Team Manager (Children's) - Social Workers in Secondary Schools (SWISS)

Town Hall
160 Whitechapel Road
LONDON
E1 1BJ

Team Manager (Children’s) – Social Workers in Secondary Schools (SWISS)

Role: Team Manager – Social Workers in Secondary Schools Service (SWISS)

Contract: Permanent

Location: Town Hall, 106 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1BJ

About Us :

We believe that the best place for children is to be raised within their own families, immediate or wider, wherever it is safe and appropriate to do so. In Tower Hamlets we are committed to building relationships and strengthening families by working with people in a compassionate and understanding way. We are ambitious for Tower Hamlets children and families and endeavour for every child and young person to be healthy, safe and successful.

Tower Hamlets is a progressive, ambitious and diverse place to work. We place children and families at the heart of everything that we do and are relentless in our pursuit of positive outcomes for all.

Our Better Together Practice Framework is based on the ideas and concepts which underpin Restorative Practice and draws from other strength-based approaches, such as Systemic and Trauma Informed Practice. Our C-Change approach: Connect, Curious, Community, Co-Produce, Collaborate, Check back, sets out “6 Cs” for our work with children, young people, their parents and carers, and each other.

Team Managers are integral to our offer. They empower, provide high support and high challenge along with motivating our social workers so we can collectively achieve best outcomes for children, young people and their families in the Borough.

The Role :

We are recruiting a Team Manager for our Social Workers in Secondary Schools Service in the Supporting Families Division. The Team will be based primarily in the Early Help Service.

Our Social Workers in Secondary Schools Service consists of up to 8 Social Workers, and as the Team Manager you will be responsible for leading Social Workers in your team holding primarily Early Help and Child in Need, and occasionally Child Protection and Children in Care cases on a temporary basis. You will ensure that the team is supported, and all interventions being undertaken are planned, purposeful and focused, fundamentally making sure that risk is managed well, and intervention is only undertaken when it is in the child’s best interests. You will work with the relevant schools, partner agencies and represent the Council at a range of meetings and reviews as required. You will ensure effective statutory intervention as well as engage in preventative work within the remits of this service.

Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership and management of the team ensuring there is a clear focus on purpose and outcomes.
• Ensure the team achieves the required outcomes, including a strong focus on children and families, to include the ongoing identification of the needs of the client group.
• Achieve positive outcomes for children within the social care system, ensuring that children are safeguarded through effective decision making and practice.
• Ensure social work intervention in the lives of children and families is of a consistently high standard and meets the needs of Tower Hamlets diverse communities.

About You:

• Have good knowledge and understanding of child protection practices as well as early help intervention.
• Provide direct line management and supervision to practitioners including ASYEs who work with children and young people under statutory obligations and early help framework.
• Manage and lead staff to achieve high performance and effective operational delivery, including developing and improving staff capability.
• Be responsible for and report upon the team’s budgetary position, ensuring effective use of resources.
• Establish and maintain positive relationships with key partner agencies in order to develop and support children and families who are in need.
• Support children to achieve permanency when children become looked after.
• Commitment to your own personal development and professional growth.

Requirements:

• Working knowledge of the legislative framework within which Social Care operates, inclusive of regulation, national guidance and procedures specific to this post.
• Thorough understanding of quality assurance and ability to integrate this understanding into practice.
• A nationally recognised or other Social Work England recognised social work qualification and valid registration with Social Work England.
• Social work experience and experience of supervising/mentoring others.
• A commitment to working transparently; in partnership with children, young people, families, and partner agencies.

See JD for full details

Our Offer:

• A competitive salary – £56,733 – 59,772 Up to 31 days annual leave rising to 32 days with 5 years continual service and 8 bank holidays.
• Opportunities to develop your practice, with a clear framework for career development/leadership programme.
• Manageable caseloads for your team.
• Enhanced sick pay scheme, maternity/adoption leave pay and maternity support leave.
• Opportunities for agile/flexible working.
• Cycle to work scheme/ Rent deposit scheme/Access to free eye tests.
• Discounted gym/Costco membership & You at Work discounts and many others.

We have fantastic transport links – Tower Hamlets Town Hall is directly opposite Whitechapel Station. Whitechapel is an important interchange station served by Elizabeth Line, Hammersmith & City Line, District Line, Windrush Line, and with quick access to Central line, DLR and Jubilee lines.

How to Apply:

Please complete our online application form.

Closing date : 19th January 2025

Shortlisting : 20th January 2025

Interviews : 30th January 2025 (please hold this date).

Tower Hamlets vision for our borough is that: people are aspirational, independent and have equal access to opportunities; we are a borough that our residents are proud of and love to live in; and we are a dynamic, outcomes-based council using digital innovation and partnership working to respond to the changing needs of our borough. We want people who aspire to our TOWER values: Together; Open; Willing; Excellent; Respect.

Tower Hamlets has a zero-tolerance approach to, and works to eradicate, all forms of discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status, status as a civil partner, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and maternity and looks to employ a diverse workforce representative of those groups. We recognise that people can also be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class.

We are a Disability Confident Employer, which means applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the post are guaranteed an interview. Care experience has also been adopted by the Council as an additional protected characteristic.

We welcome applicants interested in flexible working arrangements and also applicants who live in the borough.

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

Tower Hamlets Councils are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

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