Service Manager - Children in Care

6 Month Contract With A local Authority

To provide strategic and operational leadership across Children in Care services, ensuring children and young people experience stability, achieve permanence at the earliest opportunity and are supported to thrive. The post holder will lead a dedicated service focused on high-quality, relationship-based practice, strong corporate parenting and achieving the best possible outcomes for children in care and care-experienced young people.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership and management oversight across Children in Care teams.
  


• Lead, support and develop Team Managers to deliver high-quality services and achieve positive outcomes for children and young people.
  


• Drive improvements in practice, performance and service delivery.
  


• Ensure children receive timely, effective and appropriately planned support.
  


• Promote permanence and stability through robust care planning and effective partnership working.
  


• Promote reunification and safe returns home to family where appropriate.
  


• Champion the voice, wishes and feelings of children and young people, ensuring their views influence decision-making and service delivery.
  


• Promote excellent corporate parenting across the service and wider organisation.
  


• Work collaboratively with social care, education, health, commissioning and other partner agencies.
  


• Lead quality assurance, service development and continuous improvement activity.
  


• Monitor service performance and ensure appropriate action is taken where standards or outcomes require improvement.
  


• Provide effective leadership in relation to complex operational challenges and safeguarding matters.
  


• Ensure statutory duties and responsibilities relating to Children in Care are met.
  


• Ensure services operate effectively within agreed budgets, resources, policies and regulatory frameworks.
  


• Inspire and motivate staff to maintain high aspirations for children and young people.
  


• Promote a culture of continuous learning, accountability and high-quality social work practice.
  


• Contribute to strategic planning and service development across Children's Services.
  


• Undertake any other reasonable duties consistent with the role.
  

Requirements

• Essential: Recognised Social Work qualification.
  


• Essential: Current registration with Social Work England.
  


• Essential: Significant experience of leading and managing Children's Social Care services.
  


• Strong understanding of the needs and experiences of children in care and care-experienced young people.
  


• Strong understanding of effective corporate parenting and its application in practice.
  


• Proven track record of driving service improvement and delivering positive outcomes for children and young people.
  


• Significant leadership and management experience within a children's social care environment.
  


• Ability to lead, motivate, inspire and develop Team Managers and wider social care teams.
  


• Experience of managing performance, quality assurance and complex operational challenges.
  


• Strong knowledge of statutory responsibilities and regulatory requirements relating to Children in Care.
  


• Ability to promote high-quality, relationship-based social work practice.
  


• Excellent partnership-working skills, with the ability to build effective relationships across social care, education, health and other agencies.
  


• Strong strategic and operational leadership skills, with the ability to translate priorities into effective service delivery.
  


• Excellent communication, negotiation and decision-making skills.
  


• Ability to work under pressure, manage competing priorities and respond effectively to complex situations.
  


• Strong commitment to safeguarding, corporate parenting and improving the life chances of children and young people.
  

Additional Information

• Location: Hybrid – 3 days on site
  


• Hours per week: [Insert Hours]
  


• Bi-weekly payments: Paid bi-weekly
  


• Rate: £450 per day