Advanced Fostering Social Worker

Number of Vacancies:

0

Time Type:

Full time

Worker Type:

Regular

Proposed Interview Date:

Monday, November 2, 2026

Hours of Work:

37

Hiring Manager:

Elizabeth Mercer

Contact Number:

01482 613028

Job Description Summary:

This is a Full-Time Permanent Position

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Liz Mercer, Kinship Assessment Team Manager- Liz.mercer@hullcc.gov.uk

Grade 10 Fostering Social Worker – Kinship Assessment Team

Hull City Council is on an exciting and ambitious journey to transform services for children and young people — and we want you to be part of it.

At the heart of everything we do is a deep commitment to children, young people and families. We are proud to have created a culture that prioritises high-quality support, strong relationships, and positive, lasting outcomes.

Our success speaks for itself.

In May 2026, Ofsted rated Hull Children’s Services as Good overall, with a number of Outstanding features — including Outstanding for the impact of leaders on social work practice. This reflects the strength of our leadership, our workforce, and our relentless focus on improving the lives of children.

Our Fostering Service was recognised by Ofsted as strong and effective, where:

• Children receive consistently high-quality, nurturing care
• Foster carers are well-trained, well-supported, and increasingly confident
• Children benefit from stable, secure relationships that promote their safety, wellbeing and development.

ROLE AND PURPOSE

Advanced Social Workers are highly skilled and experienced workers and the key purpose of their role is to deliver high quality social work practice which achieves the best possible outcomes for children and young people, their families and carers.

Advanced Social Workers model, demonstrate and coach a high standard of practice, providing support and co-working with other members of their team which promotes:

Compliance with practice standards and statutory requirements

A strengths and relationship based approach

Different perspectives and collaboration

Family & goal orientated plans which are SMART

The value of systemic tools such as genograms

Professional curiosity and challenge

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

1 Strategy - Advanced Social Workers will contribute to the overarching strategy and vision of the service, ensuring that practice demonstrates robust risk management arrangements. Practice will evidence a suitable focus on permanency and stability for children, through purposeful social work and other practice. Advanced Social Workers will contribute to and engage with a wider context: team, service, directorate, council and wider partnership. Advanced Social Workers will promote the involvement of foster carers and other carers to the development of the service.

2 Customer Focus - The role works in partnership with colleagues, parents and carers to ensure that child centred practice is the understood standard and expectation. This extends to other parts of the service and a priority to actively demonstrate commitment to child, carer and family feedback and a solution focused approach. These principles and standards extend to record keeping and Advanced Social Workers will be required to demonstrate good report writing, case recording and assessment and planning skills.

3 Performance Management - Advanced Social Workers are expected to manage high levels of risk and complexity in casework. The role will manage a complex caseload, evidencing robust analysis, focused and purposeful practice. Advanced Social Workers will be required to contribute to quality assurance work, including case audits, observation of practice and obtaining child and family feedback.

4 Leadership - Advanced Social Workers will support the Team Manager with important aspects of the management role including: deputising, supervision, team development work and co-working complex cases with less experienced team members. The role will model leadership qualities within practice, working with and supporting the Team Manager to set a clear standard of expected practice; practice which is reflective, analytical and purposeful. Advanced Social Workers will have a high level of knowledge and application of Fostering National Minimum Standards and Regulations, ensuring compliance is maintained and strengthened at a team level.

5 Statutory Obligations - Advanced Social Workers are required to have a high level of understanding regarding the statutory framework in which they practice. The role will work with the Team Manager to ensure that statutory requirements are met and that an appropriate focus is given to practice improvement and inspection preparation.

6 The role holds case responsibility for complex casework. The expectation is that all social work with children, young people and families is evidenced based and focused, ensuring that interventions are of a high standard and completed in a timely way.

7 Advanced Social Workers will provide support and informal supervision to other members of the team, enhancing the formal supervision provided by the Team Manager role. The post will provide formal supervision to ASYEs and staff Grade 8 or below, providing an important role for staff development.

8 Advanced Social Workers will be required to prepare and support others in preparing work for formal meetings and/or processes, such as Foster Panel, Fostering Reviews, Children Looked After Reviews, Independent Review Mechanism Panels.

9 Undertakes co-working with colleagues on specific direct work, reports and assessments. Balancing co-working commitments alongside the accountability of holding a caseload will be a priority for the role.

10 Contributes to the development of effective partnerships in order to achieve ‘a coordinated approach to ensure effective safeguarding arrangements’ (section 10, Children Act 2004). This may involve working with other local authorities, voluntary agencies and regional or national groups.

OUT OF HOURS SERVICE In order to comply with the Fostering Regulations and National Standards the post-holder is required to be on call on a rota basis to provide an out of hours service to Foster Carers.

NC4417. Advanced Fostering Social Worker.docx

Compensation Grades:

GRADES 10.

Pay Ranges:

£46,579.00 - £49,817.00

Job Classifications:

3- Not Politically Restricted - Designated As Not Politically Sensitive (Politically Restricted Posts), 5- Enhanced & Childrens Barring List - (Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)), Essential 3A - It is essential for the postholder to have a current driving licence and to provide a car for work. (i.e. someone who did not meet these requirements could not be appointed to the post, since it would be impossible for the postholder to do the job without using a private car). These requirements would be essential criteria on the person specification for the post. (Travel Allowance Policy), No - (Childcare Disqualification Requirement), Post Fulfilling Statutory Duty - (Statutory Post)

Benefits of Working of Hull City Council:
- A competitive salary
- An excellent pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
- Initially 23 days annual leave depending on length of service. You will also get eight public holidays per year, and three additional days off, one in May/August and one during the Christmas/New year period
- Career development and learning experiences from a range of training courses and learning methods
- Supportive and forward-thinking culture
- Great career development opportunities

Please ensure that you complete and submit your application by midnight prior to the closing date. Please ensure that your application demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria against the person specification as listed in the job description.

We are committed to increasing the diversity, equality, and inclusion within our workforce to represent the people we serve and build an environment in which everyone can feel like they belong. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

We adopt a ‘name blind’ approach to shortlisting. Recruiting managers will not have access to personal information, including your name and contact details, until a shortlisting decision has been made. Equality monitoring information is not accessible by recruiting managers at any stage.

We reserve the right to amend the dates associated with this advert, which may include closing the advert early where required.

The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

Online searches, including social media, may be carried out as part of the recruitment process.