Fostering Wales Recruitment Officer

                                
Fostering Engagement and Recruitment Officer
Maethu Cymru Gwynedd
If you're a people person with a passion for building relationships, engaging communities and inspiring others to make a difference, this could be the perfect role for you.
Maethu Cymru Gwynedd is the Local Authority fostering service for Gwynedd and part of Maethu Cymru / Foster Wales, the national network of 22 not-for-profit Welsh Local Authority fostering services.
Together, we work to build brighter futures for children and young people across Wales by recruiting and supporting local foster carers.
You'll join a dedicated, experienced and passionate recruitment team committed to ensuring that more local children and young people can grow up in safe, loving homes close to the people, places and communities that matter most to them.
This is much more than a recruitment role. You'll be a visible ambassador for fostering across Gwynedd, helping to raise awareness, inspire potential foster carers and strengthen support for fostering within our communities.
You'll build meaningful relationships with local people, community groups, schools, businesses, employers and partner organisations, creating opportunities to promote fostering in new and innovative ways.
Through networking, outreach and partnership development, you'll help grow a network of fostering-friendly employers and organisations, encouraging businesses to actively support foster carers and become valued partners of Foster Wales.
You'll thrive on meeting people, starting conversations and building trust. Whether attending community events, speaking with local organisations, networking with businesses or supporting awareness campaigns, you'll play a vital role in helping people understand how fostering can transform lives.
The role offers a flexible working pattern, with opportunities to work from home, in the office and out in communities across Gwynedd. No two days will be the same as you engage with residents, businesses and partners, answer questions about fostering and help people take the first step towards becoming foster carers.
Alongside the existing Recruitment team, you'll play a key role in shaping and developing the service, building strong and lasting relationships with our foster families, maintaining our foster carer retention rates, and helping us recruit the next generation of foster carers.
Through your community engagement, partnership-building and networking skills, you'll help create a stronger culture of support for fostering across Gwynedd.
The ability to speak Welsh is essential for this role.
Gwynedd Council offers an attractive employment package, for more information please click on this Information Pack
Gwynedd Council operates internally through the medium of Welsh, and offers all its services bilingually. The applicant will be required to reach the linguistic level noted as one of the essential skills in the Person Specification.
We encourage everyone who applies for a job with Gwynedd Council to submit job applications in Welsh or bilingually.
(Applications submitted in English only or Welsh only will always be treated equally, but we ask applicants to consider carefully what the linguistic requirements of the job in question is and if it would be more appropriate to submit an application in Welsh.)
For further information about this post please contact Melvin Craig Panther on melpanther@gwynedd.llyw.cymru or 01286682660.
Interview date to be confirmed.
Application forms are available from Support Service, Gwynedd Council, Council Offices, Caernarfon, LL55 1SH 
Tel: 01286 679076 
E-Mail: Swyddi@gwynedd.llyw.cymru 
CLOSING DATE:  10:00 AM, 02/10/2026
The Council will request a Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service for the successful candidate.
If you are successful to be short listed for an interview you will be contacted by E-MAIL using the address provided on your application form. You need to ensure that you check your email regularly.
                            

                
Personal attributes
Essential
• An understanding of the needs of children looked after and foster carers
• Good organisational skills and the ability to maintain accurate records and monitor performance information.
• Ability to work collaboratively with others.
• Clear and Accurate written and spoken communication skills.
• Ensures customers’ needs are met by responding to them efficiently and effectively.
Desirable
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Qualifications and relevant training
Essential
• A willingness to undertake training, including a professional qualification.
Desirable
• A professional qualification relevant to social work e.g. health and social care, youth work, childcare etc.
• Be able to drive and have access to a vehicle
Relevant experience
Essential
• Experience and/or knowledge of Fostering Services and children looked after.
• Experience of working on a range of IT packages including Microsoft Word, Excel, Canva.
• Experience of working within a customer focussed environment.
Desirable
• Experience of working with children and families.
• Experience of data collation and analysis.
• Experience of writing reports and/or assessments.
• Experience of consultation work.
• Experience of coordinating events.
Skills and specialist knowledge
Essential
• Interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate with a broad range of people.
• Is flexible, can switch tasks/roles/priorities to deal with new demands, changes or new information.
• Demonstrate a commitment to the improvement and development of performance.
Desirable
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Language requirements
Listening and Speaking - Higher
Able to follow a conversation or discussion through the medium of Welsh and English on a professional level and discuss general day to day topics in the field in order to present information and express opinions.Able to give a pre-prepared presentation and respond to any comments and questions on it in Welsh or English.
Reading and Understanding - Higher
Able to understand standard written Welsh and English; both formal and informal.Able to gather information from various sources such as letters, reports, articles through the medium of Welsh and English in order to fulfil the post.
Writing - Higher
Present written information confidently by letter, more detailed and technical report formats, and respond to written requests conveying information, ideas and opinion in Welsh and English (help is available to check the work).
                

