At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and innovate in children's residential care, ensuring quality and compliance.
- Company: Join Essex County Council, a dynamic local authority committed to community welfare.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working, and support for professional development.
- Other info: Opportunity for career growth in a supportive and collaborative environment.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in children's lives while developing your leadership skills.
- Qualifications: Social work qualification and significant experience in social care required.
The predicted salary is between 69241 - 78950 € per year.
This role will require some out of hours on-call responsibility. There will be an 8% on-call allowance applied and paid, in addition to the annual salary.
Children and Families is recognised as a service in which social work can develop and prosper, with a culture of collaboration, integrity, and compassion; promoting development and wellbeing of children, young people and their families; protecting them from neglect and abuse. Working together with partners delivering a range of early help, family support and effective social work interventions which build resilience, remove barriers and enable children and young people to look forward to a brighter future.
Service Managers are accountable for performance and delivery of a lead service area. This leader will have extensive social care experience; an understanding of current issues and the ability to ensure the innovative use of resources to improve productivity and quality outcomes. Contributing to the development of policy and strategy, this leader will build strong, credible working relationships with internal and external partners, driving and shaping service improvements.
This is a specialist role within the area of children in care placement services - specifically the delivery, commissioning and quality assurance of children's residential care. The postholder will be able to deliver the objectives of the job within these specialist areas.
Roles at this level will be focused on delivering results in a specific functional area. They will hold expertise on the application of policy and improvement of service delivery. These roles have clear team budgets and targets set within the overall service requirements.
Accountabilities- Children's Residential Care
- Integrated Working: Develop local approaches with partners and agencies for effective service delivery.
- Change Management: Promote new ways of working in complex environments.
- Vision & Values: Implement Children & Families' vision to support early life success.
- Stakeholder Collaboration: Work with external partners to innovate and maximize opportunities.
- Compliance: Ensure adherence to regulations and maintain links with governance bodies.
- Budget Management: Deliver services within budget, highlighting risks and contract issues.
- Business Continuity & Safety: Lead on continuity and health and safety, updating plans and policies.
- Cost-Effective Solutions: Collaborate to ensure quality, cost-effective solutions.
- Performance Targets: Define and achieve annual targets and objectives.
The Experience You Will Bring
- Recognised social work qualification (Diploma, degree, Master's, CQSW, CSS) with Social Work England registration (SWE).
- Ongoing professional development aligned with competency frameworks or Knowledge and Skills Statements.
- Collaborative work with internal and external partners, demonstrating broad thinking across social care and the wider system.
- Significant social care experience with an understanding of current issues and local delivery implications.
- Strong leadership and behavioural skills to build a high-performing, motivated team.
- Experience managing change in rapidly evolving, ambiguous environments with conflicting priorities.
- Proven influencing skills to lead and deliver cultural change for service quality improvement.
- Experience of working and/or managing within the children's residential care sector.
The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.
Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We're committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We're also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.
Once you've secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.
At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.
As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained.
Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
Service Manager - Children's Residential Care, Chelmsford employer: Essex County Council
Essex County Council is an exceptional employer, offering a supportive and collaborative work culture that prioritises the development and wellbeing of children and families. With a commitment to innovation and flexible working arrangements, employees are empowered to grow professionally while making a meaningful impact in the community. The council's recognition as a Disability Confident Leader and its focus on ethical behaviour further enhance its reputation as a desirable workplace for those seeking rewarding careers in social care.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Service Manager - Children's Residential Care, Chelmsford
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the social care sector, especially those who have experience with children's residential care. A friendly chat can lead to insider info about job openings or even a referral.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the latest trends and challenges in children's residential care. Show that you’re not just passionate but also knowledgeable about the field. This will impress interviewers and set you apart from the competition.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your leadership stories! Think of specific examples where you've led teams or managed change effectively. Being able to articulate these experiences will demonstrate your capability as a Service Manager.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search!
We think you need these skills to ace Service Manager - Children's Residential Care, Chelmsford
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your application to highlight how your experience aligns with the specific requirements of the Service Manager role. Use keywords from the job description to show that you understand what we're looking for.
Showcase Your Experience:Don’t just list your qualifications; share specific examples of your past work in social care, especially in children's residential care. We want to see how you've made a difference in similar roles!
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use clear language and avoid jargon. We appreciate a well-structured application that’s easy to read and gets straight to the heart of your skills and experiences.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to submit your application through our website. It’s the best way to ensure it reaches us directly and allows you to keep track of your application status easily. Plus, we love seeing applications come through our platform!
How to prepare for a job interview at Essex County Council
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you’re well-versed in the current issues surrounding children's residential care. Brush up on relevant policies and frameworks, as well as the specific challenges faced in this sector. This will show your potential employer that you’re not just interested in the role, but that you’re also knowledgeable about the field.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Service Manager, strong leadership is key. Prepare examples of how you've successfully led teams or managed change in previous roles. Think about times when you’ve motivated others or driven service improvements, and be ready to discuss these experiences during the interview.
✨Build Connections
This role involves collaboration with various partners. Be prepared to talk about your experience working with external agencies and how you’ve built strong relationships in the past. Highlight any successful partnerships that have led to improved outcomes for children and families.
✨Be Ready for Scenario Questions
Expect to face scenario-based questions that assess your problem-solving skills and ability to handle complex situations. Think through potential challenges you might encounter in the role and how you would address them. This will demonstrate your critical thinking and readiness for the responsibilities ahead.
