Team Manager - REQ003979

INTERNAL ONLY VACANCY. This post is open to existing Leeds City Council employees only. Applications will not be considered from external candidates.

Job title: Team Manager

Salary: PO6 £51,356 - £54,495

Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract: Temporary

Location: Merrion House

** Internal Applications Only **

Leeds is a big city with big ambitions. As Child Friendly Leeds, our vision is for Leeds to be the best city for children and young people to grow up in. Through our vision and obsessions, we invest in children and young people to help build an increasingly prosperous and successful city. We aim to improve outcomes for all our children whilst recognising the need for outcomes to improve faster for children and young people from vulnerable and deprived backgrounds.

Children’s social work in Leeds is underpinned by a culture of restorative practice and the use of family decision making. For this role you will have a working knowledge of safeguarding children and young people including the legal context, and an excellent working knowledge of children’s social work procedures. You will be committed to applying this knowledge and experience to working in close partnership with services across the city, assisting with learning and development of best practice and fulfilling performance.

About the role

The Capacity and Change Team are seeking to appoint a temporary Team Manager for a period of 18 months. In this role you will be responsible for working alongside the Practice Improvement & Development Manager to develop and implement case management system transformation (Group Working and One Plan developments) and have oversight of quality assurance activity across services in Children and Families. Furthermore, you will assist in embedding best social work practice, and support inspection preparation.

We need someone who is passionate about Mosaic redesign and assisting with building a culture of change. The individual should also have an embedded knowledge of quality assurance processes, learning and best practice.

You will need to be a strong communicator, an ability to think and act strategically and excellent organisational skills to manage the fast-paced work. You will be able to work under your own initiative and to ensure that processes and procedures are followed. You will be highly professional, with a comprehensive understanding of social work practices in many different areas and also have a keen eye for development. You will have experience of working across services, working in collaboration and partnership.

This is a hybrid role which involves a balance of home and office-based working.

You will hold a social work qualification and have current registration with Social Work England. This role also requires relevant post-qualifying experience in safeguarding, and you must also have the right to live and work in the UK.

We value diversity and inclusion within the workforce and actively encourage applications from individuals from all backgrounds.

How to apply

**For internal applications only**

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidance for further advice on completing your application.

For an informal discussion, please contact Amy Walker (amy.walker@leeds.gov.uk) , Service Delivery Manager for Capacity and Change.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s or Adults’ barred list as applicable will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visaroute before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job Purpose: The role of the Team Manager is to lead, motivate and direct a team of professional social work staff to deliver a high standard of social work, which places the child at the centre and ensure that statutory duties and responsibilities of the Local Authority are being met. To be the key contact and advisor on safeguarding at a local level.

The role will work as part of a team within a health and social care setting, maintaining effective relationships with other colleagues, Elected Members, service users, families, carers, and other agencies. The post will initially be based community based. However, the post holder may be required as part of their duties to work in other locations throughout the city to effectively deliver their duties.

