Fostering Family Support Practitioner – Children and Families Service

Fixed Term Contract / Secondment Opportunity until March 2028

Are you passionate about helping foster families thrive?

In Hackney, we believe every child deserves a safe, stable, and loving home. Our Fostering Service is dedicated to supporting our incredible foster carers so they can provide the best possible care for Hackney’s care‑experienced children and young people.

We are looking to diversify our team to better reflect the families we serve. We are particularly seeking a male practitioner who can provide a positive male presence and role model for our young people—particularly adolescent boys—who may have lacked stable male figures in their lives.

This isn’t a desk job—you will be in the heart of our community, working directly in foster homes to provide the practical and evidence‑based support that keeps families together.

Role

• Deliver Hands‑on Support: Use systemic and behavioural approaches to help carers manage complex behaviours and daily parenting challenges. This includes accompanying young people with additional needs into the community and providing personal or safeguarding assistance in public facilities where required.
• Be the Voice of the Child: Build genuine rapport with children and young people, ensuring their wishes and feelings are at the centre of every plan.
• Collaborate: Work alongside schools, health services, and youth hubs to wrap a network of support around our families and carers.
• Assess and Observe: Provide key insights and high‑quality reports that contribute to the holistic assessment of a child’s needs and safety.
• Be Flexible: Adapt your schedule to meet families when they need you most—whether that’s an early morning routine, an evening check‑in, or crisis intervention within the "Hackney Village" model.
• Provide Physical & Safeguarding Support: Offer necessary physical assistance and safeguard interventions for boys with additional needs in public facilities where privacy and decency require a practitioner of the same sex.

About You

You are resilient, empathetic, and comfortable navigating the domestic dynamics of a fostering home. You are a natural communicator who can build quick rapport with young men and boys, helping them navigate their emotions and behaviours in a constructive way.

Requirements

• Qualifications: NVQ Level 3 in a child‑related discipline, or an equivalent level of demonstrable professional experience and training in a social care, youth work, education, or fostering environment.
• Experience: Substantial experience working directly with children and families, ideally within a social care or fostering context. Direct experience engaging and supporting young men and adolescent boys is highly desirable.
• Skills: A good understanding of child development and the ability to balance risk with protective factors.
• Workload Management: Proven ability to multitask and prioritise effectively in a fast‑paced environment, ensuring that both administrative tasks and direct family interventions are delivered to a high standard.
• Communication: Good report‑writing skills and the ability to build quick rapport with both children, young people, families and professionals.
• Values: A commitment to systemic and trauma‑informed practice that is rooted in anti‑racism. With an understanding of, and eagerness to advocate against intersectional inequalities to ensure that every child, regardless of background or identity, receives equitable support and the opportunity to thrive.

Why Hackney?

Hackney Children’s Social Care is a place where innovation is encouraged and professional development is a priority. You will join a team that values your clinical insights and provides the supervision you need to grow. We don’t just place children; we build futures. We need practitioners who are as committed to our carers as our carers are to our children.

Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under‑represented in our workforce.

The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available: hackneyworks@hackney.gov.uk

We are also working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud. In order to achieve this, we are seeking individuals who embody our "PROUD" values: Purpose and Respect, where we foster belonging through active inclusion, kindness, and open dialogue; Ownership, where we champion proactive collaboration and accountability for our shared success; and Unity and Diversity, where we work as one Council to break down silos and champion anti‑racist behavior.