Team Leader, Child Exploitation & Missing Services

Wakefield Council; Wrenthorpe; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Generous holiday entitlement

Training & development opportunities

Wellbeing support

Job summary

Wakefield Council is recruiting a Team Manager for the Child Exploitation and Missing Service. You will lead a team of skilled practitioners, provide strategic direction, and ensure interventions reduce risk and improve outcomes for vulnerable children and young people.

Working with Police, Health, Education and other partners, you will chair meetings, drive high-quality practice, promote contextual safeguarding, and support service development within Children’s Services.

Qualifications

• Qualified and experienced Social Worker in safeguarding.
• Proven leadership and staff supervision skills.
• Experience with child exploitation and missing cases.
• Registration with Social Work England.
• Ability to coordinate multi-agency safeguarding responses.

Responsibilities

• Lead, manage, supervise, and support practitioners within the Child Exploitation and Missing Service.
• Provide oversight and direction on complex safeguarding interventions and casework.
• Drive high-quality practice in assessment, planning, risk management and intervention delivery.
• Lead and coordinate multi‑agency responses to exploitation and missing children.
• Chair meetings and contribute to complex decision‑making forums.
• Promote contextual safeguarding and trauma‑informed approaches across the service.
• Identify emerging risks, trends, and exploitation hotspots.
• Work collaboratively with partners to disrupt exploitation and improve outcomes.

Skills

Leadership & management

Child safeguarding

Multi-agency collaboration

Risk assessment

Strategic planning

Education

DipSW / CQSW / BA (Hons) Social Work or equivalent

Job description

Wakefield Council is recruiting a Team Manager for the Child Exploitation and Missing Service. You will lead a team of skilled practitioners, provide strategic direction, and ensure interventions reduce risk and improve outcomes for vulnerable children and young people.

Working with Police, Health, Education and other partners, you will chair meetings, drive high-quality practice, promote contextual safeguarding, and support service development within Children’s Services.