Senior Practitoner (Fostering)

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary: Grade I. Scale 35 - £47,665 to Scale 39 - £51,928 with a professional bar at Scale 37 - £49,817**

Hours Per Week: 36

Base Location: Ashton Old Library, Old Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 7SG

Assessment Date: 12^th October 2026

Are you passionate about making a real difference in the lives of children and families? Do you bring compassion, curiosity, collaboration, conversation, and courage to your practice? If so, Tameside is looking for you.

The Role

An exciting opportunity has arisen within our Supervision and Support Team for a dedicated and experienced social worker who is committed to achieving the best outcomes for children and young people.

As a Senior Supervising Social Worker, you will play a pivotal role in supporting, supervising and developing our foster carers, ensuring they are equipped to provide safe, stable and nurturing homes for children and young people across Tameside. You will build strong, trusting relationships with carers, advocate for their needs, and work collaboratively with colleagues and partner agencies to ensure children receive the highest standards of care and support.

This is a rewarding and meaningful role where you will contribute to the stability and success of fostering placements, helping foster carers meet the individual needs of children and young people while promoting positive outcomes and lasting relationships. You will also provide guidance, mentoring and support within the team, sharing your expertise and helping to drive high-quality practice.

We are seeking enthusiastic and skilled social workers who are driven by strong values and a passion for strengths-based, relationship-focused practice. You will be committed to championing the voice of the child, supporting foster families and delivering excellent services to children and young people.

In return, we offer a supportive and inclusive working environment where your professional development is encouraged and valued. You will have opportunities to enhance your leadership skills, broaden your experience and contribute to the continued growth and development of our fostering service.

Join us and make a real difference to the lives of children, young people and foster families across Tameside. Together, we can create brighter futures for the children who need us most.

About You

You will be a qualified Social Worker with substantial experience in fostering services and a strong foundation of social work practice. Most importantly, you will be passionate about making a positive difference in the lives of children and young people by supporting foster carers to provide safe, stable and nurturing family homes. Motivated, committed and child-focused, you will bring energy, enthusiasm and a determination to achieve the best possible outcomes for children.

You will be professionally curious, reflective in your practice and committed to continually raising standards. We are looking for someone who embraces a strengths-based and relationship-focused approach, recognising and building on the skills and resilience of foster carers to help children thrive.

The successful candidate will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain positive, effective relationships with foster carers, children and young people, partner agencies and other professionals. You will be confident in providing support, guidance and challenge where appropriate, working collaboratively whilst using your professional judgement to make informed decisions and manage risk effectively.

You will have a sound knowledge of fostering legislation, statutory guidance, fostering regulations and the Fostering National Minimum Standards. Alongside this, you will bring strong analytical and assessment skills, attention to detail and the ability to produce high-quality written work, including fostering assessments, reports for fostering panels and statutory documentation. Your ability to gather, analyse and present information clearly will be key to your success in the role.

As a Senior Social Worker, you will demonstrate leadership within the team, supporting the development of good practice, providing mentoring and guidance to colleagues where appropriate, and contributing to service development. You will be committed to promoting placement stability, enhancing the fostering experience for carers and ensuring that children and young people receive the highest quality care and support.

We are looking for team players who enjoy working in a supportive and dynamic environment. This is a varied and rewarding role where no two days are the same, offering opportunities to further develop your skills, share your expertise and contribute to shaping the future of fostering services. In return, you will be part of a welcoming and experienced team that is committed to supporting your professional development and helping you reach your full potential.

About Us

Message from Jill Colbert, Director of Children’s Services

“I joined the council at the beginning of 2025 and was instantly charmed by the warmth, openness, and energy of colleagues.

“I came to Tameside for one reason; because I know we can do fantastic things for our families here.

“We’re a children’s service on a significant improvement journey. We know what needs to be different for our children and families and we’re ambitious to deliver that change.

“We have a growing range of specialist services for children, where you can test and grow your skills and practice. We have a Social Work Academy that is led by people who bring passion to learning and who know that the DCS’ of the future are right in front of them. We are working on our progression pathways so that staying in Tameside is rewarded and recognised. We have investment in innovation and improvement from the council so that we can grow services and support for families that we can sustain, from family hubs through to complex safeguarding.

“I am so certain that we can build a proud, inclusive and safe climate for great practice to flourish in Tameside. I’d love you to join me on the journey here at Team Tameside.”

Our Heart of Support Practice Approach

At Tameside, we believe in:

• Compassion understanding the lived experiences of children and families.
• Curiosity asking questions that lead to deeper insight and better outcomes for children.
• Collaboration working together across services to deliver joined-up support.
• Conversation listening and engaging meaningfully with children, families and professionals.
• Courage leading with courage, making bold and compassionate decisions that put children first.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults and expect all staff to share this commitment. This position is subject to Enhanced with Barred List Disclosure Procedures.

** This post is classified as being in a professional job category. As such the grade for the job has a professional grade development bar which employees can progress through subject to meeting the following criteria:

1. Relevant professional qualification for the job role at Level 6 or above, AND

2. Minimum of 2 years post qualification experience in the role, AND

3. Maintained membership of a regulated body where this is a requirement to practice in the role where applicable, AND

4. Professional standards practised to the highest expected level.

This post is a designated customer facing role under the fluency duty and requires a specified level of spoken English.

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.

Unfortunately, at this time we are not able to offer sponsorship.

We are committed to developing a culture which respects individuals, appreciates difference and allows everyone regardless of background to reach their full potential. We are proud to be an accredited disability confident employer. Reasonable Adjustments will be considered in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 in relation to the Job Role Criteria.

Our rewards and benefits package can be viewed here

We have made a commitment to improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities, care leavers, carers, and ex-military personnel. Please click here for more information on our guaranteed assessment scheme.

For further information about this role please contact the recruiting manager Laura Smith on 0161 342 4318 or laura.smith4@tameside.gov.uk