Business Support Officer - Fostering

As a Business Support Officer, you will provide high-quality administrative support to the Fostering Team and play an important part in ensuring the smooth and effective running of the service. You will initially be office-based while completing your training, with the opportunity to move to hybrid working following successful completion of your six-month probation period.

Your responsibilities:

• Taking detailed minutes at workshops, partnership meetings and Fostering Panel meetings;
• Maintaining service and caseload systems;
• Collating performance information;
• Responding to telephone, email and face-to-face enquiries;
• Arranging appointments and meetings;
• Processing orders and invoices;
• Maintaining files and documentation;
• Providing administrative support for training courses, events and conferences;
• Supporting the Service Manager with preparation for Ofsted inspections;
• Covering for the Fostering Panel Administrator, including collating, checking and distributing Panel documentation and supporting Panel members in line with statutory requirements.

Ideal candidate:

• We are looking for an organised, confident and customer-focused administrator who can provide a professional and reliable service in a busy environment.

Qualifications and experience:

• Strong administrative experience and excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills;
• Ability to take detailed and complex minutes, organise and prioritise your workload effectively and maintain a high level of accuracy and attention to detail;
• Experience within Children and Families Services would be desirable;
• Confidence using Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, as well as databases and information systems;
• Comfortable sourcing and collating information, maintaining statistical records and managing diaries and meetings;
• Good listener with empathy and sensitivity when dealing with people who may be experiencing difficult or upsetting situations;
• Understanding of confidentiality, Data Protection, Information Governance and safeguarding, and ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a team.

Additional Information:

• Hybrid working arrangements: Working from Civic Offices during probation period, once competent, may progress to hybrid.
• Interview date: Tuesday 8th December 2026.

About Portsmouth City Council:

Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act. We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed. These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals.

E‑quality, diversity and inclusion:

We are a disability confident employer and have an Armed Forces Covenant. We are committed to offering an interview to all those candidates that qualify under one of our commitments and meet the minimum criteria, however, for roles that receive a large number of applications, this is not always possible, and we will select the candidates that best meet the minimum criteria.

Right to work and sponsorship:

You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it. We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Safeguarding:

Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Every post is subject to PCC and Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership safer recruitment procedures. Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) at Standard/Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Please read the relevant DBS privacy notice before submitting any information.