Senior Manager - Children and Young People - WMF3165e

The Methodist Church in Britain; England; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pension scheme

Enhanced annual leave

Perks and discounts schemes

Job summary

Westmorland and Furness Council is seeking an experienced senior leader for the Children and Families directorate. The role focuses on safeguarding, child protection, and ensuring timely, proportionate responses to concerns, with responsibilities spanning pre-proceedings, court work, and inspection readiness.

The post requires a social work degree and registration with Social Work England, with a track record of delivering improvements and leading large teams within safeguarding settings.

Qualifications

• Degree-level social work qualification or equivalent.
• Significant senior management experience in children's social care and safeguarding.
• Proven track record of leading large teams and managing substantial budgets.
• Experience of leading services through inspection and regulatory scrutiny.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership across safeguarding and child protection services.
• Oversee Support and Protect services, the Multi-Agency Children's Hub and the Emergency Duty Team.
• Ensure statutory responsibilities are delivered effectively and consistently.
• Champion a culture where children's needs are central to decision-making.
• Lead on pre-proceedings and court-related practice and drive continuous improvement.

Education

Degree-level social work qualification

Tools

Social Work England registration

Job description

This permanent senior management post sits within Children's and Families at Westmorland and Furness Council, overseeing Support and Protect services, the Multi-Agency Children's Hub and the Emergency Duty Team. The role centres on strategic leadership of safeguarding and child protection, making sure children and families get timely, proportionate responses and that statutory duties are met. It also covers inspection readiness, pre-proceedings and court practice, and close working with health, police and education partners. Social Work England registration and a degree-level social work qualification are required.

What the job involves

• Provide strategic leadership across safeguarding and child protection services
• Oversee Support and Protect services, the Multi-Agency Children's Hub and the Emergency Duty Team
• Ensure children and families receive timely, effective and proportionate responses to safeguarding concerns
• Ensure statutory responsibilities are delivered effectively and consistently
• Champion a culture where children's needs are central to decision-making
• Work with partners across health, police, education and the wider safeguarding system
• Lead on pre-proceedings and court-related practice
• Lead inspection readiness and drive continuous improvement
• Embed excellent social work practice across services
• Shape the strategic direction of services
• Provide visible leadership and support to the workforce

What’s required

Qualifications

• Social work qualification at degree level or equivalent

Registration & licences

• Registration with Social Work England

Experience

• Significant senior management experience in children's social care and safeguarding
• Proven track record of leading large teams and managing substantial budgets
• Delivering service improvement
• Extensive experience of partnership working across agencies and influencing strategic outcomes
• Experience of leading services through inspection and regulatory scrutiny

Skills & knowledge

• Strong knowledge of safeguarding, child protection, pre-proceedings and court work
• Communicating effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including elected members, senior leaders and partners
• Commitment to high performance, continual improvement and excellent social work practice

Checks & eligibility

• Enhanced DBS check with Children's and Adults Barred List check

Other

• Exemplifying the leadership behaviours of Westmorland and Furness Council

What’s offered

• Competitive pension scheme
• Enhanced annual leave allowance
• Perks and discounts schemes