Head of Fostering and Adoption

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced individual to join our senior leadership team as the Head of Fostering & Adoption. This pivotal role involves leading, influencing, shaping, and challenging across the critical area of Children’s Social Care. The successful candidate will oversee the management and leadership of the Fostering, Adoption, and Placement Services, ensuring the delivery of high-quality childcare placements and supporting the LAC & Permanence Strategy.

We are looking for a candidate who is not only qualified and experienced but also passionate about commitment to equality and positive outcomes for all children and young people.

About the role

The role involves leading, influencing, shaping, and challenging across the critical area of Children’s Social Care. The post holder will be responsible for the oversight, management, and leadership of the Fostering, Adoption, and Placement Services. Working closely with the Head of Commissioning to ensure that commissioned services complement in-house provision and support the delivery of the LAC & Permanence Strategy by ensuring the sufficiency of good quality childcare placements. Other key responsibilities are below:

• Manage financial allowances in line with budget allocations.
• Act as the named decision maker for Regulation 24 placements.
• Support the Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) in developing adoption services and attend national meetings and strategic boards.
• Lead on key strategies including the LAC & Permanence Strategy, Corporate Parenting Strategy, and Change for Children (C4C) LAC Project.
• Chair the Resources panel, Reg 24 panel, and act as the ADM for new foster carers.
• Develop and maintain excellent relationships with partner agencies and other services within the local authority and with schools.
• Promote diversity, equality, and inclusion within the team.
• Oversee the Fostering Service, ensuring the provision of emergency and planned placements for children and young people.
• Approve Adoption, Special Guardianship, and Child Arrangement Order Support Plans.

About you

We are looking for a candidate who is not only qualified and experienced in the below but also passionate about commitment to equality and positive outcomes for all children and young people.

• Significant relevant experience in managing a service/professional expertise area in a large public sector organisation, preferably local government.
• In-depth knowledge of national and local issues related to children and young people’s services.
• Excellent knowledge of legislation and guidance relating to corporate parenting, safeguarding, and children’s services.
• Proven leadership ability with evidence of developing a multi-disciplinary team approach.
• Registered (SWE) and qualified social worker.
• The post holder will be accountable to OFSTED for Fostering and Adoption and will lead the Children’s Services Improvement Plan across their area of responsibility.

This role requires a full driving license.

Other information

Salary – £85,000 up to £89,250

If you would like an informal conversation with Errol Albert – Service Director to find out more about this role, please contact Joanne Parker at

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

About the Business Unit

Buckinghamshire is a successful, growing place with fantastic natural assets, a highly productive economy and many resourceful and thriving communities. However, we are far from complacent and our new and ambitious unitary authority is well placed to tackle the challenges associated with growth, an aging population, climate change and inequalities in both opportunities and outcomes – particularly for our children and young people.

Children’s Services is on an improvement journey and as our very recent Ofsted report shows, we have continued to improve despite the pressures of the pandemic and have built solid foundations for future success. Relationships with partners are strong and our collective response to the pandemic has strengthened and deepened our work together.

We have a big, ambitious agenda for Buckinghamshire, and our teams work collaboratively and at pace to make a positive difference to the lives of children and young people across the county.

No matter what role you take on in our Children’s services, you will be part of a team who is dedicated to supporting children and their families to achieve their full potential.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

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