Fosterline Administrator

Permanent
Note: Fosterline is funded by the Department for Education and has been in place since 2006. The Fostering Network has secured the contract to deliver Fosterline until 30 September 2025 (with the possibility of extension to 30 September 2026). We expect funding for Fosterline to continue beyond 2026 whether that is under the same or a new provider.

Objectives

• To provide reliable, comprehensive administrative support to contribute to the effective delivery of The Fosterline Service, a free, national independent advice service, funded by the Department for Education, that offers support to both current and prospective foster carers.
Hours per week 36 hours per week
(9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday)

Although this post is advertised as a full-time position, we are open to discussing flexible working


Responsibilities and accountabilities

• To provide reliable, comprehensive administrative support to The Fosterline Service as required to meet the demands of the service.
• To answer and triage incoming calls to Fosterline England (the telephone helpline) when required.
• To monitor, triage and respond (where appropriate) to correspondence to Fosterline England through email, webform, live chat or other platforms as required.
• To support the management of The Fosterline Service calendar including scheduling calls, meetings and appointments for Fosterline staff and service users, in accordance with the operational policies of the service and using the digital tools provided.
• To create and manage documents, spreadsheets, presentations or other content (including digital content) for both internal and external audiences as required.
• To support the Marketing Communications Officer to maintain the Fosterline website and social media channels as required.
• To contribute to the accurate, appropriate and confidential recording of all communications on our database, in line with organisational policies and procedures.
• To undertake training and attend meetings as required to further personal development and the development of The Fosterline Service.
• To contribute to reviews and evaluations of The Fosterline Service as required (including data entry, data handling, providing written or verbal updates) to inform continuous improvement of the service.
• To adhere in full to all The Fostering Network and Fosterline England organisational policies.
• To contribute to other activities related to Fosterline and The Fostering Network as required.


Knowledge and experience

Essential
• Experience of providing administrative support to a busy and high-performing team.
• Experience of using Microsoft 365 including Outlook, Teams, Word and Excel.
• Experience of working in a customer-facing environment.

Desirable
• Experience of using Microsoft Dynamics or other databases.
• Experience of providing administrative support remotely, or to a remote team.
Skills and abilities

Essential
• Excellent organisational skills including the ability to prioritise your own workload.
• Excellent attention to detail in both written and verbal communication.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to communicate with a wider range of people at all levels, both internally and externally.
• The ability to work quickly and accurately on your own and as part of a team.
• Ability to work as a flexible and effective team member and manage competing demands.
• A non-judgemental attitude of acceptance for others whose values and attitudes may be different from your own.
Desirable
• Experience of creating and managing website content.
• Familiarity with social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.