Team Manager - Assessment Team

About the role

Cambridge Council is seeking an experienced and confident Team Manager to provide strong operational leadership across the Assessment Service, with the flexibility to support Family Support and Safeguarding teams when required. This is an excellent opportunity for an established manager to play a key role in ensuring high-quality practice and positive outcomes for children and families.

Locations: Fenland/Huntgindon/ Ely/ Cambridge Central

Key Responsibilities

• Provide day‑to‑day operational leadership of the Assessment Service, ensuring timely allocation and progression of referrals.
• Offer management support across Family Support and Safeguarding teams as needed, providing consistent oversight and decision‑making.
• Ensure assessments and interventions comply with statutory guidance, local safeguarding procedures, and agreed timescales.
• Oversee the quality of assessments, ensuring they are robust, evidence‑based, and meet required standards.
• Make decisions on thresholds for intervention, including Section 47 enquiries, strategy discussions, and step‑up/step‑down processes.
• Conduct regular case audits and provide feedback to drive practice improvement.
• Provide reflective supervision, professional oversight, and performance management for social workers and practitioners.
• Manage workflow, caseload distribution, and staff wellbeing to ensure safe and effective service delivery.
• Work collaboratively with multi‑agency partners to ensure coordinated safeguarding responses.
• Represent the service at multi‑agency meetings, panels, and internal operational forums.
• Provide guidance and oversight on high‑risk and complex cases, ensuring effective risk‑management strategies.
• Contribute to service development, improvement planning, and wider Children's Services transformation initiatives.

Skills

• Strong team‑leadership skills with the ability to motivate, guide, and support social work practitioners.
• Ability to manage performance, oversee workloads, and maintain practitioner wellbeing.
• Confident decision‑maker, especially under pressure.
• Qualified Social Worker and Social Work England registered

If you thrive to make a difference and have 3 years Social worker experience and this is the role for you, then we would love to hear from you.