Service Manager - Connected Care & Kinship Fostering

• Role: Agency Service Manager (Connected Care & Kinship)

• Department: Children's Services / Fostering & Permanence

• Location: Durham County Council

• Pay Rate: £350 per day

• Contract: Full-Time, Interim / Agency Contract

• Working Pattern: Hybrid / Flexible Working (Subject to service need)

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dedicated Agency Service Manager to lead the Connected Care and Kinship Fostering Service at Durham County Council. In this strategic operational leadership role, you will champion child-centred practice, improve placement sufficiency, and ensure children are supported to thrive within their extended family networks whenever safe and appropriate.

• Attractive Rate: Secure a competitive daily rate of £350 per day.

• Strategic & Operational Impact: Drive service development, shape kinship care strategies, and influence permanence planning at a senior level.

• Service Transformation: Lead on quality assurance, audits, and performance management to enhance placement stability and reduce reliance on external placements.

• Supportive Environment: Work alongside a collaborative senior leadership team committed to continuous service improvement.

• Service Leadership: Provide strategic and operational direction across the Connected Care and Kinship Fostering Team.

• Kinship & Connected Carer Management: Oversee the assessment, approval, statutory review, and ongoing support of kinship and connected foster carers.

• High-Risk Case Oversight: Deliver expert guidance on complex, high-risk cases to ensure defensible, robust decision-making.

• Statutory Compliance: Ensure full compliance with Fostering Regulations, National Minimum Standards (NMS), Care Act guidance, and broader legal frameworks.

• Quality Assurance & Partnership: Lead service audits and work collaboratively with Children in Care teams, legal services, and regional fostering partners.

• Professional Status: Qualified Social Worker with active Social Work England registration.

• Leadership Track Record: Proven leadership experience at Team Manager or Service Manager level within statutory Children's Services.

• Fostering Expertise: Substantive experience within fostering services, specifically specializing in kinship, connected care, and permanence planning.

• Regulatory Knowledge: Deep understanding of fostering legislation, safeguarding frameworks, and court processes.

• Interim Agility: Demonstrated ability to work at pace and deliver results in an agency or interim capacity.

Randstad Care acts as an employment business when supplying temporary staff and as an employment agency when introducing candidates for permanent employment with a client. Randstad Care is an equal opportunities employer and decisions are made on merits alone.

Did you know that Randstad Care have been awarded a place on the National Clinical Staffing Framework for the NHS? This means we will be able to bring you more opportunities within nursing & midwifery and clinical staffing.

experience

Children services

skills

be able to manage challenging situations

qualifications

university

education

BA in social work