Service Manager - Children Looked After 0-16

The total compensation package for this position is up to £79,975 per annum

Service Manager - Children Looked After 0-16 - Croydon

Salary: CSRA £71,643 - £78,475
Retention payment: £1,500

36 per week / Monday - Friday

Permanent

Job Purpose

We are seeking a qualified and experienced Service Manager to join our children looked after service. As part of a systemic and trauma informed service you will play a critical role in ensuring children receive the best support to help them achieve their aspirations and have an active voice in everything that we do. You will lead, motivate, manage, supervise and develop practice for children in care fostering a culture of continuous learning and development. The successful candidate should have an experience in legal practice, long term planning for including considerable experience of adoption practice to lead our Court & Early Permanence team. The appointed Service Manager will lead on Permanence practice & Health needs for children in care across all services.

Essential Requirements

Qualified Social Worker, registered with Social Work England

Service Manager experience in managing services for children looked after through to permanence.

Experienced in leading and managing performance of team managers, ensuring the cases are allocated effectively in terms of skills and experience suited to the complexity of the case.

A clear commitment to services working in partnership with families and creating positive change in young people's lives.

Demonstrable commitment to anti-racist practice.

Demonstrable experience of leading and managing statutory interventions that are relevant to this service area and role (including high risk and high complexity work), and that deliver high quality performance and good outcomes for children and young people.

Able to lead, think, plan and manage strategically and systemically, as well as operationally.

Able to use performance information to drive improvement for children and young people.

Able to produce high quality, analytical and evidence-based reports.

Able to manage, plan and control delegated budgets.

Experience of developing high quality services within a statutory setting, with a particular focus on contextualised safeguarding.

Experience of developing a highly motivated, high achieving and stable work force with a positive, "can-do", customer-centred culture.

Able to work outside of normal office hours when required and to be part of the senior manager out-of-hours rota.

Why Join Us

Our teams consist of experienced Social Workers and Team Managers at various levels and workers who are alternatively qualified

Our workforce is highly diverse

Our Clinical Systemic Service provides direct interventions working alongside social care practitioners.

The ethos at Croydon is very much about working together to make positive change

Caseloads of Social Workers are very manageable enabling managers to know children well & ensure high standards of practice

You will join an established management team who can help you settle in and offer their expertise

Benefits
You will be valued for your skills and expertise, supported by the team of experienced professionals, as well as the management at Croydon Council, one of the largest employers in the borough. We also offer:

Highly competitive compensation package

Accredited Systemic Practice training

A range of CPD opportunities

29-31 days (grade equivalent) annual leave in addition to Bank Holidays and option to purchase more

A pension scheme with an average employer contribution of 20%

Continuing Professional Development - genuine opportunities to grow, develop and specialise in your career

Management development programmes

Investment into your wellbeing

Access to Employee Discount scheme with a range of programmes (Cycle Benefit Scheme, GymFlex, Retail Discounts and more)

We promote flexible & hybrid working arrangements where possible to support a healthy work-life balance, office base requirement is 3 days a week minimum.

To view the role profile, please click here

Closing date: 03rd November 2024 at 23:59

Disclaimer

Croydon Council is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We will be pleased to consider applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements. As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the advertised role.

Croydon council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. The Successful candidate will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check which allows them to work with children.