Number of Vacancies: 1 Time Type: Full time Worker Type: Regular Proposed Interview Date: Wednesday, July 15, 2026 Hours of Work: 37 Hiring Manager: Jayne Betts Contact Number: 01482 615264 x5264 Job Description Summary: This is a Full Time Permanent Position For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Jayne Betts, Head of Service at jayne.betts@hullcc.gov.uk Group Manager – Fostering Service 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. The opportunity: We are looking for an inspiring Group Manager to lead and develop our Fostering Service as we continue to build on this success. Hull Fostering is the largest fostering provider in the area, supporting over 300 foster carers, including both mainstream and kinship carers. This is a unique opportunity to: • Lead a high-performing, well-regarded service • Shape the future of fostering in Hull • Drive innovation and continuous improvement • Make a real, lasting impact on children’s lives • Be part of a forward-thinking local authority recognised for its progress and ambition. • Work alongside an experienced, supportive and confident leadership team • Access ongoing leadership development and professional support • Play a key role in a service that is already achieving Good and Outstanding outcomes. What we’re looking for: • A qualified social worker, registered with Social Work England • A passionate, committed and ambitious leader, with experience in fostering and proven leadership in a social care setting • Confidence in driving perdurance to improve outcomes for children and young people • A commitment to our values: People First, Respect, Learning, Ambition, and Partnership • Vision and determination to take an already strong service even further Whether you’re an experienced manager or ready to take the next step in your career, we’ll support your development and growth. If the postholder requires a Standard or Enhanced DBS disclosure the candidate is required to declare full details of everything on their criminal record unless the conviction/s and/or caution/s are considered “protected” in line with filtering rules for DBS checks. ROLE AND PURPOSE Works within either the Access & Assessment, Locality, Disability or Looked After Children Service, managing the delivery of high quality social work activities within the Hull Children’s Social Care Practice Model (across a number of teams and across a range of specialisms within the context of Children’s Social Care e.g. Fostering, Adoption, Children with Disabilities, Children’s Residential, Child Protection, Children in Need).Achieves the best possible outcomes for children and young people in need and their families with a high level of focus on the development and raising of quality in practice, setting standards and the conditions required for successful social work. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES: 1 Strategy – Leads on the development of, and action on, the social care system by analysing demand and workflow within the system and ensuring flexible and creative responses to work coming into the service. Assures optimal conditions in the social care system for those that work within it and for those that receive a service from it.eg. people resources, quality and practice analysis, learning and the development of systemic and reflective practice. 2 Customer Focus - Works in partnership with colleagues, parents and carers to ensure that child-centred systemic practice is the principal standard and framework for all work undertaken with children, young people and families. Engages and supports clinicians to undertake their role within the context of the Hull Children's Social Care Practice Model. 3 Performance Management - Provides ‘quality of practice’ evaluation to Team Managers and Assistant City Managers through audits, observed practice and data analysis and uses it to inform continuing learning and development of people and the service. 4 Leadership - Directs the allocation of case work (using the the caseload management process) to Team Managersand maintains managerial oversight of workflow within the service area including timely responses to new case work, case review and transfer/closure. Ensures that the direction of case work focuses on effecting positive change within families and that decision-making is predicated on a high degree of systemic and reflective thinking. 5 Statutory Obligations - To promote and safeguard the welfare of children, young people and/or vulnerable adults. 6 Provides professional support and challenge in relation to case decision-making.Prepares for and attends relevant decision-making panels on specific cases where there may be a requirement for additional resources Prepares for and chairs/attends specialist panels in line with a particular area of expertise e.g. Fostering Panel. 7 Provides group and individual supervision to up to ten /TeamManagers/Homes Managers and provides support in relation to complex/high risk case decision-making. Works across a range of specialisms and service areas including children's residential, disability, fostering, adoption, locality and access and assessment services. 8 Provides the lead role in staff management/supervision with regard to council policies and procedures, including recruitment, sickness monitoring and employee performance processes. Actively engages in the professional development framework for the Social Care Service including professional appraisals for supervisees. 9 Provides the lead role in monitoring of service user complaints at Stage 1 for the service area and complaint investigations at Stage 2 for other service areas. Undertakes Alternate Dispute Resolution meetings/processes where appropriate and agreed with the Complaints Manager. 10 Develops effective partnerships with other agencies in order to achieve 'a co-ordinated approach to ensure effective safeguarding arrangements' (Section 10 The Children Act 2004) and to support other organisations and individuals to 'ensure their functions, and any services that they contract out to others, are discharged having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children' (Section 11 of the Children Act 2004). 11 Actively engages with performance management and communication processes within the Social Care Service including instigation of and attendance at management meetings, practice development groups and the provision of professional opinion and management information as required.Works with Team Managers/Children's Homes Managers to ensure that relevant administration information, data and finance information is up to date.Ensures that policy and procedure across the service area is adhered to.Prepares for and supports the process of external service inspection (Ofsted) and works to ensure that services meet national minimum inspection standards and are 'inspection ready'. NC3244.Group Manager.docx Compensation Grades: GRADES 12. Pay Ranges: £55,058.00 - £59,021.00 Job Classifications: 3- Not Politically Restricted - Designated As Not Politically Sensitive (Politically Restricted Posts), 5- Enhanced & Childrens Barring List - (Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)), Casual - (Travel Allowance Policy), No - (Childcare Disqualification Requirement), OSP - Other Support Staff (School WorkForce Census), 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.