and support for children and young people in Sheffield.

We are seeking an experienced and motivated social worker with sound knowledge of fostering legislation and practice. You will provide guidance, support and supervision to carers and hosts to promote stable and nurturing homes where children and young people can reach their full potential.

The role includes announced and unannounced home visits, facilitating support groups delivering training. We are looking for someone resilient, flexible, solution focussed and committed to delivering an excellent service.

If you require further information please contact Catherine.Crompton@sheffield.gov.uk or Clare.Robinson@sheffield.gov.uk. Interviews will take place w/c 27^th April.

We are investing in our workforce and are promoting opportunities to our under-represented groups. We value equality, diversity and inclusion and are focused on increasing the diversity of our workforce, particularly the number of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Disabled and LGBTQ+ people, so that our teams reflect the communities in the city we serve. We are also supporting staff with unpaid caring responsibilities to work flexibly.

It is a great time to join us and we welcome your application.

Under the Guaranteed Interview scheme, applicants who are disabled, care leavers, or armed forces veterans will be guaranteed an interview if they meet the essential criteria and indicate their eligibility on the application form.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all individuals, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for everyone and where appropriate to the role the successful applicant will be required to undertake relevant safeguarding check

Full-time employees work 37 hours for 52 weeks of the year and we offer a generous holiday entitlement. We are open to discussions about a wide range of flexible working opportunities which benefit you and the Council, including reduced hour contracts, working part time or as a job share.

If you are appointed to this role, your starting salary will be at the bottom of the grade. If you provide payslip evidence that your basic pay is greater than the bottom of the grade, we will consider starting you at the point of minimum advantage within the grade.

Equality of pay is extremely important to us. All roles at Sheffield City Council are going through an evaluation process which may result in changes to some pay arrangements from 2026. Find out more on our Sheff news page.