Team Manager - Child Exploitation and Missing Team

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

Are you passionate about making a difference to our citizens and the district that they reside in? Then, we have an exciting opportunity for you to join our team. A fantastic opportunity has arisen to join our exceptional Management Team within Wakefield's Child Exploitation and Missing Service. We are a strong, dynamic, and welcoming team committed to delivering high-quality, child-centred practice for some of our most vulnerable children and young people. If you are looking for a leadership role where you can make a tangible impact on children at risk of exploitation and those who go missing, this opportunity could be perfect for you. Wakefield continues to provide high-quality services for children and families, supported by a stable senior leadership team and a largely permanent workforce. Our recent GOOD Ofsted judgement recognised the strength of our practice, culture, and commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people. About the Role: As Team Manager, you will lead a team of skilled practitioners working with children and young people who are at risk of, or experiencing, child exploitation and missing episodes. You will provide strong leadership, management oversight, and practice direction, ensuring children receive effective interventions that reduce risk, increase safety, and improve outcomes. Working closely with partners across Police, Health, Education, Youth Justice, and wider safeguarding services, you will help coordinate a robust multi‑agency response to exploitation and missing concerns.

• 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, reduce missing episodes, and improve outcomes.
• Foster a culture of reflective practice, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Support service development and contribute to strategic priorities across Children's Services.

What will be expected from me?

Managing a team of Child & Family Workers, you will help us achieve our ambition of delivering the best possible outcomes for children, young people, and families in Wakefield. You will be an experienced and motivated leader who can inspire, support, and develop staff while maintaining high standards of practice and performance.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Be a qualified and experienced Social Worker with a proven track‑record of working with complex safeguarding concerns.
• Demonstrate strong management and leadership skills.
• Have significant experience of working with child exploitation and missing children.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with partner agencies and professionals.
• Provide both support and constructive challenge to practitioners.
• Be confident in managing risk and implementing effective safeguarding interventions.
• Promote a relational and restorative leadership approach.
• Be passionate about delivering high‑quality services and driving positive change.
• Support the Service Manager and contribute to continuous service improvement. DipSW, CQSW, BA (Hons) Social Work, or equivalent social work qualification.
• Registration with Social Work England.
• Significant experience of working within Child Exploitation, Missing, MACE, or Multi‑Agency Exploitation arrangements.
• Experience of managing staff and leading complex safeguarding practice.
• Strong understanding of contextual safeguarding and multi‑agency working.
• The successful applicant will be required to complete a Disclosure Application Form and undergo Police Vetting. Eligibility is subject to our relocation policy and criteria, including specific requirements relating to the distance between your current home, your new home, and your workplace. To qualify, your new home must be closer to your workplace than your current home.

Safeguarding Wakefield Council is wholly committed to ensuring children and vulnerable adults are fully supported and safe. We are dedicated to the safeguarding of all children and vulnerable adults whilst promoting their welfare. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this responsibility. DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) The successful applicant will be required to complete a Disclosure Application Form and to provide criminal conviction information. Probation In accordance with the Council Probation Procedure, this post is subject to a 6-month Probationary Period. Fluency Duty To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 (Fluency Duty), public facing roles will be subject to the Fluency Duty. Diversity Having a diverse workforce that is reflective of the communities we serve helps us to achieve the best outcomes for all. We encourage applications from everyone and actively seek to ensure that everyone feels included in the workplace so that we can make the most of our differences.

Benefits

• A competitive salary
• Generous holiday entitlement with the option to buy up to 10 extra days of annual leave
• Hybrid working (subject to role suitability)
• Access to high‑quality training programs to advance your career to the next level.
• We are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our staff. We recognise that resilient teams need good work life balance as well as supportive leadership.
• Discounted and subsidised public transport (Arriva Bus Annual Travel Ticket, Northern Trains Limited (NTL), MetroCard).
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and a Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVC) scheme providing a tax efficient way to increase our pension.
• Great range of benefits including an Employee Assistant Programme, discounted membership to our excellent leisure facilities with free 12 weeks exercise program, discounts for a range of retail, entertainment, health and leisure providers, a cycle to work scheme, and many more