Service Manager in Guildford

We are recruiting for the role of Service Manager in our Work After First Hearing team managing Social Workers, (known as Family Court Advisors in CAFCASS) working with children involved in Public and Private Law proceedings. Whilst our contractual work base is in Brighton, we cover Surrey and Sussex children and families. We have offices available for use in Brighton, Crawley and Guildford for your ease and flexibility. Whilst this role is part of a team based in our office in Brighton, our teams work flexibly and remotely, therefore, your proximity to the office doesn’t always have to be a critical consideration.

We trust and empower colleagues to work in a hybrid way, providing the resources, equipment, and support, so that individually and collectively, we can be the voice of children and young people when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures. We are a diverse, inclusive organisation that is a safe space for colleagues with shared aspects of identity and lived experience, which helps ensure we provide a service which promotes the diversity and uniqueness of children and families from all backgrounds. We especially welcome applications from people from diverse backgrounds as we strive to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity of the children and families we work with.

We provide extensive wellbeing support for colleagues, as well as excellent benefits, all of which we hope encourages you to join us. Let us tell you a bit more about the role… Being a Service Manager is very rewarding but as you would expect, challenging too. As well as being registered with Social Work England, you’ll be organised, resilient, empathetic, supportive and able to work independently.

In Work After First Hearing teams, Family Court Advisers - which is what we call our Social Workers - typically have a mixed Public and Private Law caseload. In Public Law this will include them telling the court about the child’s journey and experiences and explain their wishes and feelings, while also carrying out independent enquiries, scrutinising the work of the Local Authority and representing the child in court, alongside their appointed solicitor. This is predominantly achieved through effective telephone interviews with applicants and respondents and by assessing information received from other agencies. They then collate this and succinctly and expertly communicate advice in the court through clear, evidence-based reports and representations, which will occasionally mean attending initial Court Hearings to ensure that children remain central to all decision making.

And What We’re Looking For:

• Expert knowledge of children’s social work, including safeguarding, statutory and assessment frameworks
• A track record of highly effective practice management or supervisory experience
• Demonstrable experience of being a practice educator with the skills to continuously monitor, manage, develop and improve team and individual performance
• Proven ability to establish strong and effective networks with other agencies
• Experience of leading individuals and teams through change, whilst contributing to a positive and supportive culture

Next steps / timelines:

If and when you are ready to apply, our application process is straightforward and quick to complete. You don’t need to complete your application in a single visit, you can start it and come back and amend your responses / update your CV, just make sure you come back before the closing date to submit.

Below we have given you an indication of a timetable we are hoping to work towards, although dates are subject to change:

• Closing Date: 28th August 2026
• Telephone Interview: 3rd & 4th September 2026
• Final Interview: 11th September 2026

We understand that starting a new role is a big decision, and you may require further information before applying. You can find out more about the role in the Job Description and there is a wealth of information about Cafcass on our Cafcass Careers page. If you wish to speak with a member of the team for more specific information you can contact Upekha Welivita - Upekha.Welivita@Cafcass.gov.uk from our HR Resourcing team, providing your contact information and best times / methods to get hold of you.

If your queries in relation to the role, you can contact Hari Michael, Head of Practice - Hari.Michael@cafcass.gov.uk. Whilst we will always try and respond a.s.a.p. we wouldn’t want you to miss the closing date before we are able to. If this is the case, we recommend you apply and as part of your application you can ask questions, and this may allow us to contact you and provide you with the required information that will help you decide if you still wish to be considered.

Finally, in anticipation of your application being successful, you might want to read about the offer and pre-employment checks process. As part of your application you can highlight any concerns or questions about the pre-employment checks and we encourage all applicants to do so, safe in the knowledge such information will not be shared with individuals involved in the selection process.

We look forward to hearing from you. Please be advised successful applicants will be subject to a range of pre-engagement checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS). In accordance with the DBS code of practice and our own policy, should an individual have a declared criminal offence an individual assessment will be completed. Further information on what the assessment covers can be found by viewing the Cafcass DBS policy.