Social Worker (Level 1 and Level 2) - Fostering Team - Children and Families

Central Bedfordshire Council • Contract • Shefford, England, United Kingdom • 6d ago

Directorate: Children and Families
Team: Fostering Team - Corporate Parenting Service
Job Family: Supporting - CBG9 (Level 1) and Supporting - CBG10 (Level 2)
Salary: Level 1 - £34,811 - £37,562 per annum plus Standard MRS £5,100 per annum
Level 2 - £38,476 - £40,069 per annum plus Standard MRS £5,150 per annum
Hours: 37 hours per week
Location: You will be expected to attend a CBC office location as often as needed to carry out your role, which will be no less than once per month.
Contract Type: Hybrid - Fixed Term Maternity Cover until mid November 2026.

Closing Date: 13th May 2026
Interview Date: W/C 18th May 2026

About the role

We are pleased to offer an exciting opportunity to join our Mainstream Fostering Service as a Supervising Social Worker. This is a chance to make a genuine difference for children and families by helping them thrive in safe, stable, and nurturing homes.

As a Supervising Social Worker, you will play a key role in supporting and supervising our mainstream foster carers. You will help ensure they have the guidance, training, and advice needed to provide high‑quality care. You will be resoponsible for leading on foster carers annual reviews. Working closely with children’s social workers and a wide range of professionals, you will contribute to effective care planning and help secure the best outcomes for children.

We are looking for a qualified Social Worker who is registered with Social Work England and has experience of statutory social work. Experience in fostering is an advantage, and strong communication skills are essential, as you will prepare high‑quality reports for panel and work collaboratively with partner agencies. You will also need confidence using IT systems, the ability to work under pressure and the resilience to manage competing demands while remaining focused on what matters most—improving the lives of children.

In return, you will join a supportive team with a strong track record, manageable caseloads, and a commitment to excellent practice. We offer a generous rewards package, ongoing development opportunities and the chance to make a lasting impact by helping children remain connected to their families and communities.

If you are passionate about fostering and want to be part of a team that truly values your contribution, we would love to hear from you.

Please note that all applicants must have completed their ASYE - assessed and support year in employment.

This role is a maternity leave cover position and is offered on a fixed-term basis. The contract will conclude when the substantive post holder returns to work, appropriate notice will be provided.

Our Offer

We have a number of rewards and benefits available to our staff, to view these please visit our Rewards and Benefits page

Our aspiration is to be a truly flexible employer.  We welcome discussion on location, hours and working pattern as part of the application process.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You will be expected to demonstrate how you meet the key accountabilities and competencies in this Recruitment Pack.

Our Competency Framework and Qualification Guidance are to be read in conjunction with our Recruitment Pack.

For an informal discussion about this position, please contact: Louise Britton at Louise.Britton@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or call 0300 300 6810.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Safeguarding:

Central Bedfordshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees, volunteers and contractors to share this commitment. This post is subject to the disclosure of criminal records.  

To maintain a fair and consistent approach for applicants, it is Central Bedfordshire Council's policy to only consider applications made via our online application system and we therefore thank you for not submitting your application offline.

Our National Careers Service team offer a free monthly workshop covering CV writing and how to complete the statement sections of the Central Bedfordshire Council online application form. This MS Teams workshop is open to anyone from the UK and lasts around 1.5 hours. Please book your place here.

More information about this service can be found here: Support getting into work or learning | Central Bedfordshire Council