Team Leader (Children and Young Persons) in Swansea

Reports To: Service Manager

Salary: £32,304-£35,682 per annum

Location: Swansea Neath Port Talbot

Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract: Permanent, in line with funding.

VERVE brings together an Alliance of Barod Project, Kaleidoscope Project, Adferiad Recovery, The Wallich and key commissioning partners. These are four respected organisations with more than a century of combined experience delivering substance use services across Swansea and Neath Port Talbot (SNPT). Each partner contributes specialist expertise, deep local knowledge, and a proven commitment to high-quality, person-centred support. Together, this Alliance forms a deliberate, strategic partnership designed to meet the ambitions of the Alliance Mandate and contribute to system-wide transformation.

This collaboration is built on our shared belief that the complexity of need within substance use services requires a unified, integrated response. By bringing together our collective strengths and specialist knowledge, we are creating a service that is more effective, more responsive, and better equipped to deliver improved outcomes for the communities we serve.

Vision and Values

Our vision is ambitious and rooted in collective responsibility and shared decision-making. This vision will be embedded across partners and stakeholders to nurture strong professional relationships and foster a ‘people-first’ culture, where staff feel empowered to deliver compassionate, innovative, and high-quality support.

VERVE promotes an inclusive, values-driven culture centred on dignity, fairness, and co-production. We empower people using our services and support our workforce to thrive. We are committed to creating a diverse and equitable workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported, and where our services reflect the communities that we serve.

Role Purpose

The Team Leader will support the Service Manager with the day-to-day operations of the service across Swansea, Neath and Port-Talbot. They will provide general co-ordination of service components and activity alongside other Team Leaders and will work closely with relevant stakeholders, partners and the commissioning team. The Team Leader will oversee appropriate referrals, allocations and closure of cases, manage caseload numbers for caseworkers and ensure all drop-in and duty rotas are complete. Team Leaders will provide support to all case workers through monthly supervision and overseeing case management/risk management and safeguarding processes.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Staffing & Workforce Development
• Contribute to the recruitment, induction and development of new staff
• Support and provide supervision and appraisal to allocated caseworkers
• Meet regularly with the Service Manager for briefing and participation in supervision
• Ensure that staff are given opportunities to learn and develop in their role
• Use coaching as a vehicle for staff development
• Manage annual leave for the team and manage absences including sickness absence
• Encourage and support supervisees to reflect on and develop their practice
• Provide support and guidance with regard to best practice issues to any workers within the team
• Liaise where appropriate with central teams across the alliance e.g. HR, L&D etc
• Service Delivery
• Oversee the development, delivery of and evaluation of all elements of the service
• Manage and co-ordinate referrals
• Co-ordinate a duty rota for Swansea, Neath and Port-Talbot bases
• Support the development of training and prevention materials
• Support safeguarding processes and queries
• Provide support and supervision to caseworkers and oversee case management/ risk management.
• Support and encourage staff to deliver Blood Borne Virus assessment screening and BBV testing for people who use our services
• Support caseworkers with specialist interventions such as Parent and Carer Training (PACT) programme, specialist criminal justice and offending work, CYP specific interventions etc
• Involve families and carers in the treatment of people where appropriate
• Foster and sustain good working relationships with communities, services, statutory and strategic partners and stakeholders
• Champion and promote co-production
• Work in an innovative and creative way to ensure continuous development and improvement of the service
• Collaborate with Tier 3 services, to support individuals who have been assessed as requiring a detoxification or opiate substitute therapy or other T3 support
• Oversee the delivery of a range of harm reduction interventions, including needle exchange
• Oversee the delivery of specialised training and prevention initiatives
• Ensure that all opiate users are provided with Take Home Naloxone (THN) or Nyxoid and receive the associated training
• Chair relevant meetings
• Ensure strong and effective working relationships between staff, service users, partners and commissioners.
• Develop communications, campaigns and promotional activity including on social media.
• Support the Service Manager to manage complaints, feedback and reporting requirements.
• Monitor, analyse and evaluate service performance using case management and other data sources.
• Contribute to development and review of policies and procedures.
• Promote and represent the service publicly, including engagement with media where appropriate.
• Support Service Manager with building management and maintenance.
• Deputise appropriately for Service Manager and Head of Service where appropriate/necessary
• Undertake other reasonable duties as requested, but which may not be specified within the job description.

Person Specification

Ideally all these requirements must be met by the candidate on appointment. However, in certain circumstances a candidate may be appointed who does not meet a particular requirement. This is providing that the shortfall can be made good in a reasonable time, and the candidate brings other skills, knowledge or experience which are valuable to the role and the organisation.

Qualifications & Training

• Essential
• GCSE English Literature or Language, grade C or above (or equivalent)
• Line Management Training or Qualification to ILM 3 or equivalent or willing to work towards
• Desirable
• Coaching Qualification.

Role related knowledge, skills and experience

• Ability to work effectively with people regardless of their ethnic, cultural, social backgrounds, their gender, age, religious belief, disability, and sexual orientation.
• Proven experience of line management and supervision
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to present information to a wide variety of audiences
• Proven ability to network and build professional relationships.
• Experience of working in the substance use field and of delivering harm reduction interventions and understand substance use treatment pathways
• The ability to compile, maintain and complete accurate written records, including data capture and the use of case management systems.
• Excellent literacy, numeracy, and ICT skills, with a close attention to detail.
• Experience and knowledge of trauma-informed approaches.
• Knowledge of Welsh Governments Delivery Plan
• Experience of co-production
• Experience of building management

Other Skills

• Flexibility to work at multiple locations and flexible working hours outside the normal working week
• Experience of managing relationships with commissioners, partner agencies and stakeholders on a day-to-day basis
• Excellent time management, prioritisation and organisation skills
• Ability to problem solve, work under own initiative and able to work under pressure.
• Commitment to WeBA values and mission.
• Full, current driving licence and use of a car which is insured for business use is an essential requirement of this role.
• Ability to communicate through the medium of Welsh.