Senior Social Worker - Fostering Team in Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Job Title: Senior Social Worker – Fostering Team
Specialism: Social Worker – Children
Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire, UK
Salary: £35.00 per hour

Senior Social Worker within the Fostering Team in Wakefield, earning £35.00 per hour. This exciting ongoing locum opportunity offers both part-time and full-time flexibility, making it ideal for experienced fostering professionals looking to make a lasting difference in the lives of children and young people. Working within a supportive and dedicated Fostering Team, you will play a key role in recruiting, assessing, supervising, and supporting foster carers while promoting placement stability and positive outcomes for children in care.

This is a fantastic opportunity to utilise your fostering expertise while enjoying the flexibility, variety, and professional rewards that locum work provides.

Perks and benefits:

• Part Time / Full Time: Enjoy the flexibility to choose a working pattern that suits your personal and professional commitments.

• Hourly Pay: Earn a competitive rate of £35.00 per hour, rewarding your skills, experience, and dedication.

• Professional Development: Access ongoing learning and development opportunities to support your career progression and enhance your expertise.

• Supportive Team Environment: Join a collaborative and welcoming team where your contribution is valued and supported.

• Meaningful Impact: Play a vital role in supporting foster carers and helping children achieve safe, stable, and positive outcomes.

• Varied and Rewarding Work: Work across a range of fostering-related responsibilities, ensuring every day brings new challenges and opportunities.

• Flexible Locum Lifestyle: Benefit from greater control over your schedule while continuing to develop your professional experience.

What you will do:

• Conduct comprehensive assessments of prospective foster carers, including connected persons and mainstream fostering assessments.

• Present fostering assessments and recommendations confidently to Fostering Panels.

• Provide regular supervision, guidance, and support to approved foster carers.

• Develop and review Foster Carer Development Plans to support ongoing learning and high-quality care provision.

• Manage and respond to safeguarding concerns, ensuring children's welfare remains paramount at all times.

• Support placement matching processes and promote placement stability for children and young people.

• Work collaboratively with education, health professionals, independent reviewing officers, and other partner agencies to provide holistic support.

• Champion child-centred practice, ensuring children's wishes, feelings, and needs remain central to decision-making.

• Maintain accurate, comprehensive, and timely case records, reports, and assessments.

• Provide professional leadership, mentoring, and support to less experienced social workers and colleagues.

• Contribute to quality assurance activities, service development, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Ensure compliance with fostering regulations, national minimum standards, statutory guidance, and local policies.

Person Specification:

• Degree or equivalent qualification in Social Work.

• Current Social Work England registration.

• Significant post-qualification experience within Children's Social Care.

• Previous experience within a Fostering Team and managing complex fostering cases.

• Strong knowledge of fostering legislation, regulations, standards, and safeguarding procedures.

• Excellent assessment, report-writing, communication, and analytical skills.

• Experience supporting, supervising, and developing foster carers.

• Ability to build effective relationships with children, families, carers, and partner agencies.

Why Location

Wakefield offers an excellent combination of rich cultural heritage, vibrant city life, and beautiful Yorkshire countryside. With excellent transport links, thriving arts and leisure facilities, welcoming communities, and easy access to both Leeds and the wider region, Wakefield provides an outstanding quality of life. It is a fantastic place to build your career while making a meaningful difference to children and families.

Working with Sanctuary Personnel:

Sanctuary Personnel is a trusted and award-winning agency for roles. With an ‘Excellent’ rating on Trustpilot from over 1,000 reviews and many prestigious industry awards, we are dedicated to finding you the best possible rates in roles that match your skills and experience.

Apply now

Take the next step in your social work career and join the Fostering Team in Wakefield with Sanctuary Personnel.