Location
Sutton, London Borough of Sutton

Hours
Full Time

Salary
£57,402 per annum (subject to pay award updates in April 2025)

About the Borough
The London Borough of Sutton is located less than 30 minutes by train from Central London, with direct connections to London Victoria and London Bridge. Situated in zone 5, Sutton offers excellent transport links, award-winning parks and open spaces, low crime rates, affordable housing, and outstanding schools. The borough is known for high resident engagement and satisfaction, delivering quality services while addressing financial challenges and involving residents in key local developments.
Sutton is investing in the health, wellbeing, and education of its residents and future generations, as outlined in the “Ambitious for Sutton” corporate plan. Home to the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton is developing the London Cancer Hub to become a world-leading life-science district specializing in cancer research and treatment. This vision will create approximately 13,000 jobs and contribute £1.2bn annually to the UK economy. With ongoing regeneration including new homes and schools, Sutton is committed to supporting vulnerable groups to maintain independence and balance support with independent living.
The Council plays a leading role within the South London Partnership, focusing on strategic growth, regeneration, and investment across five outer south west London boroughs. Sutton aims to shape the future of the borough to make it a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

About the Service and Team
Children's Social Care is undergoing significant transformation to meet growing demand and improve service quality. The focus is on elevating care standards for children and families while fostering positive, supportive work environments for staff. Through strategic recruitment of leaders and managers, the service is driving innovation and meaningful change to become a leading authority in children's social care. The service is committed to delivering exceptional support with an inclusive, diverse, and stable workforce.

About the Role
We are seeking a Team Manager for the Fostering Team within Children’s Social Care. Reporting to the Service Manager, you will manage a team of Senior Practitioners and Social Workers, providing high quality supervision, support, and training to foster carers and their families. Your leadership will enable trauma-informed care for children and young people.
You will motivate your team to meet evolving service demands through excellent social work supervision and ensure compliance with statutory fostering requirements. You will also contribute to foster carer recruitment, retention, and service development. A strong understanding of children in care, foster carers, and their families is essential.
The team works closely with external partners including local authorities, child welfare organisations, healthcare professionals, and educational institutions to coordinate comprehensive support.
This role is ideal for experienced Team Managers or Deputy Team Managers seeking greater responsibility, or managers wishing to share their expertise and deliver statutory objectives effectively.
Robust support through coaching, mentoring, and leadership will be provided by the Service Manager, Head of Service, and the wider social care team to ensure your success.
Recruitment and Retention Bonus (subject to payscale):
- £1000 Welcome Bonus in your first month's salary
- £1000 Retention Bonus after 1 year
- £2000 Retention Bonus after 2 years
- £3000 Retention Bonus after 3 years and annually thereafter

Our Offer to You
We provide a supportive, friendly, and collaborative environment to help you grow your career and skills. Your ideas and contributions are encouraged and supported by a dynamic management team.
Benefits include:
- Generous annual leave entitlement of 26-31 days plus bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time)
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption, and dependents leave
- Two volunteering days per year
- Flexible working arrangements and agile working technology
- Access to a learning and development portal
- Discounts on local shops, restaurants, gyms, and leisure centres
- Interest-free season ticket loans
- Local Government Pension Scheme
- Bicycle loan and cycle to work schemes
- Zip car scheme
- Confidential health, wellbeing, and counselling support

Application Process
Apply online outlining your skills, abilities, and experience relevant to this role. Ensure your CV details are correctly uploaded. We value authenticity and expect personalised applications demonstrating your motivation and alignment with our PRIDE values.
We operate an anonymised application process to reduce bias and encourage diversity. Our interview panels are diverse to further support fairness. We are committed to removing barriers and enhancing workforce diversity.
We reserve the right to close the vacancy once sufficient applications are received; early application is advised.

Additional Information
We are proud to be a diverse and inclusive employer, reflecting the community we serve. We offer family-friendly policies, flexible working, staff engagement forums, and inclusive networks.
We are a Disability Confident employer and guarantee interviews for disabled applicants meeting essential criteria. As a London Living Wage Employer, all employees receive the London Living Wage.
Note that sponsorship for work visas is subject to eligibility and budget and cannot be guaranteed for all roles.

Experience
- Relevant professional qualification and registration required
- Minimum of 3 years post-qualification experience with extensive, sophisticated, and current knowledge of national and local policies, statutory guidance, and legislation related to Health and Social Care services
- Experience in project management within fostering, including developing recruitment strategies
- Familiarity with social media platforms to promote fostering and increase local and neighbouring borough visibility
- Proven ability to lead organisational change, development, and address performance management issues
- Effective communication skills in challenging situations with diverse audiences

About You
- Self-motivated, energetic, and confident with a positive, can-do attitude
- Strong leadership and team management skills
- Commitment to delivering trauma-informed care and improving outcomes for children and families
- Ability to collaborate effectively with internal teams and external partners
- Passionate about fostering service development and recruitment

Qualifications
- Professional social work qualification with current registration
- Evidence of continuous professional development relevant to the role