Team Manager

Kent County Council; Gravesend; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Kent County Council is seeking a Safeguarding Adults Community Team Manager to lead the North Kent adult safeguarding team and drive high-quality safeguarding practice. You will oversee operational delivery, ensure timely enquiries under section 42, and work with partners to centre adults' rights and wellbeing in decision-making.

Applicants should have a professional qualification in Social Work, Nursing or Occupational Therapy, with leadership experience in local government or health and social

Qualifications

• Experience leading operational safeguarding teams.
• Sound knowledge of the Care Act 2014 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
• Up-to-date professional registration and relevant qualification.
• Full UK Driving Licence and Enhanced DBS clearance.

Responsibilities

• Provide confident operational leadership of the North Kent adult safeguarding team.
• Ensure timely, proportionate safeguarding enquiries under section 42 and outcomes focus.
• Promote Making Safeguarding Personal and effective risk management.
• Work with health, police, care providers and commissioning colleagues.

Skills

Leadership

Safeguarding practice

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Social Work / Nursing / Occupational Therapy qualification

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Safeguarding Adults Community Team Manager to lead the North Kent adult safeguarding team. You will provide confident operational leadership, support high-quality safeguarding practice and work with partners to help adults with care and support needs live safely, with their rights, wishes and wellbeing at the centre of decision-making. You will be responsible for the operational delivery of the North Kent adult safeguarding team, ensuring that agreed service plans and the local authority's safeguarding responsibilities under the Care Act 2014 are met. Working within delegated authority, you will oversee safeguarding decisions and the making, or causing to be made, of enquiries under section 42, ensuring that responses are timely, proportionate and focused on the outcomes that matter to the adult. You will promote Making Safeguarding Personal, effective risk management and partnership working, while maintaining clear accountability for the quality and progress of enquiries. You will lead the team's contribution to our three key strategic pillars:

• Quality practice.
• Performance and meaningful measures
• Innovation

We are seeking an experienced and motivated leader with a strong understanding of adult safeguarding and a commitment to improving outcomes for people across North Kent. You will create a supportive team culture through reflective supervision, professional development and constructive challenge, enabling practitioners to manage complex safeguarding work with confidence and compassion.

You will bring experience of managing operational teams within local government or the health and social care sector, together with experience of complex adult safeguarding practice. You will demonstrate a sound working knowledge of the Care Act 2014, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and relevant statutory guidance, including person-centred decision-making and access to independent advocacy where required. You will use data, case audits and feedback from adults to strengthen practice, monitor enquiry timeliness and address delays.

Your ability to work effectively with health services, police, care providers, commissioning colleagues and other partners will be essential. You will balance increasingly complex demand with available resources, escalating risks and capacity pressures appropriately without allowing financial considerations to displace statutory safeguarding duties. This role is subject to holding a Full UK Driving Licence - The Council is committed to making reasonable adjustments so whilst this job requires the jobholder to drive your application will still be considered if you are unable to drive due to a disability. This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure application to the Disclosure and Barring service and a relevant professional qualification (Social Work, Nursing or Occupational Therapy) as well as up to date registration with the appropriate professional body.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Work that works for you and us - let's talk flexibility! KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, faiths and those with caring responsibilities, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.