CONTRACT TYPE: PERMANENT

Are you an experienced fostering professional ready to take the next step in your career? We are looking for a Senior Practitioner to support the delivery of a high-quality fostering service that transforms the lives of children and young people.
This is a rewarding opportunity to work closely with the Deputy Team Manager and Team Manager, playing a key role in recruiting, assessing, supervising, and developing foster carers. You will be part of a dedicated team committed to achieving excellent outcomes for children in care, ensuring that every placement offers a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment.

ABOUT YOU

You will be a confident and knowledgeable practitioner, passionate about fostering and committed to professional excellence.

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• Substantial post-qualifying experience in fostering and child and family social work.
• A high level of competence in fostering practices aligned with national standards and best practice.
• A strong commitment to quality improvement through co-working, coaching, mentoring, and team support.
• In-depth knowledge of relevant legislation, safeguarding frameworks, and the social care needs of children and families.
• The ability to lead and influence practice, develop team members’ skills, and drive service improvements through research and innovation.
• Excellent communication skills and the confidence to support carers and colleagues alike in challenging situations.
• A relevant professional qualification (e.g., DipSW, CQSW, CSS) and registration with Social Work England.

ABOUT US

Luton Council has been selected to deliver the government’s Families First for Children Pathfinder programme.
Luton is one of seven new areas in the second wave to be chosen with the aim of protecting vulnerable children from harm and improving services to help more children stay with their families in safe and loving homes.
The programme is an amazing opportunity for Luton to shape future social care practice, which includes closer working relationships with our health, police, education and voluntary sector partners.
Children are at the heart of everything we do in Luton, and we are very proud of the tremendous work that is already taking place together with our partners, including the development of our Family Hubs and working towards making Luton a child-friendly town where our children and young people can grow up feeling happy, healthy and secure.
Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.
The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?
We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough

ABOUT THE ROLE:

• Support the management team in delivering a high-quality fostering service aligned with LBC values and standards.
• Recruit, assess, train, and support foster carers to ensure safe and stable placements for children and young people.
• Supervise and guide carers, maintaining regular contact and offering advice to promote professional development and effective caregiving.
• Promote best outcomes for children by ensuring all work is completed in accordance with current safeguarding, child protection legislation, and National Minimum Standards.
• Deliver a service that prioritizes the needs and welfare of children, working collaboratively with their birth families and carers.
• Contribute to service development by identifying opportunities for improvement and initiating change where needed.