Supervising Social Worker - Fostering Team (Starting Well)

Supervising Social Worker - Fostering (Starting Well)

London Borough of Havering

Contract: Permanent

Grade 7/8- Supervising Social Worker 42324 - 51522 Pa with an additional Market Supplement (MS) of 4000 - Permanent

Message from the Director

Are you passionate about making a positive impact on the lives of children young people and families Do you have a strong desire to be part of a transformative journey that will shape the future of Haverings community If so we invite you to join us in our mission to elevate our local authoritys Childrens Social Care Services situated within our Starting Well Department.

Following our recent inadequate Ofsted inspection we are embarking on an improvement journey where we aim to re-establish and reinvigorate great practice across all our services delivered in Havering. As part of this journey we are seeking dedicated and enthusiastic social care practitioners ready to make a meaningful difference driven by a genuine desire to advocate for children promote their well-being and who are not afraid to take on the challenge of working for a local authority who have been inspected by Ofsted as inadequate.

In return we want to offer you the opportunity to develop your skills through our dedicated 10 days of learning a year offer and access to our very own Social Care Academy and Systemic offer. We are committed to creating an environment where every child receives the best possible support and care and all staff are supported to thrive and excel in safe supported and nurturing environments.

Our Senior leaders have worked on an improvement plan and if you are ready to embrace this challenge and play a pivotal role in shaping our journey we encourage you to apply.

We look forward to welcoming individuals who share our vision and drive.

About the role

The London Borough of Havering is looking to recruit Supervising Social Workers to contribute to the delivery of an effective childrens social care service as part of a Fostering social work team improving outcomes for children and young people and manage caseloads dependent upon experience grade of post and complexity of cases utilising specialist knowledge for appropriate interventions needs and risk assessments care planning and child protection investigations.

If successful in your application for the role of Supervising Social Worker London Borough of Havering you will/will be:

• Contribute to the delivery of an effective childrens social care service as part of a fostering social work team improving outcomes for children young people and foster carers in line with statutory and departmental policies procedures and guidance.
• Manage a caseload of foster carers utilising specialist knowledge to support appropriate interventions analyse needs and risk assessments support care planning child in need and child in care processes and child protection investigations.
• Undertake regular visits to foster carers no less than 6weekly including two unannounced visits per year
• Carry out high quality fostering and SGO assessments as required.
• Undertake annual reviews of fostering households including producing annual reports for the Fostering Independent Review officer and fostering panel as required
• Regularly liaise with the childs social worker and attend meetings as required
• Ensure up to date records are maintained within the case recording system As a team member contribute to the duty service operated by the team to support recruitment of foster carers and support to foster carers as well as responding to referrals
• Working with other agencies and professionals in a co-ordinated manner to address the needs of children and their families including preparing and participating in decision making forums
• Contribute and attend all children in care reviews and other meetings including PEP or health meetings as required
• The post holder will be required to work outside normal hours and will be required to provide out of hours support on a rota basis (up to 11pm on weekdays and 9am11pm on weekends and bank holidays) as required by the service and recompensated in line with the national collective agreement.
• The post holder will be expected to travel to meetings across the borough and nationally on occasions.
• The duties and responsibilities outlined in this job profile are indicative of the role however they are not exhaustive and may be subject to change. In addition you will be required to undertake other reasonable duties as directed by your manager

Please see Job Profile here

We promote ahybrid modelof working for our social care staff with a flexible approach involving working from our town hall campus/hubs. In this role you are expected to work from our town hall campuswhen required. In addition we also encourage a flexible approach to team building opportunities (we love a catch up over a cuppa breakfast or lunch) which often take place Face to Face in line with our model of practice.

As one of the greenest boroughs in London resourcefulness is in our nature. We dont wait to be told we take the initiative. We face the future head-on embracing new challenges with open minds and fresh ideas. Theres lots of opportunities to progress here and if you seize them well support you all the way. Choose Havering and see the difference youll make to the people that live work and learn here.

From caring for those who need it most to ensuring our highways and streets are safe providing a roof over the heads of our residents providing excellent customer service or enhancing our digital services for staff and residents there are so many ways you can make a positive influence here. And whether youre outdoorsy people-focused or analytical we have a role thats right for you.

For an informal discussion about the post please contact by email on This advert will close at 23:59 on the 8th June 2025

Additional Information

We want everyone to choose Havering. When you apply for a job with us your application is considered on its merits regardless of your age disability ethnicity faith gender identity or sexual orientation. Our residents and service users come from all walks of life and so do our employees.

The London Borough of Havering has important responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children young people and vulnerable adults. If you are appointed to a job that involves working with these groups you may be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Please attach your supporting statement explaining in no more than x2 A4 sides why and how you meet the criteria for this role.

We practice anonymised recruitment. Please ensure that you remove all personal information from any documents that you upload.