Team Manager - Locality Team (Children's Social Care)

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About the Borough

The London Borough of Sutton is situated less than 30 minutes by train from Central London, with direct connections to London Victoria and London Bridge. Found in zone 5 with good transport links in and out of London, Sutton boasts award winning parks and open spaces, low crime rates, affordable housing, and great schools. As well as high levels of resident engagement and satisfaction, providing quality services and success in addressing our financial challenges, whilst involving residents in key issues and high street changes. Sutton is continuously investing in the health, wellbeing and education of our residents and the future generation, as set out in the "Ambitious for Sutton" corporate plan. We are home to the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research. Together with the development of the London Cancer Hub, Sutton will be the world's leading life‑science district, specialising in cancer research and treatment. Our vision will create around 13,000 jobs while contributing £1.2bn to the UK economy each year, a vibrant community of scientists, doctors and innovative companies intended to deliver real benefits for cancer patients and drive economic growth. With the regeneration of the local areas with new homes and schools, Sutton is passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living. The Council is seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment. As we strive to improve our services and spaces for our residents as set out in the 'Ambitious for Sutton' corporate plan, Sutton aims to shape the future of the borough and adapt to the needs of its residents to make our Borough a great place to live, work and raise a family.

About the Service and Team

Locality Teams offer a social work service to children and young people in the Borough who are living at home on plans under Section 17 or Section 47 of the Children Act 1989. This is achieved by working in partnership with relevant agencies, children and young people and their families. We provide a diverse and inclusive working environment that ensures manageable caseloads, regular supervision, daily management support and an abundance of learning and development opportunities for our Social Workers to grow and flourish. We have a creative and flexible approach to the working week which allows for both home and office working which promotes a work/life balance.

In addition: Sutton works with Kingston University and regional partners as part of the Developing Together Social Work Teaching Partnership (SWTP) to provide staff with a wide range of pre‑ and post‑qualifying education opportunities to promote continuous learning and development. Staff are given the opportunity to attend conferences, workshops and have access to research and practice resources to support their ongoing professional development. We encourage staff to support the practice education of Social Work students and those in the assessed and supported year in employment (ASYE). Sutton Council also has a number of staff network groups such as the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic +A Network, LGBTQ +A Network and Women's +A Network to ensure staff have a voice to drive positive change in the organisation.

About the Role and Our Ideal Candidate

Join Children Social Care as a Team Manager and receive a generous Welcome and Retention Bonus:

• £1000 paid in your first month salary
• £1000 paid at the end of your 1st completed year in service
• £2000 paid after your 2nd completed year in service
• £3000 paid in your 3rd completed year in service and every completed year thereafter.

Reporting to the Service Manager, we are looking for an experienced Team Manager to work in our Locality Teams. You will be responsible for the day to day running of a multidisciplinary team, providing direction and management oversight of Social Workers and supporting staff within Child Protection, Child in Need and Assessment and Referral services. Our objective is to ensure the children are at the centre of our recommendations and decision making. Your responsibilities will include:

• Managing a team of Social Workers and Specialist Support Workers, being responsible for case management decisions and compliance with practice standards, legal frameworks and policy.
• Work across partners in the Borough including health, education, voluntary sector and others to create joint up‑plans to support young people.
• Ensuring that your staff and the team of staff in which you are based are equipped with the knowledge, skills and support to undertake their role.

Team Managers work collaboratively and in partnership with other teams and organisations in health, education and legal services to ensure the best outcomes for the children and young people of the Borough. You will quality‑assure work through ensuring there are robust assessments, plans and outcomes for families and young people. Your experience and leadership is key to providing the necessary case direction to all staff members (including partner agencies) within the team. You will play a pivotal role in supporting staff to adopt creative and innovative approaches while effectively managing your own time to meet tight deadlines and demonstrate measurable outcomes. If you are a dedicated and experienced social care professional looking to take on a challenging yet rewarding leadership role, we encourage you to apply. This position presents an excellent opportunity for experienced senior social workers/assistant managers and team managers who have demonstrated strong management and leadership capabilities, ideally within a local authority setting. As a subject matter expert in social care, you will be expected to possess an in-depth knowledge of current legislation, regulations, and guidance that is relevant to social work practice.

Key competencies for the role include:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Social Work, with a preference for candidates holding a Master's degree and registration with Social Work England.
• Extensive post‑qualification practice experience, combined with strong leadership and managerial skills to effectively manage and motivate a multidisciplinary team of social care professionals.
• Significant knowledge of relevant legislation, including the Children's Act 1989 and Working Together Guidance 2023.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders and community partners to achieve shared objectives.

If you are passionate about making a meaningful impact in the lives of the children and families in our community, and thrive in a collaborative environment, we look forward to receiving your application.

For more information about the role and/or an informal conversation, view the Role Profile, contact Andrea Bryant, Head of Service: andrea.bryant@sutton.gov.uk or the Recruitment Team on recruitment@sutton.gov.uk.

Our Offer to You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we're committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We're constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team. Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work‑life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 26‑32 days plus bank holidays (pro‑rata if part‑time working hours apply) depending on service and grade.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave.
• Two volunteering days per year.
• Flexible Working – Smarter Working Scheme (dependent on the role).
• Adjustable and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks.
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses.
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres.
• Interest‑free season ticket loans.
• Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle‑to‑work scheme.
• Electric vehicle leasing scheme.
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support.

Application Process

Apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application and check your CV details have been uploaded correctly in the relevant sections. We understand and recognise the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and are embracing AI where appropriate, to boost our productivity and streamline how we deliver our Council services efficiently; to provide the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities. However, we reserve the right to reject applications where it is apparent that AI-generated content has been used in isolation and without personalised responses. At Sutton we value authenticity and are looking for individuals who can clearly demonstrate their own skills, experience and motivation for the role that they are applying for and embrace and demonstrate our PRIDE values. Here at Sutton we have core values of Transparency and this is to be demonstrated during the application process and completion of the supporting statement and will be further tested at interview and selection stage for those who progress forward. The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

As part of our award‑winning Diversity Programme we anonymise all applications received to reduce conscious and unconscious bias enabling every application to be reviewed on the knowledge, skills and experience shown in your application. We encourage our interview panels to be as diverse as possible (age, cultural, neurodiverse etc.) to reduce bias where possible. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.

Additional Information

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under‑represented groups. To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda. We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract. The UK has a points‑based immigration system affecting EU and Non‑EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case‑by‑case basis.

Salary range £49,056 – £57,402 per year.