Team Manager - Out of Hours Service, Kent Intake Unit

Kent County Council; England; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unsociable hours premium

Job summary

Kent County Council is seeking a Team Manager for the Out of Hours Kent Intake Unit. The role focuses on leading social workers responding to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children during nights, weekends, and holidays, with cross-agency coordination to ensure safe, timely decisions.

You will supervise a mixed team, oversee rapid assessments, and drive trauma-informed, culturally responsive practice, while working shifts outside standard hours to deliver high-quality support.

Qualifications

• Must hold a Social Work degree (or CQSW/DipSW) and be registered with Social Work England.
• Experience with safeguarding and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children is desirable.
• Willingness to work unsociable hours and shifts including evenings/nights/weekends/bank holidays.

Responsibilities

• Provide strong operational leadership and supervision to social workers.
• Coordinate responses with partner agencies (police, health, Home Office) and local authorities.
• Manage a small team and support the wider Out of Hours KIU service.
• Support colleagues and lead on triage and risk assessment in urgent cases.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

IT skills

Trauma-informed practice

Risk assessment

Team management

Flexibility

Education

Degree in Social Work / CQSW / DipSW

Social Work England registration

Tools

IT proficiency

Job description

Team Manager - Out of Hours Service, Kent Intake Unit

Role Responsibility

If you are looking for an opportunity to develop your social work and managerial skills, this may be the right opportunity for you!

An exciting opportunity has arisen within our highly motivated, friendly, and supportive Out of Hours Kent Intake Unit service (KIU).

Out of Hours KIU respond to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who arrive during the night and over weekend and bank holiday periods, ensuring they receive a safe, timely and child-focused response at an exceptionally vulnerable point in their lives. The role provides a unique opportunity to broaden social work knowledge and skills, as well as offering an alternative to standard day time working hours which will allow the successful candidate to achieve greater flexibility within their working life.

As a Team Manager, the successful candidate will provide strong operational leadership, management oversight and professional support to social workers responding to and assessing complex situations with limited information and within tight timescales. They will work closely with partner agencies, including police, health, the home office and where required, other local authorities, to coordinate effective responses to ensure children receive the right support. They will be part of the wider out of hours team manager group, supporting during times when new arrivals are less frequent and will provide leadership and direction to social workers responding to urgent situations for children and vulnerable adults across Kent and Medway.

The successful candidate will manage a small team of qualified and unqualified staff, permanent relief staff and will contribute to the management and support of the wider OOH service.

Contracted hours equivalent to 37 hours per week will be worked across a rota period.

We are therefore looking for a Team Manager who;

• Is able to work evenings, nights, Weekends and Bank Holidays.
• is able to promote trauma informed and culturally responsive practice.
• Is resilient, flexible, adaptable, forward thinking and positive about improving services outside normal working hours.
• Is able to work at speed and under pressure, whilst maintaining excellent triage and risk assessment skills.
• Has excellent and proven leadership skills, communication skills and is competent in and committed to the use of Information Technology.
• Has experience of or is interested in broadening their knowledge and skill base around working with unaccompanied children.
• Is looking for a change from the 9-5 routine and new professional challenges.
• Is able to cope with the demands of shift working.

KCC offer an attractive benefits package. This role includes an unsociable hours fixed market premium (pro rata where applicable).

Applicants are required to hold a Degree in Social Work, CQSW/DipSW or equivalent, and must be registered with Social Work England.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure application to the Disclosure and Barring service and registration as a qualified Social Worker with Social Work England.

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 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.

Contact Details

For further information about this role please contact - Bryony Khadaroo - 03000 422259

About the Company

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.

Please note - if you are interested, please apply soon as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.