Vacant job

Are you looking for a meaningful role where you can make a real difference?

We are now looking for more dedicated employees who want to help shape the future of Värnamo. Here, you work with the human being in focus, creating a workday that is valuable, both for you and for our citizens.

Description of the Department

The Citizen Administration in Värnamo consists of 6 sections, where foster homes are part of the section for Family Law GGVV and Foster Homes. The section is led by a Unit Manager and consists of 20 employees, distributed between the Foster Home Group and Family Law GGVV (Gislaved, Gnosjö, Vaggeryd, and Värnamo), as well as an "internal consultant". The Foster Home Group includes 10 social secretaries distributed among 5 child follow-up officers, 4 foster home secretaries, and 1 position that is a combination of child follow-up officer and foster home secretary. The Foster Home Group is led by a Group Leader.

The Foster Home Group is responsible for recruiting, investigating, and supporting foster homes and emergency homes, as well as following up on placed children and young people. The foster home secretaries are also responsible for recruiting and investigating contact persons and contact families. The work is carried out in close collaboration with social secretaries, foster homes, guardians, and other important actors around the child.

Responsibilities

As the Group Leader in the Foster Home Group, you have a central role in leading, supporting, and developing the daily work within the operations. You will be the direct supervisor for the group of 10 social secretaries. You are responsible for distributing cases and mentoring the foster home secretaries and child follow-up officers both individually and in groups. You work with close leadership and create conditions for a legally secure, high-quality, and sustainable work for children and young people placed in foster homes. The role involves close collaboration with the Unit Manager, where you together drive the development of the operations forward. Your role as Group Leader also includes close collaboration with other sections within the administration.

Your tasks include:

• Leading and distributing the daily work within the Foster Home Group
• Providing support and mentoring to employees in cases and processes
• Representing the department at committee meetings and court hearings
• Ensuring quality and legal security in case processing
• Contributing to the development of routines, working methods, and collaboration
• Introducing new employees and contributing to competence development
• Collaborating with internal and external actors regarding placed children and young people

Qualifications

We are looking for you with a degree in Social Work. You have several years of experience in the social services' authority functions directed towards children/young people, preferably within foster care. You have good knowledge of the social services' mission and current legislation. You have good ability to create structure, collaborate, and motivate others. You must have good knowledge of the Swedish language, both spoken and written, as well as good computer and documentation/investigation skills. We place great emphasis on your personal suitability in terms of teamwork, engagement, orderliness, and interest in developing the operations. We are looking for someone who is confident in their profession and has the ability to combine structure and clarity with sensitivity. You have a genuine interest in people and are driven by creating conditions for others to succeed in their work.

We place great emphasis on personal suitability, your willingness and ability to lead a work group, and contribute to a positive and sustainable work climate. To thrive and succeed in the role, we believe you:

• Have good teamwork skills and build trusting relationships
• Are stable and confident even in complex and pressured situations
• Have the ability to make decisions, prioritize, and create structure
• Are communicative and clear in your leadership
• Have a development-oriented and solution-focused approach
• Contribute to engagement, participation, and a positive work climate
• Can switch between operational issues and a more strategic perspective

Merits:

Experience in leadership is seen as an advantage, but is not a requirement for the position. We value above all that you have good knowledge within the area of operations and relevant legislation, meet the educational requirements, and have the personal competencies and suitability that the role of Group Leader requires.

The Citizen Administration works based on the "Signs of Safety" approach, and it is an advantage if you have experience working with this approach.

Since you will be working with children and young people, we require you to provide an extract from the criminal record register before employment. A form to apply for an extract from the criminal record register can be found at the Police website (https://polisen.se/tjanster-tillstand/belastningsregistret/).

Apply by 2026-07-12! Applications will be handled on a rolling basis, so submit your application today!

Probationary employment may be applied.

About the Citizen Administration

Our administration is responsible for issues within individual and family care, integration, leisure activities, and labor market measures. We work with preventive measures, investigations for children and young people, family law and foster homes, early interventions for children and young people, adult support, economic assistance, as well as administration and service. Read more about us at: Citizen Administration - Värnamo Municipality (#)

About Värnamo Municipality

Värnamo Municipality, the municipality with a big heart, in the middle of Småland. We are a central part of the strong growth region characterized by the Gnosjö spirit and high employment. Here there is a spirit of constant movement and big visions for the future. We highlight both large and small successes, which strengthens pride and community for everyone living here. As an employee here, you have the human being in focus and create value for both yourself and the citizens, while contributing to making Värnamo an even better place to live and grow in.

Read more about us at: Värnamo Municipality (#)