At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and innovate in children's residential care, ensuring quality and compliance.
- Company: Essex County Council, a dynamic local authority committed to positive change.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working, and support for unpaid carers.
- Other info: Join a supportive team focused on collaboration and community impact.
- 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.
The predicted salary is between 78950 - 78950 £ per year.
Permanent, Full Time
69,241 to 78,950 per annum
Location: Chelmsford
Working Style: Fixed-base worker
Closing Date: 15th November 2026
Interview Date: 7th December 2026
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 maximise 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.
Skills and Knowledge
- 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.
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.
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 in London employer: Essex County Council
Essex County Council is an exceptional employer, offering a supportive and flexible work environment for Social Workers dedicated to making a difference in the lives of young people with disabilities. With a strong focus on employee wellbeing, innovative practices, and professional development, our team enjoys a nine-day working fortnight and numerous opportunities for growth within a dynamic local authority. Join us in Chelmsford, where your contributions will be valued, and together we can empower the next generation to thrive.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Service Manager, Children's Residential in London
✨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 Essex County Council.
✨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 Essex County Council!
✨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 Essex County Council, 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 Essex County Council 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 Service Manager, Children's Residential in London
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 Essex County Council:Before hitting send, make sure to tailor your application specifically to Essex County Council! 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 Essex County Council
✨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.
