team manager

Lewisham; Lewisham; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A vibrant local authority is seeking an experienced team manager to lead their new Multi Agency Child Protection Teams in Lewisham. The role involves supervising staff, ensuring high-quality decision-making, and developing partnerships across social care, health, and education sectors. Applicants must be a registered social worker with significant safeguarding experience and a degree in social work. This position offers the opportunity to influence social work practice at both local and national levels.

Qualifications

• Registered social worker with recent proven supervisory experience.
• Experience in managing budgets within a team.

Responsibilities

• Support Group Manager and supervise team members to ensure quality of practice.
• Lead the team to ensure the safety of children and young people.
• Embed strategic objectives into operational practice.

Skills

Operational safeguarding practice

Team management

Managing complex frontline operational safeguarding practice

Supervisory experience

Understanding of child protection procedures

Practice improvement

Signs of Safety framework

Education

Degree in social work or equivalent qualification

Job description

Discover yourself in Lewisham where what you do makes a difference to our vibrant and culturally diverse communities! We have a rich history of welcoming people from all over the world and are proud to be recognised as the UK's first Borough of Sanctuary, for our work in championing the rights of refugees and migrants.

Overview

We are seeking an experienced team manager to lead one of the newly established Multi Agency Child Protection Teams. This role will play a key part in the shaping and development of this team and is an exciting opportunity to influence social work practice on a local and national level. The successful candidate will be able to work effectively across the multi‑agency partnership to assist the Group Manager to develop the team. The successful candidate will have experience of supervising staff and a thorough knowledge of child protection and PLO/court processes and accompanying legislation.

Core areas of work

• Chair or attend all strategy discussions
• Co‑work all s47 enquiries with Family Help
• Co‑work all child protection cases with Family Help
• Chairing of child protection conferences
• Provide QA, consultation & advice across all stages of child protection work
• Co‑work all Public Law Outline cases
• Co‑work early stages of care proceedings

Core responsibilities

• Support the Group Manager and has responsibility for directly supervising the members within the team, overseeing and ensuring the quality of decision making and practice of the workers.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with other teams in children’s social care, and with health, education and the police.
• Lead the team to promote and deliver the objective that all children and young people in Lewisham are safe and reach their full potential.
• Support operational practice within the team, contribute to strategic oversight for the service and monitor practice against KPIs.
• Use and analyse performance data effectively to support work with children and families, and apply quality assurance methods.
• Supervise team members and support them in their professional development.
• Embed the strategic objectives into operational practice, leading by example, supporting people to deliver agile services that meet the needs of our children.

Required experience and qualifications

• Operational safeguarding practice
• Team management, including managing a budget
• Managing complex frontline operational safeguarding practice
• Registered social worker with recent proven supervisory experience
• Degree in social work or equivalent qualification and registration with Social Work England
• Technical knowledge of Working Together 2023, Pan London Child Protection Procedures and other relevant safeguarding statutory guidance
• Track record of practice improvement and an in‑depth understanding of the Signs of Safety practice framework
• Experience in delegating role and supporting colleagues and managers to guide the implementation of Standards, and developing new services on the platform for organisations and Professionals, allies and Mapped and Co-Ord.