Responsibilities

Direct, manage and motivate a locally or service based social work team, including managing caseload levels through appropriately allocated, planned, and supervised work. This will be critically evaluated and reviewed, monitoring performance within statutory timescales ensuing regulatory compliance and high-quality service delivery outcomes.
Assist in the development and promotion of services and practice improvements which are designed to mitigate risk and provide qualitative improvement to the outcomes for children.
Act as an exemplar in knowledge of social care legal and guidance requirements, policy, procedures, and practice standards.
Ensure that formal processes, for example proceedings in the child and family courts or Fostering and Adoption panel processes are instigated and managed appropriately in line with the best interests of the child.
Provide leadership on safeguarding with the requirements of Children Act 1989 & 2004, Working Together 2023 and any subsequent legal version updates to ensure a child friendly and child focused approach.
Ensure that your team culture adopts an anti-racist and anti-discriminatory approach, developing and embedding anti-racist practice and in your role leading and committing to achieving an anti-racist organisation
Ensure services meet regulatory requirements as required.
Act as key contact and provide advice to local professionals, families, elected members and other agencies on child protection law and proceedings.
Lead on liaison with Police, health and education colleagues in agreeing and applying procedures for action where children may be at risk.
Provide regular reflective supervision and appraisal to staff members maintaining supervision and appraisal records using the appropriate documentation and associated guidance.
Provide appropriate support and mentoring to newly qualified social workers ensuring they have a clear understanding of the expectations of the role and receive appropriate development opportunities.
Actively promote the effective use of resources and to manage appropriate financial resources within available budgets and within Council Financial Procedures.
Instigate and manage quality assurance activity in accordance with practice standards including, for example Case File Audits; ensure that improvements and corrective actions are highlighted and implemented in a timely manner.
Ensure all case recording meets practice standard guidance in respect of timeliness and quality.
Promote and instigate appropriate use of information technology, processes, and systems in service delivery, maintaining records and management information to ensure efficient and effective service delivery.
Manage and deal with complaints in the most efficient and effective manner whilst following any statutory guidance around time frames.
Resolve complex and extremely challenging situations through using the principles of restorative practice.
Proactively manage performance of the team across a range of agreed indicators, prepare appropriate reports and undertake management actions to improve performance as necessary.
Deal with all staff management issues promptly including recruitment & selection, probation of new employees, attendance management, staff supervision, performance, grievance, or disciplinary issues.
Undertake quality assurance of all reports to formal panels e.g., Adoption Panel, Child Protection Conferences, Family Court Hearings and Fostering Panels.
Contribute to developing and improving Children’s Services using a creative and innovative approach to service/partnership development and delivery, taking a lead where required.
Develop and produce team and area plans on an annual basis to ensure delivery of a professional child friendly and child focussed service which delivers in line with CYPSC Service plans and Service Improvement Plans and to take a lead on Service Development where appropriate.
Ensure all Team Plans include clear expectations for the year and set achievable targets which are monitored and reviewed at regular intervals.
Be a visible member of an integrated management team at cluster / area or City Wide level as appropriate and contribute to departmental, multi-agency Regional and National working groups as required.
Actively promote and deliver partnership working through integrated practice for effective service delivery, ensuring compliance with joint protocols and provide specialist advice as appropriate to partner agencies and integrated services.
Liaise and negotiate with other professional groups and agencies involved with families, children and young people and represent Children’s Services at key professional forums.
Undertake investigations under the disciplinary procedures of the Council as and when appropriate.
Be flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required, commensurate to grade.
Participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up-to-date knowledge and skills.
Improve own practice through observation, evaluation, discussion and development programmes.
Work collaboratively with colleagues, knowing when to seek help and advice.
Contribute to the overall ethos, work and aims of the service by attending relevant meetings, training days and events as requested.
Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures such as child protection, equality, diversity and inclusion, health, safety and security, confidentiality and data protection, reporting all concerns to an appropriate person.
Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all by working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding and promoting the values, standards and equality and diversity of Leeds City Council
Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment or victimisation and any form of abuse of equality and diversity, ensuring compliance with relevant policies and procedures
Maintain your own Social Work England Registration and continual, professional development (CPD) requirements.
The postholder is expected to work within the parameters of the council’s flexibility protocol.
The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Qualifications The post requires an appropriate professional qualification (DipSW, Degree, CQSW or equivalent). You should be registered with Social Work England upon commencement of the post and maintain registration

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS: It is essential that the Candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities: Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate on the application form that they meet all the essential requirements

Able to work flexibly across different work locations and areas as appropriate.
Able to demonstrate leadership qualities including the ability to model a reflective and restorative practice approach which facilitates a team culture of evidence based practice.
Able to motivate and inspire team members to consistently raise standards in practice.
Able to empower self and others including service users, ensuring high ethical standards in practice.
Able to demonstrate a sound theoretical understanding and the ability to critically apply theory in practice.
Able to challenge poor practice and use research to inform high standards of excellence
Able to pass information effectively, accurately, and concisely using a variety of formats.
Able to manage a budget and understand how this meets the business needs of the Department.
Able to demonstrate skills in risk management and assessment including the ability to identify indicators of risk and the preventative actions that will address them.
Able to actively promote the change management agenda at team and area level.
Able to analyse complex situations and make considered decisions.
Able to analyse and understand performance data and statistical information.
Able to prepare and present reports on complex issues to a variety of different audiences.
Able to demonstrate advanced negotiating skills to ensure effective solutions to complex and difficult situations.
Able to demonstrate a strategic and structured approach at team and area level and an ability to link the work of the team with the business plan.
Able to contribute to the overall development of services for families, children and young people.
Able to develop constructive working relationships with other partners, agencies, internal and external professionals.
Able to develop, manage, motivate, and lead a Children’s Social Work team and offer appropriate professional supervision, giving clear and specific guidance on performance.
Able to manage caseloads and supervise the caseloads of others.
Proficiency in use of IT systems including Microsoft Office, Internet, and Email,
Appropriate professional qualification (BSc, BA, MA, DipSW, CQSW or equivalent). Registration with Social Work England with ongoing maintenance of registration
Up to date knowledge in Social work best practice, professional practice and legislation
Providing supervision for staff and/or students.
Significant post qualification experience as a practicing social worker.
Developing inter-agency and multi-disciplinary approaches to practice.
Management of multi-agency and partnership work.
Developing new approaches to work related practices and challenges.

Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics

Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct
Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing
Willingness to actively participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up,to date knowledge and skills.
Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity of Leeds City Council.
Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person
The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.

#INT

#LI-DNI

Apply for this job