Team Manager

Jobtailor; Ipswich; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor is seeking an experienced Children's Services leader based in Ipswich to oversee the High Demand Team and Family Help services. The role focuses on safeguarding, risk management, workload oversight, and service performance, with reflective supervision and professional challenge as core duties.

The role emphasizes psychologically informed, strengths-based practice, strong partnerships, and staff development to deliver positive outcomes for children and families across multiple sites.

Qualifications

• Social Work qualification and current Social Work England registration are required.
• Significant experience in Children's Services
• Experience leading and developing staff in a children's social care setting
• Knowledge of safeguarding, assessment, risk management and child protection practice is essential.
• DBS checks or police vetting are required for relevant posts.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the High Demand Team with flexible support where demand is greatest.
• Provide additional management capacity within Family Help services.
• Oversee safeguarding, risk, workload management and service performance.
• Provide reflective supervision, practice leadership and professional challenge.
• Embed psychologically informed, strengths-based and relationship-led practice.
• Build strong partnerships across Family Help and wider children's services.
• Support staff development, service improvement and positive outcomes for children and families.
• Provide flexible countywide support during periods of increased demand.
• Help manage demand and maintain high standards of practice.
• Support embedding of new practice approaches during the transition to the Families First model.
• Respond to fluctuations in caseload volume across Family Help services.

Skills

Staff Leadership

Safeguarding

Risk Management

Assessment

Child Protection

Partnership Working

Analytical Skills

Decision Making

Communication

Team Development

Education

Social Work Qualification

Social Work England Registration

Job description

• Lead and develop the High Demand Team, providing flexible support where demand is greatest
• Provide additional management capacity within Family Help services
• Oversee safeguarding, risk, workload management and service performance
• Provide reflective supervision, practice leadership and professional challenge
• Embed psychologically informed, strengths-based and relationship-led practice
• Build strong partnerships across Family Help and wider children's services
• Support staff development, service improvement and positive outcomes for children and families
• Provide flexible countywide support during periods of increased demand
• Help manage demand and maintain high standards of practice
• Support the successful embedding of new practice approaches during the transition to the Families First model
• Respond to fluctuations in caseload volume across Family Help services

Requirements

• Relevant Social Work qualification and current Social Work England registration
• Significant experience within Children's Services, including Social Care Fieldwork, Family Help, safeguarding, assessment, child protection or other frontline children's services teams
• Substantial experience leading, managing and developing staff within a children's social care setting
• Strong understanding of legislation, safeguarding, assessment, risk management and child protection practice
• Ability to provide reflective supervision, professional challenge and clear practice leadership
• Experience managing competing priorities, resources and service pressures to achieve positive outcomes
• Strong partnership-working, analytical, communication and decision-making skills
• Experience managing risk, performance and service improvement within a complex environment
• Experience of leading change and service transformation (beneficial)
• Understanding of Signs of Safety, strengths-based and solution-focused approaches (beneficial)
• Knowledge of psychologically informed and evidence-based intervention models (beneficial)
• Experience working effectively with partner agencies and multidisciplinary teams (beneficial)
• Driving licence and access to personal transport, or other suitable means of meeting travel requirements
• Ability to travel regularly between Beacon House, Ipswich and Riverside, Lowestoft
• Supporting statement required; supporting documents must be PDF or MS Word format
• DBS checks or police vetting required for relevant posts

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in leading and developing teams within Children's Services, with a strong focus on safeguarding, risk management, and service performance. Proficient in embedding psychologically informed and strengths-based practices to achieve positive outcomes for children and families.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Social Work Qualification
• Current Social Work England Registration
• Experience in Children's Services
• Strong Understanding of Safeguarding and Risk Management
• Reflective Supervision and Practice Leadership

Hard Skills

• Safeguarding
• Risk Management
• Assessment
• Child Protection
• Service Improvement
• Change Management
• Analytical Skills
• Decision-Making
• Partnership Working
• Evidence-Based Intervention Models

Soft Skills

• Communication
• Leadership
• Team Development
• Professional Challenge
• Problem-Solving

Certifications & Qualifications

• DBS Checks
• Police Vetting

Industry Keywords

• Children's Services
• Family Help
• Social Care Fieldwork
• Signs of Safety
• Strengths-Based Approach
• Solution-Focused Approach
• Multidisciplinary Teams
• Service Transformation