About the Role
Northampton Children's Trust is seeking an experienced and motivated Team Manager to lead its Duty and Assessment Team. This is an exciting opportunity for a strong leader with a passion for safeguarding and early intervention to make a real impact on the lives of children and families.
As Team Manager within the Duty and Assessment Team, you will provide strategic and operational leadership to ensure high-quality social work practice at the front door of children's services. You will be responsible for overseeing assessments, managing risk, and ensuring timely and appropriate decision-making in line with statutory requirements.
You will play a key role in driving performance, supporting staff development, and maintaining excellent standards of safeguarding practice within a fast-paced environment.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead, manage, and support a team of social workers and practitioners within the Duty and Assessment service
- Oversee the receipt, screening, and progression of referrals
- Ensure high-quality assessments are completed within statutory timescales
- Provide reflective supervision, guidance, and professional challenge to staff
- Support decision-making in complex safeguarding cases
- Monitor performance, quality assurance, and compliance with legislation and local procedures
- Work collaboratively with multi-agency partners to ensure effective safeguarding responses
- Promote a child-centred, strengths-based, and outcome-focused approach
- Contribute to service development and continuous improvement
About You
- Qualified Social Worker with Social Work England registration
- Significant post‑qualifying experience within Duty and Assessment or similar frontline teams
- Previous experience in a management or leadership role
- Strong knowledge of safeguarding legislation, policy, and statutory guidance
- Confident decision-maker with excellent leadership and communication skills
- Committed to delivering high-quality outcomes for children and families
