Service Manager in Manchester

We are recruiting for the role of Service Manager in our Public and Private Law team(s) covering the Greater Manchester area. 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 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 explaining 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.

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

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: 15th March

Initial Interview: 20th March

Final Interview: 1st April

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, please contact Naomi Ferguson, Head of Practice.

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.