Fostering Engagement Officer

Contract: Full-Time - Permanent
Location: Bromsgrove
Salary: Up to 24,000 depending on experience
Benefits: 30 days' Annual Leave (rising to 35 days' with length of service) + Bank Holidays, Company Pension, Life Assurance, Employee Discount Scheme & Free On-Site Parking

We are Polaris, one of the UK's largest leading communities of children's service providers. Within the community, we have independent fostering and adoption agencies who have been passionately improving the lives of young people for over 30 years, as well as Education, Residential and Leaving Care services, and bespoke children's services contracts. Our nurturing community works collectively to support the very best outcomes for each and every child in our care. We're ambitious for our children and young people, families and staff, and believe in their futures.

We are looking for a highly motivated Fostering Engagement Officer to join our established Enquiries Team.

In this pivotal role, you'll be the first point of contact for individuals enquiring about becoming foster carers and will support them with their first steps through the process. You'll bring a friendly, confident telephone manner, along with the enthusiasm and energy to connect with individuals through both calls and live chat.

As an excellent verbal communicator, you'll be able to stay calm and professional under pressure, listening attentively to understand individuals' needs and build strong relationships. Your self-motivation and lively approach will help you identify opportunities, create effective solutions, and leave every individual feeling supported and valued.

• Respond to all enquiries while building rapport with potential foster carers
• Make proactive outbound contact via phone calls, emails and texts to engage applicants
• Carry out initial screening calls and highlight applicants' transferable skills
• Guide applicants through the benefits of fostering with the Polaris Group and support them through the first steps of the fostering recruitment process
• Provide further information when requested and respond to queries promptly
• Build strong, trusting relationships through empathetic and supportive communication
• Navigate sensitive topics and challenging conversations with professionalism and care
• Promote virtual information events and monitor attendance
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records on the CRM system
• Complete daily administrative tasks to support the enquiries and recruitment team
• Multi-task and prioritise workload effectively in a fast-paced environment
• Work flexibly to meet business needs, including one evening per week
• Prior knowledge of fostering, the fostering sector, and/or the standard foster carer recruitment process would be advantageous
• Experience working within a customer service environment would be advantageous

For an informal conversation about this post, please contact Ellen Leaning - Recruitment & Enquiry Team Manager on (phone number removed).

We are an Equal Opportunities employer. The successful applicant will be subject to a DBS check if successful for the position.

Polaris is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.

We reserve the right to withdraw this advert without notification.