About the Role
Northamptonshire Children's Trust are seeking an experienced and dynamic Team Manager to lead, manage, and develop this Safeguarding Children's Social Care Team . This is a pivotal leadership position responsible for ensuring that vulnerable children and young people receive high-quality services that safeguard their welfare and improve outcomes.
The successful candidate will provide operational leadership across statutory Children's Social Care services, including Child Protection, Children in Need, Looked After Children, Fostering, and Adoption services. You will lead a team of Social Workers and family support staff, ensuring services are delivered effectively, safely, and in line with statutory responsibilities and regulatory requirements.
Location: Penrith Drive Children's Centre, Wellingborough, NN8 3XL
Rate: £42 per hour (Umbrella rate)
Contract: Temporary
Hours: 37 hours per week
Office Requirements: Minimum 3 days a week office based
Key Responsibilities:
Operational Leadership
- Lead, manage, and oversee the day-to-day operation of a Children's Social Care Team.
- Allocate and prioritise work across the team, ensuring caseloads are managed effectively and statutory timescales are met.
- Exercise professional decision-making in line with delegated authority and relevant legislation.
- Ensure all services are delivered in accordance with safeguarding procedures, policies, protocols, and statutory guidance.
Staff Management and Development
- Recruit, supervise, appraise, and develop social workers and family support staff.
- Provide high-quality management oversight, reflective supervision, and professional guidance.
- Identify training and development needs to ensure staff maintain the skills, knowledge, and competencies required to deliver outstanding services.
- Foster a positive team culture that promotes accountability, learning, and continuous improvement.
Resource and Budget Management
- Manage team budgets and resources effectively, ensuring value for money and efficient service delivery.
- Monitor expenditure and contribute to budget planning and forecasting processes.
- Ensure resources are deployed appropriately to meet service demand and local needs.
Partnership and Multi-Agency Working
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with partner agencies including:
- Education services
- Health providers
- Police
- Early Help services
- Schools and academies
- Voluntary and community organisations
- Promote effective information sharing and collaborative working to safeguard children and improve outcomes.
- Support seamless transitions between early intervention, targeted support, and specialist social care services.
Performance and Service Improvement
- Develop and implement team plans that contribute to Directorate and organisational objectives.
- Use performance data, audits, and feedback to drive continuous improvement.
- Monitor service performance against key indicators and ensure compliance with statutory requirements.
- Lead quality assurance activities and implement learning from audits, inspections, and complaints.
Safeguarding and Compliance
- Ensure the team delivers services in accordance with:
- Children Act 1989 and 2004
- Working Together to Safeguard Children
- Fostering and Adoption Regulations
- Relevant safeguarding policies and procedures
- Promote equality, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of service delivery.
- Ensure health and safety responsibilities are met and risks are appropriately managed.
About You
- Minimum 3 years experience is essential
- Qualified Social Worker with current Social Work England registration.
- Significant post-qualification experience within Children's Social Care.
- Previous management or supervisory experience within a statutory children's service.
- Strong knowledge of:
- Child Protection
- Children in Need
- Looked After Children
- Safeguarding legislation and guidance
- Adoption and fostering services
- Experience of performance management, quality assurance, and service improvement.
- Strong leadership, decision-making, and organisational skills.
- Ability to build effective partnerships and influence across agencies.
- Desirable
- Experience managing budgets and resources.
- Experience preparing for and responding to Ofsted inspections.
- Evidence of leading successful service improvements within children's social care.
NCT are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and would require you to understand and demonstrate this commitment.
This job description reflects the major tasks to be carried out by the post holder and identifies a level of responsibility at which you will be required to work. In the interests of effective working, the major tasks may be reviewed from time to time to reflect changing needs and circumstances. Such reviews and any consequential changes will be carried out in consultation with the post holder.
This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. A DBS check may be applicable for this role, applicants are required to declare any cautions and convictions that are not protected under current filtering rules.
