Deputy Team Manager (Social Work)

Brent Council; Wembley; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days annual leave

Local Government Pension Scheme

Hybrid and flexible working

Eye test support

Cycle to Work scheme

Job summary

Brent Council in London is seeking an experienced Specialist Learning Disability Deputy Manager to lead a high-performing adult social care team and help deliver outstanding outcomes for adults with learning disabilities.

You will work closely with the Brent Community Learning Disability Team (CNWL) and health colleagues, providing supervision, professional leadership and joint working across organisational boundaries.

Qualifications

• Qualified social worker with current registration with Social Work England.
• Significant post-qualifying experience including statutory social work with adults.
• Strong leadership, safeguarding knowledge, and ability to work across multi-agency partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Lead a high-performing adult social care team delivering outcomes for adults with learning disabilities.
• Provide specialist advice, guidance and supervision to staff.
• Collaborate with Brent Community Learning Disability Team and health colleagues.
• Ensure service performance against KPIs and drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Social work leadership

Partnership working

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Team supervision

Education

Social work degree

Job description

Salary range: £52,194 - £55,323 p.a. inc. London weighting

• A £5000 'golden hello' for Social Work managers new to Brent, upon completion of their probationary period.
• An annual retention payment of £3000 for eligible frontline workers and managers from Grade PO2 - PO7

Contract: Permanent

Hours of work: 36 hours per week

Location: Civic centre and other locations from time to time

Are you looking to progress in your Social Work career?

Brent is one of the most diverse boroughs in the country, with communities, ideas and experiences from across the world helping to shape who we are. Working here means joining a council that is focused on fairness, open to new thinking and committed to improving life for local people.

Our values shape how we work and what people can expect from us. We collaborate proactively, lead inclusively, embrace change, are bold and curious, and celebrate and share our success. For people who care about public service and want their work to matter, Brent offers the chance to make a meaningful difference.

About the role

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Specialist Learning Disability Deputy Manager to support the Team Manager lead a high-performing adult social care team and help deliver outstanding outcomes for adults with learning disabilities. This is an exciting opportunity for a confident person with specialist knowledge, strong operational skills and a passion for partnership working. You will manage a team of qualified social workers and unqualified practitioners, ensuring performance is delivered in line with the team’s key performance indicators while driving continuous development, improvement, efficiency and overall service success.

The post requires joint working with the Brent Community Learning Disability Team (CNWL) and is based at Kingswood Centre, where the role is co-located with the Learning Disability Health Team. You will be expected to build and maintain collaborative relationships with health colleagues, promoting integrated working that strengthens decision-making, improves communication and ensures adults receive coordinated, person-centred support. This is a role for someone who understands the value of multi-agency partnership and can support confidently across organisational boundaries.

Working alongside the Team Manager, you will provide specialist advice, guidance, support and supervision to both qualified and non-qualified staff across Adult Social Care. You will hold direct supervisory responsibility for a group of staff within the team, with oversight of day-to-day quality assurance, customer care and performance management. You will use your professional judgement to address operational issues proactively, escalating matters to the Team Manager where appropriate. Flexibility is essential in this post, as you will be expected to provide cover for colleagues when required, including the Team Manager, and to work across the service area in response to changing service demands.

You will have full operational and leadership accountability for functions within Adult Social Care and will play a central role in improving outcomes for adults who require statutory support and intervention. This includes working in partnership with Adult Care Services, the wider council, external providers, the police, and voluntary and statutory agencies supporting vulnerable adults. You will manage a customer-focused service, support Team Managers to design and implement innovative services, and contribute to the development of policies and procedures that strengthen practice and service delivery. We are looking for a capable and values-driven person who can inspire the team, uphold high standards and champion effective, compassionate support for adults with learning disabilities.

About you

The post holder must be an experienced and professionally qualified social worker with substantial knowledge, expertise, and skills developed through extensive social work practice. They must demonstrate a strong commitment to social work values and a genuine passion for promoting the rights, independence, inclusion, and wellbeing of adults with learning disabilities. Practice must be consistently person-centred, strengths-based, and focused on achieving positive outcomes for individuals and their families.

The successful candidate must hold a recognised social work degree or an equivalent professional qualification, together with current registration with Social Work England.

They must have significant post-qualifying experience, including statutory social work practice with adults and their families. This should include in-depth knowledge of adult social care services and a strong understanding of the legislative and policy frameworks affecting adults, including safeguarding, mental capacity, human rights, and care planning.

The individual must possess a sound understanding of the needs of adults with learning disabilities and recognise the importance of promoting choice, control, independence, dignity, and community inclusion. They must consistently demonstrate social work values, ethics, and professional integrity in all aspects of practice, alongside a clear commitment to improving the lives, rights, and opportunities of people with learning disabilities.

The post holder must be able to promote and model person-centred, strengths-based approaches within the team and demonstrate strong analytical, assessment, and decision-making skills when managing complex adult social care situations.

You must also have excellent communication and partnership-working skills, with the ability to work collaboratively and effectively with individuals, families, carers, and multi-agency professionals. In addition, they should be capable of providing professional leadership, guidance, and support to colleagues, while maintaining high standards of practice and service delivery.

We know people do their best work when they feel valued, supported and able to grow. At Brent, you will benefit from:

• 27 days' annual leave, rising with length of service, plus bank holidays
• Local Government Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions
• Hybrid and flexible working options available for most roles
• Supportive family-friendly policies, including carers' leave, paternity leave and compassionate leave for eligible employees
• Health and wellbeing support, including eye test support and a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Financial wellbeing support, including education sessions, childcare deposit loans and season ticket loans
• Travel support, including affordable parking nearby, a Cycle to Work scheme and onsite facilities
• Learning and development opportunities to support your career
• Access to My Brent Rewards with exclusive discounts on shopping, travel, leisure and entertainment

To learn more about our staff benefits, visit Our offer to you.

Brent Council values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects the people we serve. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and encourage applicants to complete the diversity survey section of the application.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone is treated with dignity, respect and fairness. We expect all employees to demonstrate a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and to promote inclusive, non‑discriminatory practices in their work. This commitment forms part of our recruitment process, and candidates may be assessed on their understanding of and ability to contribute to an inclusive working environment.

The information we collect from you will be shared with Cifas, who will use it to help prevent fraud and other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. Further details on how your information will be used by Brent and Cifas, and your data protection rights can be found here.

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. This includes people with hidden disabilities, long‑term health conditions, diagnoses and mental health conditions. We also guarantee an interview to care‑experienced applicants who meet the essential criteria. Information shared for this purpose will be treated fairly and used only to confirm eligibility under these schemes.

If you need reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact [e-mail].

Brent has a positive approach to flexible working.