Assistant Team Manager - Integrated Referral Team in Gateshead

Salary £46,142 - £49,282 + 15% Recruitment and Retention allowance.

Who we are & what we stand for

Do you want to help make Gateshead a place where everyone thrives? If that sounds like you, keep reading – we might be the perfect match. We’re delighted that you’re interested in working with us. You’d be joining us at a very exciting time. We pride ourselves on our ambitious and forward‑thinking approach to taking care of Gateshead and its people, and we passionately believe that our employees reflect that spirit in truly enabling Gateshead to thrive.

At Gateshead Council you’ll be a highly valued member of a team that recognises and respects the skills that you bring to your role, encourages creativity and passionately advocates a great work/life balance. With flexi‑time and hybrid working available across many of our roles, and a full suite of outstanding employee benefits, we’re confident that it isn’t just the salary that attracts our staff.

Our Children’s Social Care team works to provide and further develop services to children and families across Gateshead to offer a focused and joined‑up approach and give young people the best possible start in life. This is important work and includes an excellent early help and prevention service, assessment, intervention and safeguarding supporting children and their families, services for children in and having experienced our care, our fostering, residential and adoption services, support for vulnerable adolescents & those with disabilities and many more. It can be challenging but very rewarding work, as we passionately pursue our goal of helping Gateshead children to thrive.

Leading practice at the front door of Children’s Social Care

The Integrated Referral Team (IRT) is the statutory front door to Children’s Social Care, responsible for receiving, screening and responding to all contacts and referrals concerning the welfare and safety of children. The service works at pace to analyse risk, apply thresholds consistently and make timely, proportionate decisions to ensure that children receive the right level of support at the right time. The IRT works closely with partner agencies to promote high‑quality referrals, share information effectively and coordinate safeguarding responses, including immediate intervention where children may be at risk of significant harm. The service is currently evolving, with ongoing development of the front door and a planned move towards a full Multi‑Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) model in the near future, further strengthening partnership working and information‑sharing at the point of contact. Through strong professional judgement and collaborative working, the team plays a critical role in protecting children and setting the foundation for effective longer‑term support. We’re proud to be rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted, and we’re on an ambitious journey to become ‘Outstanding’.

Where your judgement, leadership and values make the difference

As Assistant Team Manager within the Integrated Referral Team, you will play a pivotal role at the front door of Children’s Social Care. Working closely with the Senior Practice Supervisor, you will support the safe, timely and high‑quality screening of contacts and referrals, ensuring robust decision‑making and effective safeguarding responses. This is a developmental leadership role, ideal for an experienced social worker ready to take the next step into management, offering the opportunity to influence practice, support staff and help shape a responsive and child‑centred service.

What you will get to do

• Support the Senior Practice Supervisor in the operational management of an Integrated Referral Team, ensuring timely and effective screening, decision‑making and safeguarding responses for children and families.
• Oversee and scrutinise practice and performance, identifying strengths and implementing timely improvements to achieve better outcomes for children and to prepare the service for inspection.
• Line manage and supervise Social Workers, providing high‑quality reflective supervision, professional consultation and support to promote excellent social work practice.
• Lead and develop practice, supporting individuals and the team to build skills, confidence and professional judgement, and creating a culture of learning, accountability and improvement.
• Manage complex decision making, including chairing planning and strategy meetings and ensuring safe, proportionate and legally‑sound responses.
• Work effectively with partner agencies, promoting high‑quality referrals, shared responsibility and coordinated multi‑agency responses.
• Contribute to service development and transformation, including policy, procedure and service redesign, and deputise for the Senior Practice Supervisor as required.
• Maintain your professional development and Social Work England registration, modelling evidence‑based and child‑centred practice at all times.

What you will bring

• A recognised Social Work qualification and Social Work England Registration.
• Substantial statutory children’s social work experience, including child protection, looked after children, complex assessments, risk analysis, care planning and achieving change with families.
• Experience of supervising, developing and performance‑managing Social Workers or students, including addressing practice or performance concerns.
• Strong knowledge of legislation, statutory guidance and child development, alongside a clear understanding of safeguarding, multi‑agency responsibilities and the impact of psycho‑social and economic factors on families.
• Advanced practice and leadership skills, including reflective supervision, systemic thinking, hypothesising, evidence‑based decision making and the ability to influence and improve the practice of others.
• Excellent communication and decision‑making skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly in writing and verbally, and to chair meetings effectively.
• Personal resilience and professional integrity, demonstrating empathy, emotional intelligence, ethical practice, accountability, decisiveness, creativity and a solution‑focused approach under pressure.
• A full driving licence and access to a car or mobility support to work flexibly across Gateshead.

If Successful you will have to apply for an enhanced Disclosure.

What’s in it for you

• Competitive Salary: We offer fair and transparent pay that reflects your skills and experience.
• Outstanding Pension Scheme: We invest in your future through the Local Government Pension scheme.
• Generous Annual Leave: 28 days of annual leave, rising to 32 days after 5 years (2 of which can be fixed by the Council), plus the option to buy up to 10 extra days.
• Flexible Working Hours: Benefit from up to 26 flexi days per year (subject to business needs).
• Hybrid & Flexible Working: Support for a healthy work‑life balance with flexible and hybrid working options.
• Learning & Development: Access a wide range of training, development and progression opportunities.
• Health & Wellbeing Support: From discounted gym memberships through our partner GLL to mental health resources, we care about your wellbeing.
• Cycle to Work Scheme: Save money and stay active with our tax‑efficient cycle to work programme.
• Electric & Hybrid Car Scheme: Get behind the wheel of a brand‑new electric or hybrid vehicle through our salary sacrifice car scheme.
• Exclusive Discounts & Salary Sacrifice: Enjoy discounts on shopping, travel and services with the VIVUP employee benefits platform.

Everyone's welcome here

We’re an equal opportunities employer and aim to have a culture and a workplace where our people feel a sense of belonging, are respected and empowered to do their best work. At Gateshead Council we embrace, welcome and demonstrate equality for all. We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

Ready to join us? Here’s how

If this sounds like the right opportunity for you, we’d love to hear from you. You can apply online by pressing the “Apply now” button. Within the form, you’ll be asked for details about you, your career history, skills, experiences and qualifications. We advise you to be as detailed and specific as possible, paying particular attention to any of the above which are relevant to the role to which you are applying. If you have any questions about your application, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our recruitment team via recruitment@gateshead.gov.uk.

Please note

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. However, in high‑volume recruitment situations, it may not always be practicable to interview every eligible candidate. In such cases, we may need to prioritise those who best meet the essential criteria, based on the information provided in the application. Additionally, the Council reserves the right to close this vacancy early or adjust the shortlisting criteria, including the pass mark for interview selection, to ensure a fair and manageable recruitment process. We encourage early applications.