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- Tasks: Lead and support foster carers, ensuring safe and high-quality placements for children.
- Company: Join Herefordshire Council, a supportive environment focused on fostering improvement.
- Benefits: Enjoy a £10,000 welcome payment, flexible working, and 31 days annual leave.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in children's lives while advancing your career in social work.
- Qualifications: Social Work degree, registration, and significant fostering experience required.
- Other info: Opportunities for professional development and clear pathways to management roles.
The predicted salary is between 45777 - 50091 £ per year.
Herefordshire Council is strengthening its fostering and kinship provision as part of its wider improvement journey. With sustained investment and a stable leadership structure, the service offers a strong, supportive environment where experienced practitioners can genuinely influence practice and outcomes.
About the Role
As a Senior Practitioner in the Fostering Kinship Team, you’ll take a lead role in supervising foster carers and connected persons, overseeing complex assessments, and ensuring placements remain safe, high-quality, and aligned with children’s long-term plans.
You’ll provide professional oversight to colleagues, contribute to panel preparation and quality assurance, and act as a key source of expertise in permanency, matching, and regulatory compliance. This role is ideal for someone who combines strong fostering experience with the confidence to guide others and shape service standards.
Key Responsibilities
- Carry out and quality-assure complex fostering and kinship assessments, including Form F and SGO assessments.
- Provide reflective supervision and expert guidance to carers and colleagues.
- Lead on complex placement stability planning, disruption meetings, and support packages.
- Prepare high-quality reports for fostering panel and court.
- Promote best practice across assessment, supervision, and regulatory compliance.
- Ensure accurate recording and oversight within the MOSAIC system.
Practice Model
Herefordshire’s Family Safeguarding Model underpins practice across the service, emphasising restorative, strengths-based relationships with children, families, and carers. In fostering, this means valuing carers as core partners in delivering safe and nurturing homes, supported by clear communication, consistency, and reflective practice.
Senior Practitioners help embed Motivational Interviewing, Restorative Practice, and multidisciplinary working, ensuring carers receive tailored support and children experience stable, well-matched placements.
Requirements
- Social Work degree or equivalent qualification.
- Social Work England registration.
- Significant experience in fostering, kinship, or permanency services.
- Strong understanding of fostering regulations, assessments, and care planning.
- Proven ability to mentor, support, and develop colleagues.
- Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle.
- Pool cars available for work travel.
- Sponsorship available for candidates with 2+ years UK experience.
Benefits
- £10,000 Welcome Payment & £4,000 Retention Payment.
- Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
- Protected professional development time and training budget.
- Clear progression pathways to management roles.
- Flexible working: flexi-time, job share, part-time hours, and hybrid options.
- 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme.
- Payment of Social Work England registration fees.
- “Pick Your Perks” benefits portal offering discounts on retail, health, leisure and travel.
- 31 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, with the option to purchase up to 10 additional days.
Interested? Contact Josh Da Costa at Sheldon Phillips to discuss this role in more detail.
Referral Bonus: Know someone perfect for the role? We offer up to £500 for successful referrals.
Senior Practitioner – Fostering Kinship Team in Hereford employer: Sheldon Phillips Ltd
Contact Detail:
Sheldon Phillips Ltd Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Practitioner – Fostering Kinship Team in Hereford
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the fostering and kinship sector. Attend local events or online webinars to meet people who can give you the inside scoop on job openings and even refer you directly.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions related to fostering and kinship work. Think about your past experiences and how they align with the role at Herefordshire Council. We want you to shine!
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your expertise! Bring along examples of your work, like reports or assessments you've completed. This will demonstrate your skills and give interviewers a taste of what you can bring to their team.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive and engaged with our platform.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Practitioner – Fostering Kinship Team in Hereford
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to highlight your experience in fostering and kinship services. We want to see how your skills align with the role, so don’t hold back on showcasing your relevant expertise!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills: As a Senior Practitioner, you'll be guiding others, so let us know about your mentoring and supervisory experience. Share specific examples of how you've supported colleagues or foster carers in the past.
Be Clear and Concise: When preparing your written application, clarity is key! Use straightforward language and structure your thoughts logically. This will help us easily understand your qualifications and fit for the role.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application through our website. It’s the best way to ensure it reaches us directly and allows you to keep track of your application status. Plus, we love seeing applications come through our platform!
How to prepare for a job interview at Sheldon Phillips Ltd
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of fostering regulations and assessments. Familiarise yourself with the Family Safeguarding Model and how it applies to the role. This will show that you're not just experienced, but also genuinely invested in the practice.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Senior Practitioner, you'll be guiding others. Prepare examples of how you've mentored colleagues or led teams in the past. Think about specific situations where your guidance made a difference, and be ready to discuss them.
✨Prepare for Complex Scenarios
Expect questions about handling complex placements and disruption meetings. Have a few case studies in mind that highlight your problem-solving skills and ability to maintain placement stability. This will demonstrate your readiness for the challenges of the role.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Interviews are a two-way street! Prepare thoughtful questions about the team dynamics, support structures, and professional development opportunities. This shows that you're serious about contributing to the service and want to ensure it's the right fit for you.