The Role

Do you see yourself as a manager committed to relationship-based practice?

Are you passionate about improving outcomes for children?

Would you like to join a service committed to innovation and transformation of the way we work with children and families?

If yes, we have the perfect role for you!

Our Family Safeguarding Service is looking to recruit a full time Team Manager to work in our new Family Safeguarding teams and help play a central role in achieving positive outcomes for children in Wandsworth.

Our offer

£44,601 to £54,045 per annum (subject to experience) plus, the following:

• £7,000 welcome bonus. (Paid in two instalments. The first £3,500 after 6 months on successful completion of your probation period and the second £3,500 after 12 months of employment) and a retention bonus. For more great benefits we can offer, see out benefits section below!

About the role

We are looking for a experienced Team Manager to join our Family Safeguarding teams at a time of exciting and positive change in Wandsworth. We have implemented Family Safeguarding which means that multi-disciplinary specialists are co-located within children’s social work teams. The teams will work collaboratively and in partnership with families, taking a whole family approach to support children to remain safely at home wherever possible. Motivational Interviewing is a key feature of the approach, a method which involves enhancing people’s motivation to change, working with their strengths and developing a plan with them.

Our Family Safeguarding teams comprise:

• Team manager
• Social Workers
• Children’s Practitioner
• Domestic Abuse Practitioner (working with victims)
• Domestic Abuse Officer (working with perpetrators)
• Recovery Worker (Drug and Alcohol)
• Mental Health Practitioner and Psychologist/Family Therapist
• Business Support Officer

We are on a journey to be an outstanding local authority and are looking for applicants who wish to join us on this exciting journey. Working within our new Family Safeguarding teams, you will be developing these new and exciting roles and leading and shaping excellent practice in Wandsworth that will support high quality outcomes for children.

About You

We are looking for managers who are passionate about transforming the lives of vulnerable children and their families, who can support practitioners to work alongside families and understand what a good life looks like for them. We are looking for managers who can also support social workers to work creatively to achieve positive outcomes for children. You will be a qualified and registered social worker, with a proven track record of successfully managing a team or you may be looking for your first move into management.

You will have a major contribution to make to the delivery of our vision and strategic priorities, by working with the Service Manager to manage the delivery and performance of high-quality social work provision to children and their families across the Team. This will involve working with the Service Manager to drive quality practice including using research and theoretical models to support good practice, use management information and audit findings to identify where team or individual practice is excellent and can be shared with other staff.

The successful candidate will be skilled in building relationships, being able to lead and model good practice, assisting and guiding social workers in their conversations with families about what matters most to them, making sure children’s wishes and feelings are central to decision making, supporting practitioners to be able to increase people’s hope, self-esteem and potential and ensuring that we are connecting families to networks of support. We want you to model and promote practice that is respectful and ethical, privileging the families’ rights to make the best possible decisions for their children wherever possible.

Benefits

We recognise the importance of a good balance between work and home life so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working. We also offer a generous holiday allowance of 39 paid days (pro rata) including bank holidays and a wide range of learning and development opportunities.

In addition, we offer a comprehensive range of staff benefits such as membership of the Local Government pension scheme, childcare vouchers, new technology scheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts with many leisure activities, restaurants, shops, and other establishments. You will also be availed of all training available to the service.

Indicative Recruitment Timeline

• Closing date: 11:59pm on Sunday 26th June 2022
• Shortlisting date: week commencing 27th June 2022
• Interview date: Friday 8th July 2022

Useful Information: The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Please note that the advertised dates for interviews may change due to the current Covid-19 situation. If they do, we will let you know as soon as possible. Your health and wellbeing are our top priority. Should you become unwell due to Covid-19 during the recruitment process we would very much appreciate receiving an update from you as soon as possible.

Equality Statement

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Important Information

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

How to apply?

To be considered for interview your CV and supporting statement must highlight your knowledge, skills and experience listed in the Job Profile located at the bottom of the advert.

For an informal discussion about the role please contact:

Trish O’Rorke, Service Manager - trish.ororke@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk or Jo Ross, Head of Service - jo.ross@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils