Assistant Team Manager - Children's Services (South Oxfordshire)

Oxfordshire County Council; England; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority is seeking a qualified Social Worker to manage and support Children’s Practitioners and Newly Qualified Social Workers. The role involves ensuring compliance with safeguarding policies, overseeing referral processes, and fostering improvement in practice within the team. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in safeguarding and knowledge of relevant legislation. This position aims to contribute to the transformation of children's social care in the region.

Qualifications

• Possess knowledge of relevant services for children and families.
• Significant direct experience in safeguarding social work.
• Understanding of the Family Safeguarding Model and Motivational Interviewing.

Responsibilities

• Line manage Children’s Practitioners & Social Workers.
• Supervise Newly Qualified Social Workers and support their development.
• Manage the Team’s duty and assessment function.
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding and child protection policies.
• Lead initiatives to improve assessments and care planning.

Skills

Knowledge of services relevant to children and families

Experience in safeguarding social work

Understanding of child protection planning

Knowledge of relevant law and legislation

Education

Qualified Social Worker

Job description

Overview

You will line manage Children’s Practitioners & Social Workers while also deputising for the Team Manager, when required. You will also supervise Newly Qualified Social Workers, supporting and assessing them to meet the requirements of the council's Assessed & Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) programme. In addition, you will manage the Team’s duty and assessment function.

Large part of your role will focus on supporting county safeguarding and child protection policies and ensuring that they are adhered to. You will play a lead role in improving practice, including the quality of assessments and care planning within the team, leading team meeting discussions and workshops, and updating staff on practice developments and research findings.

You will be responsible for the allocation and timely progression of new referrals into the team via the duty system, under the direction of the Team Manager.

Responsibilities

• Line manage Children’s Practitioners & Social Workers; deputise for the Team Manager when required.
• Supervise Newly Qualified Social Workers and assess them to meet the ASYE requirements.
• Manage the Team’s duty and assessment function and oversee allocation and progression of new referrals via the duty system.
• Support county safeguarding and child protection policies and ensure adherence.
• Lead on improving practice, including the quality of assessments and care planning, and run team meetings, workshops, and practice updates.

About you

As a qualified Social Worker, you will possess knowledge of services relevant to children, young people, families, carers, and groups, and knowledge of how to access relevant services. Your working knowledge of the Family Safeguarding Model and Motivational Interviewing will be beneficial in ensuring timely progression of work with families within the FSP model, ensuring direct reports work in accordance with the model modules and attend group case supervision as required.

You should have considerable direct experience of safeguarding social work including child protection planning and legal casework, including knowledge of relevant law, legislation, guidance, policy and procedures in relation to children and families’ social work.

About us

Together, we’re shaping children’s social care for the future. Every day, our colleagues are helping to transform the lives of Oxfordshire residents.

In our Children, Education, & Families directorate, we’re committed to delivering lasting change, by helping the children, young people, and families of Oxfordshire to thrive. We know the importance of building relationships, empowering people, and building on strengths and this is reflected in our restorative, relational practice approach.

We’ve been consistently rated as “good” by Ofsted, but we are not content with that; we are ambitious and want to do even better! We’re a financially stable local authority which is committed to investing in Children, Education, and Families, to ensure that we have the resources we need to make a real difference to the families we work with – including successful operation of our transformational model Family Solutions Plus (FSP).