Principal Social Worker - Fostering

Location: Cardiff

Pay Rate: £41.58 per hour

Contract Type: Temporary / Locum Contract

Sector: Children's Social Care (Fostering)

Are you an experienced Social Care Leader looking to drive high standards of practice and support sustainable outcomes for looked-after children?

An exceptional opportunity has arisen for a Principal Social Worker to join a dedicated Fostering Service based in Cardiff. Offering an attractive pay rate of £41.58 per hour, this role is ideal for a senior practitioner or experienced manager passionate about practice excellence, carer support, and quality assurance within fostering.

• Practice Leadership: Provide high-level clinical guidance, expert consultation, and mentoring to social workers across the fostering team.

• Quality Assurance: Lead on practice audits, quality assurance frameworks, and service evaluations to ensure high standards of care and compliance with regulatory frameworks.

• Complex Case Management: Support staff through high-complexity fostering cases, safeguarding concerns, and placement stability challenges.

• Panel & Compliance: Work closely with the Fostering Panel, ensuring robust assessments (Form F), supervision standards, and compliance with national minimum standards.

• Service Improvement: Drive continuous service development, workforce support, and practice innovation to enhance outcomes for foster carers and children.

• Qualification: Degree in Social Work (CQSW, DipSW, or equivalent).

• Registration: Active registration with Social Care Wales (or HCPC/SWE equivalent eligible for Wales registration).

• Experience: Significant post-qualifying experience within Children's Services, with direct experience in Fostering, Looked After Children (LAC), or Kinship Care.

• Leadership Skills: Proven track record in practice supervision, quality assurance, or senior management within a local authority or independent fostering agency (IFA).

• Clearance: Enhanced DBS check registered on the Update Service.

• Competitive Compensation: Top-tier locum rate of £41.58/hr.

• Impactful Role: Shape social work practice and directly influence placement stability for vulnerable children across Cardiff.

• Supportive Environment: Work alongside an experienced team of managers and dedicated fostering practitioners.

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.