Family Finding Officer (North East)

North East Ambition; North Shields; Hybrid; GBP 27,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

A fostering agency is seeking a Family Finding Officer to support children and families through effective coordination with Local Authorities and foster carers. The role involves building relationships, managing placements, and ensuring proactive support. Ideal candidates will have strong communication, negotiation skills, and resilience in a sensitive environment. The position offers a blend of home and office work, with a salary ranging from £27,674.24 to £32,108.57 annually, alongside various employee benefits.

Benefits

30 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Flexi time

Company sick pay scheme

Pension scheme

Employee assistance programme

Qualifications

• Experience in a social care setting preferred.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Build relationships with Local Authorities for referrals.
• Manage the matching process between foster carers and children.
• Coordinate short-break care arrangements.

Skills

Resilience

Excellent communication skills

Negotiation skills

Self-motivation

Teamwork

Tools

Microsoft Teams

Job description

We offer a blend of home and office‑based working arrangements, to support a healthy work‑life balance for all our staff.

This will be a minimum of one day per week working within our North Tyneside based office.

Full Time 37.5 hours per week covering Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm.

Fixed term for 12 months.

Salary: £27,674.24 to £32,108.57 per annum.

Please note we do not operate a performance‑related reward system or automatic incremental payments.

Team Fostering is an ethical not‑for‑profit fostering agency with a strong reputation and track record for providing high‑quality fostering placements for looked‑after children. We pride ourselves on our values and our commitment to making positive changes for children and young people.

Family Finding Officer – Role

As a Family Finding Officer you will play a vital role in supporting us to make those changes happen. You will:

• Build relationships with Local Authorities and be the first point of contact for referrals for children and young people.
• Get to know our foster carers and manage the matching process between our foster carers and the children referred.
• Be key to supporting our children and families by coordinating short‑break care arrangements.
• Support changes to arrangements such as placement moves and ends.
• Update Carer Profiles and market the agency’s services to the local authorities.
• Attend matching events hosted by Local Authorities.

Qualifications and Experience

We are looking for a passionate individual, with a drive to improve outcomes for children and young people. We would welcome applications from skilled professionals, preferably with experience of working in a social care setting who are able to demonstrate the following:

• Resilience to deal with sensitive information concerning children and young people.
• Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced environment, managing tight deadlines and competing priorities while remaining adaptable to changing plans.
• Experience of maintaining composure under pressure while adopting a positive, proactive, solution‑focused approach to challenges and problem‑solving.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for engaging with internal and external colleagues.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Teams with the ability to lead and chair meetings in a professional and engaging manner.
• Excellent negotiation skills to influence decisions and secure the best outcomes for children.
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team, being supportive, considerate, and available to assist colleagues when needed.
• Self‑motivation with proven ability to work independently and maintain productivity in a remote environmentli>
• Commitment to the ethos and values of Team Fostering, with a genuine passion for making a positive difference in the lives of children and families.
• Open to learning and development, receptive to feedback, and proactive in asking questions and seeking support.

Benefits

• Monthly supervision
• Annual appraisal
• 30 days annual leave plus 8 days bank holidays
• A blend of home and office working
• A wide range of flexible working arrangements to support a good work‑life balance
• Flexi time
• Company sick pay scheme
• Pension scheme
• Staff loyalty bonus
• Employee assistance programme
• Retail discount scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Life assurance cover
• GP Helpline
• Learning & development opportunities to support your continuous professional development

Team Fostering are wholly committed to our ongoing investment in our staff’s professional training and development, health and wellbeing. We are immensely proud of our recognition as a Living Wage Employer, an Investors in People Employer which we have held since 2006, our accreditation as a Mindful Employer and the achievement of our Better Health Award at Continuing Excellence level.

Team Fostering is an equal‑opportunity and Disability Confident committed employer that is committed to equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging at work. As we continue to grow, we know that we must have the most talented employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and experiences to support our children and young people.

Team Fostering strives to be diverse and inclusive – a place where we can ALL be ourselves. We particularly encourage applications from people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic background, who are underrepresented within the agency.

For an informal chat about the post please contact Rachael Findley, Regional Contracts and Family Finding Manager, on 07706 340 908.

An application pack can be downloaded from our website: www.teamfostering.co.uk.

Please note Team Fostering does not accept CV’s.

This post is subject to an Enhanced DBS Disclosure.

Closing date: 9am on Wednesday 7th January 2026.

Interviews will be held on 20th and 21st January 2026 at our North Shields office.

Please note if you are shortlisted for interview, we will contact you via the email you have provided. Please ensure you check your emails regularly.