Children’s Social Work Team Manager

Suffolk County Council; Ipswich; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 61,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

LGPS

Annual leave (up to 29 days pro rata)

Volunteering days

Travel benefits

Wellbeing benefits

Career development

Flexible working

Job summary

Suffolk County Council is seeking an experienced Team Manager to lead one of our Integrated Front Door teams in Ipswich, ensuring children and families receive timely, right-sized safeguarding support. You will influence practice at the start of the child’s journey and drive continuous improvement across the service.

You will lead from the front in a fast-paced environment, provide direction for complex decisions, and develop practitioners to achieve outstanding outcomes for children and

Qualifications

• Qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England.
• Significant management experience in Children’s Social Care.
• Strong safeguarding, thresholds and risk knowledge.
• Ability to provide direction for complex decisions.
• Develop and inspire practitioners to be their best.
• Track record of improving performance and driving change.
• Experience in Front Door, MASH or Assessment Services is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead a busy Front Door team responsible for safeguarding decisions and early access to services.
• Lead, motivate and develop a high-performing team.
• Drive timely, safe and effective decision-making.
• Provide management oversight on contacts, referrals and thresholds.
• Support practitioners to deliver child-focused, strengths-based practice.
• Embed high-quality safeguarding and risk management.
• Drive performance, quality assurance and continuous improvement.
• Build partnerships across the multi-agency network.
• Create a culture of learning, accountability and professional curiosity.
• Be a visible, accessible leader providing regular oversight and guidance.

Skills

Leadership

Management experience

Safeguarding knowledge

Decision making

People development

Education

Social Worker registered with Social Work England

Job description

• Suffolk County Council
• Address: Landmark House, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 5PF. Office based
• Salary: £55,563 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• Hours: 37 hours per week
• Contract: Permanent

At Suffolk County Council, every role is a chance to create positive change.

As an experienced, visible and confident Team Manager, you'll lead one of our Integrated Front Door teams at a key stage in our improvement and development journey. Through your leadership, you'll help ensure children and families receive the right support, at the right time, while shaping practice and driving continuous improvement across the service.

As Team Manager, you'll have the opportunity to influence practice at the very start of a child's journey, supporting high-quality safeguarding decisions and helping shape the service as part of Suffolk's ongoing improvement programme. Join us and turn your passion for progress into action

Reimagine the possibilities.

Your role and responsibilities

You’ll lead a busy, multi-agency Front Door team responsible for safeguarding decision-making and ensuring children and families access the right support at the earliest opportunity.

You will:

• lead, motivate and develop a high-performing team
• drive timely, safe and effective decision-making
• provide management oversight on contacts, referrals and thresholds
• support practitioners to deliver strengths-based, child-focused practice
• embed high-quality safeguarding and risk management
• drive performance, quality assurance and continuous improvement
• build strong partnerships across the multi-agency network
• create a culture of learning, accountability and professional curiosity
• be a visible, accessible and supportive leader, providing regular oversight, guidance and challenge to practitioners within a busy Front Door environment.

You will need:

• to be a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England
• to lead from the front and thrive in a fast-paced environment
• understanding that visibility, accessibility and support are key to success
• significant management experience within Children's Social Care
• strong understanding of safeguarding, thresholds and risk
• the ability to provide direction when complex decisions need to be made
• to develop and inspire practitioners to be their very best
• a track record of improving performance and driving change.
• A passion for achieving outstanding outcomes for children and families.

Experience in Front Door, MASH or Assessment Services will be highly desirable

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (JPP), which you can find in the How to apply' section towards the bottom of this advert. If you believe you can succeed in this role, even if you don't meet all requirements, please still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

The team

At Suffolk County Council, we aspire for every child to live their best life.

The Integrated Front Door is a fast-paced, multi-agency environment bringing together professionals from across the partnership, including social care, police, health and education, to ensure concerns are responded to quickly, consistently and effectively.

You'll be part of a service that:

• Supports early decision-making and earlier help
• Works within a shared safeguarding framework and statutory duties
• Promotes joined-up, high-quality responses for children and families
• Plays a key role in Suffolk's Families First approach.

This is an office-based role, five days per week. We believe that being together matters. Visible leadership supports better decision-making, stronger oversight, professional development and a culture where practitioners feel supported to do their best work.

Empowering Everyone

We're big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We're always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report .

For more information

Please contact either Scott Wentworth or Milly Clarkfor a casual conversation. You can reach them by either calling 01473 296371 or 01473 260673or emailing [e-mail] or [e-mail]

Closing date: 11.30 pm, 1 November 2026.

We value authentic applications that showcase your genuine skills and experiences, so we encourage you to present your own work and ideas throughout the process. You can also read our Using AI in Your Application and Interview guidance to understand acceptable and unacceptable use of AI. If AI is used inappropriately, your application may not be progressed.

Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to apply? If you are disabled and/or have additional support needs, you can request reasonable adjustments. You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team by emailing [e-mail] or calling03456 014412. You can find examples of possible adjustments on our Reasonable Adjustment pages . If you're invited to the next stage, you'll have another chance to request adjustments.

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. #LI-Onsite

As a modern and effective council, we offer a wide variety of careers to suit people with a range of skills, abilities and ambitions. We offer working options that flex to reflect the way people work today and take the time to understand and support your individual needs. We're driven to make a positive difference to the world around us and encourage everyone with drive and focus to join us and build an influential and impactful career. Reimagine the possibilities.

In return, you'll enjoy:

• up to 29 days annual leave entitlement (pro rata), plus UK bank holidays and two paid volunteering days
• membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• travel, lifestyle, health and wellbeing benefits
• performance-related annual pay progression, in addition to an annual cost-of-living pay increase
• training and encouragement to expand your knowledge
• a variety of career development opportunities across our organisation
• diverse and active staff networks
• flexible working options, with the right to request flexible working from your first day

Plus lots more!

If you want to know more about our benefits, values and equality commitments please visit our Suffolk County Council careers website (careers.Suffolk.gov.uk) .