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Achieving for Children is a Community Interest Company that has a public sector ethos, combined with the freedom to innovate enabling us to do things differently. As a not-for-profit social enterprise owned by three local authorities (Windsor & Maidenhead, Kingston and Richmond), we offer the freedoms of a social enterprise with the employment benefits of local government. To find out more about us click here.
Please review our Candidate Application Guide before submitting your application, it’s packed with helpful tips to guide you through our application and interview process, while showing you what we are looking for.
Head of Foster for South-West London
Secondment Opportunity Term: Dependent upon start date | Ends: 31st March 2028 | Cross-borough travel required | Based in South-West London (Kingston Guildhall 2)
South-West London has secured Department for Education funding to fund the creation of a new sub-regional foster recruitment and retention hub which will join a network of five Fostering Hubs across London working together to develop best practice foster carer recruitment and assessment and lever partnership opportunities.
We are looking for an exceptional Head of Service to lead this exciting new service development and fundamentally improve the way we recruit, engage and support prospective foster carers across the region.
This is a unique opportunity for an experienced leader who combines a strong understanding of foster carer recruitment and the fostering landscape with significant expertise in transformation, service improvement and partnership working.
The Hub will bring together expertise, resources, data and innovative approaches across the sub-region, creating a more coordinated and effective approach to attracting and converting new foster carers. Your leadership will be central to making this ambition a reality.
About the role
As Head of Service, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for Foster With South-West London; a new sub-regional approach to fostering recruitment and retention.
You will be responsible for establishing and embedding a high-performing service offer that delivers measurable improvements in foster carer recruitment across participating partners.
You will lead a programme of transformation that challenges traditional approaches, uses evidence and data to drive decision-making, and ensures that prospective foster carers experience a clear, consistent and compelling journey from initial enquiry through to approval.
Working across organisational boundaries, you will build strong relationships with senior leaders, fostering services, communications and marketing teams, and other key stakeholders. You will bring people together around a shared vision and ensure that the Hub delivers value for each of the participating authorities.
You will also have a strong focus on continuous improvement - identifying what works, understanding where recruitment journeys are being lost, using insight to target activity, and developing innovative approaches to reach people who could make a difference to the lives of children and young people.
The role is offered for an initial term until 31 March 2028 and Achieving for Children will serve as the host authority for employment. Please note that partner local authorities are subject to confirmation.
About you
We are looking for a confident, innovative and collaborative leader who can operate comfortably at both strategic and operational levels.
You will have:
- Strategic leadership and influencing skills across organisational boundaries.
- Ability to communicate complex issues clearly to senior stakeholders and partners.
- Ability to use data and insight to drive improvement and decision-making.
- Resilience, sound judgement and a collaborative leadership style.
- Commitment to improving outcomes for children and foster families.
- Strong leadership and management abilities, including experience in team coordination, performance management and fostering best practices.
You will be comfortable working in an environment where the service is new, ambitious and evolving. You will bring energy, curiosity and pragmatism, alongside the ability to challenge established ways of working constructively.
Foster with South-West London will be made up of several local authority partners who are committed to working collaboratively to improve outcomes for children and young people. We welcome applications from people who reflect the diversity of the communities we serve in South-West London and are committed to creating an inclusive working environment where everyone can thrive.
This role is available as a secondment opportunity to staff in participating authorities and will be hosted by the lead authority for this service initiative, Achieving for Children (representing the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames).
For an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact:
- Lucy Pennie, Strategic Lead for Children and Young People (South London Councils) - lucy.pennie@sutton.gov.uk; or
- Matthew Edwards, Associate Director Provider Services (AfC) - matthew.edwards@achievingforchildren.org.uk.
Important Information
Start dates: Achieving for Children have set start dates meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.
Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.
Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.
Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
