At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a team of Family Court Advisers to safeguard children's welfare and promote best practices.
- Company: Join a diverse and inclusive organisation dedicated to supporting children and families.
- Benefits: Enjoy extensive wellbeing support, hybrid working, and excellent benefits.
- Other info: Flexible working environment with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in children's lives while developing your leadership skills.
- Qualifications: Registered with Social Work England, with experience in supervising or mentoring social workers.
The predicted salary is between 37338 - 44962 £ per year.
We are recruiting for the role of Assistant Service Manager in our Public and Private, Work After First Hearing team, covering the Greater Manchester area. We are recruiting for 1 Permanent Role and 2 x12 Months Secondment roles.
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. Whilst this role is part of a team based from our office in Manchester, our teams work flexibly and remotely; your proximity to the office doesn't always have to be a critical consideration.
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 that 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.
Being an Assistant Service Manager is very rewarding but, as you would expect, challenging too. You will manage a team of Family Court Advisers and have a good understanding of what good looks like in Public and Private law cases. Through your own practice and reflective/case supervision of colleagues, you will consistently reflect and champion the values and core practice of our practice framework, 'Together with Children and Families'.
As an Assistant Service Manager, it is your duty to safeguard and protect the welfare of children, and the support you provide to colleagues to achieve the same standards of safeguarding practice. Providing high-quality reflective case supervision, you will be accountable for your own practice and for the quality and impact of the practice quality standards of the Family Court Advisers you directly manage.
As well as being registered with Social Work England, you'll be organised, resilient, and have some experience of supervising, coaching, or mentoring social workers. You will promote resilience and wellbeing at work, maintaining morale and be confident in managing employees with a wide range of professional experience. You will be a good communicator both orally and in writing, with emotional intelligence, at all levels and especially when interacting with children.
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.
Closing date: 9th August 2026
Initial Interview: 13th August 2026
Final Interview: 25th & 26th August 2026
We understand you may benefit from finding out more to help you decide to apply. There is a lot of information available at Cafcass Careers but if there is something else you need to find out more about, you can either contact Narinder Kaur from our HR Resourcing team if your query is to do with the recruitment process or is HR-related, or you can contact the hiring manager, Jenna Avison, Service Manager if your questions relate more to the role, providing your contact information and best times/methods to get hold of you.
Whilst we will always try and respond as soon as possible, 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.
Assistant Service Manager in Manchester employer: Cafcass
As a leading organisation in the Hampshire & Dorset area, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that values diversity and inclusion, ensuring every team member feels supported and empowered. Our commitment to professional growth is reflected in our extensive wellbeing support and excellent benefits package, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and high-quality service delivery for children and families. Join us to make a meaningful impact while enjoying a collaborative and inspiring work environment.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Assistant Service Manager in Manchester
✨Dive into Local Community Groups
Social work thrives on community connections, so get involved in local groups or forums specific to your interests. Whether it’s volunteering at local shelters or joining community action boards, these are great ways to boost your visibility and make direct contacts that could lead to opportunities like the one at Cafcass.
✨Attend Social Work Events and Workshops
Keep an eye out for workshops, seminars, or conferences in social work. These events are fantastic for meeting professionals in the field, learning about emerging trends, and spotting job openings. Plus, you might just bump into someone from Cafcass!
✨Showcase Your Passion and Expertise
Use platforms like Instagram or LinkedIn to share your journey and insights into the social work sector. Whether it’s writing about your experiences or sharing relevant articles, this helps to establish you as an engaged professional. Potential employers, like Cafcass, will notice your enthusiasm!
✨Leverage Your Network
Don’t hesitate to reach out to professors, mentors, or even past colleagues who are in social work. They might have inside knowledge about openings at Cafcass or be able to connect you with someone who’s hiring. Networking is key, especially in a full-time role where relationships matter.
We think you need these skills to ace Assistant Service Manager in Manchester
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Social Work:In your cover letter, let us see your passion for social work shine through! Talk about the experiences that made you want to pursue this career—whether it’s volunteering, personal experiences, or academic projects. We want to know why this field matters to you.
Emphasise Relevant Qualifications:Make sure your CV highlights any relevant qualifications, like degrees in social work or certifications like a DBS check. If you've done any workshops or training, don’t forget to include those as well. We're keen to see your commitment to your professional development!
Detail Your Experience with Clients:Since this is a hands-on field, detailing any direct experience you have with clients is crucial. Whether it's internships, volunteer roles, or previous jobs, highlight those experiences in your CV to show us you've got the practical skills necessary for the job!
Tailor Your Application to Cafcass:Before hitting send, make sure to tailor your application specifically to Cafcass! Research our mission and values, and refer to them in your cover letter. This shows us that you understand our work and are genuinely interested in being a part of our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Cafcass
✨Understanding the Role of Empathy
In social work, understanding and demonstrating empathy is key. Be prepared to share personal experiences or scenarios where you effectively showed compassion and support. This helps show that you genuinely care about the well-being of others, which is crucial in social work.
✨Demonstrating Knowledge of Frameworks
Familiarise yourself with the frameworks and models used in social work, such as the Strengths-Based Approach or the Ecological Perspective. Be ready to discuss how these frameworks apply to your work, especially if you can tie them into real-world examples or case studies you've encountered.
✨Showcasing Your Multi-Disciplinary Skills
In a full-time social work role, you'll often collaborate with healthcare professionals, educators, and law enforcement. Be prepared to describe your teamwork experiences and how you've effectively communicated with other disciplines to achieve the best outcomes for clients.
✨Preparing for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that put you in hypothetical social work situations, such as dealing with a crisis or managing a complex case. Think through your thought process for these scenarios beforehand, considering how you'd assess the situation and what steps you'd take, as this demonstrates your critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
