Ty Catrin, Unit 1, Maritime Industrial Estate, CF37 1NY Foster Wales RCT is looking for a
Principal Social Worker to join our Mainstream Support Team – a team that is stable, supportive, and dedicated to giving foster carers the guidance they need to provide safe, loving homes for children.
The role of Principal Social Worker is essential to maintain consistency and ensure our foster carers and team receive the support they deserve.
Our fostering service plays a vital role in helping children experience stability, security, and a positive family life. Without strong leadership and skilled practitioners, we risk delays in assessments, gaps in support, and disruption for children and carers. Your expertise will help us prevent this and keep children at the heart of everything we do.
As Principal Social Worker, you’ll be a key figure in shaping the quality and stability of our service. You will:
- Provide expert advice and guidance to foster carers and colleagues.
- Support the Team Manager to maintain high standards and consistency.
- Lead on complex assessments, ensuring depth and rigour for permanence planning.
- Champion trauma-informed and stability-focused practice.
- Mentor and inspire others, promoting best practice across the team.
This is a role where you’ll make a real difference – not just to the team, but to the lives of children and families across Rhondda Cynon Taf.
We’re looking for someone who:
- Is a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Care Wales.
- Has at least 3 years’ post-qualifying experience in fostering or children’s services.
- Understands trauma-informed and relationship-based practice.
- Can lead and inspire others, while keeping children at the centre of decision-making.
- Brings excellent communication skills and a collaborative approach.
You’ll manage a complex caseload while balancing leadership responsibilities, including deputising for the Team Manager when required. You’ll also play a key role in developing best practice, delivering peer sessions, and mentoring colleagues.
We offer:
- Regular professional supervision every six weeks.
- Opportunities for development aligned with Local Authority and Foster Wales priorities.
- A strong, experienced management team offering support at both strategic and operational levels.
- Flexible working arrangements and access to wellbeing support.
- The chance to influence the future of fostering in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
We recognise that Social Work is professionally and personally challenging and demands considerable levels of skill, commitment, and enthusiasm. We offer a dedicated in-house Learning and Development Centre which actively supports practitioners at each level to maintain their skills and Continuous Professional Development.
You will benefit from an improved career pathway for Social Work professionals, and an employee reward package, which includes flexible working, Leisure for Life membership discount, and access to the Cycle to Work and the Let’s Connect technology purchase schemes.
We expect our practitioners to have a sound understanding of the practice implications of the Social Services and Wellbeing Act, Fostering and other relevant legislation and good practice, be up to date with emerging issues and have experience of or an interest in working within the relevant discipline. Committed to anti-oppressive practice, successful candidates will bring strong assessment, communication, and planning skills.
For further information and informal discussion please contact Leanne Day (Team Manager) on 07747 485765 or Gemma Higgon-Young (Service Manager) on 07384 456966.
Benefits of Working for Rhondda Cynon Taf Council:
- Flexible Working Arrangements (depending on the role)
- Excellent Career Development
- Excellent Pension Scheme with Employer Contributions
- Occupational Health support and advice
- Staff Rewards scheme
- Vivup Card shopping discounts
Protecting children and vulnerable adults is a core responsibility of all staff appointed to the Council.
In addition to this safeguarding responsibility, the successful applicant for this role will also be subject to an enhanced disclosure and barring service check. The Council values diversity in its workforce. We are committed to ensuring that no unlawful discrimination occurs in the recruitment and selection process on the grounds of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, transgender, including those with non-binary identities, religion or belief or pregnancy and maternity. We offer a number of staff networks for employees including the Allies Network, a Disability and Carers Network and Perthyn our LGBTQ+ Network.
An application submitted for this post in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application made in English.
In view of the large number of Application Forms which are currently being submitted individual applications are not acknowledged. Consequently if you do not hear from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application is unsuccessful on this occasion. In which case you are thanked for the interest you have shown in applying for a position within the Council.
In support of the Council’s voluntary pledge to support the Armed Forces, the recruiter must always be prepared to ensure that applicants who have identified themselves as members of the Armed Forces including Service Leavers, Veterans or Reservists and who meet the essential criteria of the person specification, are offered an interview.
