Team Manager - Frontline

Team Manager – Frontline

About the role

Northamptonshire Children’s Trust (NCT) is seeking a Social Work Team Manager for our Frontline Hubs, with current Social Work England registration, Practice Educator PEP 2 or equivalent and previous leadership experience in a similar role and/or knowledge and experience of the Frontline Programme.

The Frontline Hubs are part of the Children’s Support and Safeguarding Service, and you will provide leadership to the hubs, which consists of a Consultant Social Worker (CSW) and up to 5 Frontline Participants (Social Work Students) in each hub. The hubs are in the West and North of the County, and you will be expected to travel efficiently across the county to fulfil your responsibilities.

As a Team Manager you will be responsible for allocating and prioritising workloads effectively to ensure the care of the child is paramount. Additionally, you will focus on developing your teams to deliver an efficient and effective service.

You will play a pivotal role in enhancing practices within the Children’s Support and Safeguarding Service and contribute to staff development by supporting your peers with tasks related to the Team Manager role.

This will require close collaboration with teams across the service, the Social Work Academy, and the Learning and Development team. Additionally, you will support your peers in the Children's Support and Safeguarding Service

The right candidate will have responsibility for the team plan to meet objectives and ensure performance targets are achieved.

What will you be doing?

Northamptonshire’s Children’s Trust’s Frontline Hubs consist of Social Work participants who undertake a year-long placement within NCT. Following this placement, they progress into their ASYE year within the academy and designated safeguarding teams.

You will provide opportunities for students to learn and develop the skills needed to become qualified social workers. They will study while working within a social work team, combining theory with practical experience to develop essential skills for excellent social work. Applying both Systemic Approach and Signs of Safety, you will work closely with NCT’s Social Work Academy and the Learning and development team, and you will support your Hubs as they progress through their year in placement and into the Academy as ASYE’s.

The CSW’s case hold, and the participants are linked as co-workers, they complete work with children who are subject to child-in-need, children in need of protection, care experienced children and at times children subject to Public Law Outline/Initial Care Proceedings. They also support multi-agency practice in completing pre-birth and parenting assessments and work with adolescents focusing on contextualised safeguarding. As the Team Manager you will be supporting your CSW’s with the Practice Educator role to ensure the participants are adhering to the Frontline Programme and requirements.

Utilising a relationship-based approach, where the young person is at the heart of everything we do, the service will undertake assessments, both statutory and non-statutory, and will focus on intensive, direct work to meet complex needs and manage associated risks. Some packages of support will be led by social workers, others by lead professionals from across the service, including our Children and Families Support Services partners.

The service aims for young people to achieve positive outcomes by ensuring they are safe, adequately housed, and supported (preferably with their families). It also focuses on their physical and emotional health, and their success in education, training, or employment.

About you

The right candidate will be a qualified Social Worker, with current Social Work England registration, and ideally with a Level 5 NVQ Management qualification, or equivalent relevant experience. You will have your Practice Educator Professional Standards level 2 or equivalent and have knowledge or experience of the Frontline programme and a passion to support students on their development to becoming qualified Social Workers.

You will have knowledge or experience of Systemic approach and signs of safety or be prepared to undertake the relevant training.

You will have the ability to manage a team and ensure development and performance issues are addressed though support and coaching.

You will have previous budgetary control experience, ICT skills and the ability to represent the service at a more senior management level if required.

Closing date of this advert will be Friday 28th February 2025

Interviews will be held on Friday 14th March 2025

Please contact Beth Pacey – Service Manager, for any further discussion or information about the role , email –

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate. It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Barred List check

Our benefits

We are committed to continuous improvement, building a skilled, knowledgeable, and flexible workforce alongside promoting innovation and creativity whilst keeping children, young people and families at the heart of all we do.

We really value our workforce and offer you a great benefits package including:

• SWE Registration paid yearly (social care colleagues)

• Recruitment Welcome Bonus of £2,200

• Relocation costs of up to £8,000

• Retention bonus payments for established personnel

• 28 days annual leave, plus 8 Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time) and an additional 5 days, after 5 years

• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.

• Opportunity to purchase up to 25 days annual leave

• Employee Assistance Programme – We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.

• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.

• Flexible and family working arrangements including enhanced maternity benefits

• A permanent, supportive and inclusive management team where you will be empowered to make good professional decisions

• Extensive Learning & Development and career development opportunities

• Subsidised town centre car parking scheme

About us

At Northamptonshire Children’s Trust, children, young people and families are at the heart of all we do – in every decision we make and every action we take. Our mission is driven by the unwavering commitment to achieving the best outcomes for them. The Trust is wholly owned and funded but operationally independent from the Councils.

Our workforce are our most valuable asset and are pivotal to making the services and support we offer to children, young people and families who need us to be the absolute best we can be.

We value our colleagues and empower them to be able to do the best job of their lives every single day, working in a culture of support and kindness where achievements are celebrated and creativity is very much welcomed.

At NCT equality, diversity and inclusion are part of us and in everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and thrive in our organisation. We are a disability confident employer and have a commitment to care leavers who we guarantee an interview if they meet the essential criteria.

Join our dedicated team and be a part of an organisation where your work makes a real difference.

Attached documents

• Job Description