                
Purpose of the post
•Ensure that the people of Gwynedd are at the heart of everything we do.
•To support Maethu Cymru / Foster Wales in the delivery of best practice for foster care enquiries in the local authority
•To manage all fostering enquiries and be the dedicated point of contact for potential foster carers including processing new enquiries, completion of home visits and initial visits prior to full assessment
•To raise awareness of fostering locally including coordinating local recruitment events and activities
•To support the function of the fostering team in following guidelines to process and prepare fostering applicants in a timely and professional manner.
•To effectively manage information regarding fostering enquiries and applications.
•To support the retention of the Local Authority’s current foster carers.
Responsibility for functions
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Main duties
•To handle all enquiries in relation to fostering recruitment across the local authority.
•To manage fostering enquiries in a productive manner within agreed timescales, processes and quality standards.
•To complete recruitment calls, recruitment visits and initial pre-assessment viability visits with fostering applicants
•To produce written reports at the pre-assessment viability stage and to make recommendations as to the viability of applicants to the identified social work practitioner.
•To support applicants and manage expectations in regard to the service standards relative to the enquiry.
•To facilitate all Stage 1 checks with applicants, including DBS, medical and references.
•To contribute to the coordination and facilitation of pre-approval training for fostering applicants.
•To work collaboratively with a network of Recruitment Officers across Wales, as part of Maethu Cymru / Foster Wales, in order to support collaboration, maximise opportunities and share good practice and resources.
•To work in partnership with the Regional Marketing Officer, aligning closely with the Maethu Cymru / Foster Wales brand, for example providing local information and case studies for regional and national campaigns.
•To maintain and keep up to date all case records, spreadsheets and systems for recording information in relation to fostering enquiries and assessments.
•To complete all Maethu Cymru / Foster Wales Key Performance Indicators in relation to fostering recruitment.
•To raise awareness, in conjunction and with the support of the Regional Marketing Officer, of local authority fostering locally including coordinating local recruitment events and activities.
•To be responsible for creating and publishing suitable content on the Maethu Cymru / Foster Wales XXXXX social media platforms, in conjunction with the Regional Marketing Officer, to build brand awareness and grow our online community.
•To develop, maintain and update the Maethu Cymru / Foster Wales XXXXX website content in conjunction with the Regional Marketing Officer.
•To facilitate outreach to local businesses to promote Maethu Cymru / Foster Wales and support them to become Fostering Friendly organisations.
•To support the wider fostering services in relation to foster carer retention, including regular retention events and social activities.
•To develop foster carer stakeholder engagement, including consultation exercises.
•To develop consultation with care experienced children and young people.
•To manage the day-to-day organisation of personal caseload and to work in accordance with departmental policies, procedures and priorities.
•To maintain an up to date working knowledge of local and national priorities in relation to fostering services.
•To work in a professional manner and portray a positive image of Maethu Cymru / Foster Wales.
•To collate and disseminate information accurately to the wider social work team.
•To liaise with the wider social work team and business support staff to resolve customer enquiries/complaints.
•To maintain good working relationships with other colleagues and divisions of the Council, including Corporate Communications, and outside organisations, on all matters relating to Fostering.
•Prepare for and participate in individual supervision and staff appraisal sessions, including identifying areas for continued professional development.
•Responsibility for self-development.
•Ensure compliance with Health and Safety rules in the workplace in accordance with the responsibilities noted in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Council’s Health and Safety Policy.
•Operate within the Council’s policies in relation to equal opportunities and equality.
•Responsible for managing information in accordance with the Council’s information management guidelines. Ensure that personal information is treated in accordance with Data Protection legislation.
•Commitment to reducing the Council’s carbon emissions in accordance with the Carbon Management Plan, and to encourage others to act positively towards reducing the Council’s Carbon Footprint.
•Undertake any other reasonable duty which corresponds to the salary level and responsibility level of the job.
•Responsibility to report any concern or suspicion that a child or vulnerable adult is being abused.
Special circumstances
•The work of Recruitment lead will regularly feature working outside of Office hours to meet the Recruitment needs of the Service.