Assistant Director of Fostering

**About The Role**:
Compass Fostering are recruiting an Assistant Director of Fostering to join and lead our experienced and successful team of Heads of Fostering, Operations Managers and Social Workers.

You will work in collaboration with the Director of Operations to understand and contribute to the organisation’s strategic plan by ensuring that all stakeholders understand and value our commitment to children and their safety and wellbeing.

You will ideally be based in the south and work from our **Rustington **or** Fareham **office, though this can be negotiable.

**Key responsibilities**
- To mentor and support individual Heads of Fostering to ensure that the mínimal standards are met and and exceeded and aspire to achieve “Outstanding” inspection judgements by ensuring service department strategies and plans are in place.
- To ensure high quality of care is delivered to children and young people ensuring that child protection and safeguarding principles, quality assurance systems and processes are embedded and adhered to across the service. This should exceed regulatory standards and requirements.
- To deliver operational excellence and drive the service in achieving organisational quality and growth objectives in line with budget.
- To work closely with the Head of Quality Assurance identifying opportunities for improvement and driving change within the operations teams to ensure principles of continuous improvement and excellence within daily practice.
- To support the integration of new business through acquisition, ensuring that the operational and quality assurance policies, strategy and processes are understood, implemented and embedded.
- Responsible for the leadership, management and development of a high performing Leadership team.
- To drive a ‘quality’ culture and help create an environment of continuous improvement where safety is demonstrated through robust quality assurance and compliance processes, which includes the recruitment, induction, supervision and appraisal process in line with organisational policy.
- Ensure that recording and documentation demonstrates social work theory and practice, underpinned by analysis of information, inquisitive questioning and on-going reflective practice.
- To work with the operations team to improve carer retention including the formalisation of support groups as well as chairing the National foster care forum in the absence of the Director of Operations on behalf of the Executive Team.
- To deputise for the Director of Operations and play an active part of the operations board, providing focused and evidence based quality management reports and support to the Chief Executive Officer.

**Role Requirements**
- Degree or equivalent social work qualification and / or Level 5 management qualification.
- Significant post graduate experience.
- Membership of relevant professional body.
- Senior Management experience at a senior level preferably within the IFP sector.
- Proven track record of delivering results including improvements to service.
- Excellent knowledge of childcare legislation; specifically the Regulations and Standards for Fostering.
- Successful management of large budgets / operations operating within financial constraints and / or competing priorities.
- Understanding of Health and Safety legislation and their role in protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of colleagues and others.

**Benefits of joining Compass Fostering**
- **Competitive Salary **- using structured pay grades based on your training and experience.
- **Car Allowance** - £100 p/m car allowance to allow you to work flexibly from different locations.
- **Wellbeing** - Access to therapeutic wellbeing sessions with our Therapeutic Services team.
- **Bonuses** - receive £200 service award on your two-year anniversary, plus up to £500 special recognition service for outstanding practice.
- **Awards** - The chance to win up to £150 in vouchers every month from our REACH Awards
- **Medicash**:

- Cashback for various medical appointments & treatments with MediCash
- **Life Assurance Scheme** - 3 x annual salary after successful completion of your probation review.
- **Increased Holiday** - 27 days (including birthday and wellbeing day) increasing gradually to 30 hours after 4 years’ service.

CFHP

**About Us**: Compass Fostering is a part of our wider community, providing fostering, residential, educational, and therapeutic services for the young people in our care.
We are a progressive, child-centred service, putting the wellbeing of our children and young people at the front and centre of everything we do.

We are proud to offer good and outstanding services in all of our regions across England and Wales, championing our staff teams who help us towards these outcomes.

Compass are a values-based children’s service, meaning that everything we do is underpinned by our REACH approach. It stands for Resilience, Education, Acceptance, Child-centred and Ho