Do you have strong leadership skills and a passion for supporting staff to deliver high-quality social work practice?
Are you confident managing complex cases and making sound decisions in high-risk situations?
Do you thrive in a multi-agency environment, working collaboratively to improve outcomes for adults with multiple and compound needs?
Are you committed to delivering trauma-informed, inclusive and person-centred services?
The Multiple and Compound Needs Team (MCNT) provides enhanced Adult Social Care support to adults experiencing overlapping challenges such as homelessness, mental health difficulties, substance use, domestic abuse and contact with the criminal justice system. This role plays a key part in leading practice, supporting staff, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality, safe and effective services for residents whose needs require coordinated, multi-agency responses.
Contract type: This role is permanent
Interviews to be held: 1TBC
There is full information about the role below and attached but, if you would like an informal discussion, please contact Holly Croydon, Service Manager Operations on 07753280150 or email
[email protected]
About the role
This is a senior practice and operational role within a specialist service supporting adults with entrenched and overlapping needs. You will support the Service Manager in the day-to-day running of the team, ensuring safe, effective service delivery while leading and developing a team of social work professionals.
What you’ll be doing (tasks)
Providing day-to-day operational management of the service, including allocation of work, oversight of caseloads, and ensuring safe staffing and service delivery
Line managing and supervising social workers and other practitioners, supporting their professional development, performance, and wellbeing
Leading on complex, high-risk cases, offering expert advice, decision-making, and oversight to ensure safe and effective interventions
Ensuring the team meets statutory duties under key legislation including the Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005, and safeguarding responsibilities
Supporting effective safeguarding practice, including oversight of Section 42 enquiries and risk management for individuals experiencing significant harm or self-neglect
Managing delegated budgets responsibly, balancing individual outcomes with financial accountability
Monitoring team performance against key performance indicators and using data, audit, and feedback to drive continuous improvement
Building and maintaining strong partnerships with housing, health, criminal justice, and voluntary sector organisations to deliver coordinated care
Contributing to service development, practice improvement, and a strong learning culture, including mentoring, coaching and supporting newly qualified staff and students
What you’ll bring (skills & experience)
A recognised Social Work (or relevant AHP/Nursing) qualification and professional registration
Strong working knowledge of legislation including the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act, safeguarding frameworks, and relevant housing legislation
Significant experience working with adults with complex needs, including mental health, homelessness, substance use or related challenges
Experience of supervising staff, managing performance, and supporting professional development in a high-pressure environment
Proven ability to manage and advise on complex cases, including risk assessment and safeguarding
Experience of working within multidisciplinary teams and building effective partnerships
Confidence in managing resources, including staff and budgets, to deliver effective services
Excellent communication and IT skills, including recording, reporting, and use of data to improve practice
A strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusive practice
Why join us? (benefits)
Be part of a specialist, innovative service supporting some of the most vulnerable people in the city
Opportunities to lead practice and shape service delivery within a developing and evolving team
Access to ongoing professional development, including leadership, supervision, and specialist training
A supportive environment that values reflective practice, collaboration, and continuous learning
Opportunities to contribute to service development and wider system change across Brighton & Hove
Our commitment to inclusion
We are committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We recognise that people experiencing multiple and compound needs often face significant barriers, particularly those from marginalised or underrepresented groups.
Our team embeds inclusive and trauma-informed practice in all aspects of our work. We actively adapt how we deliver services to meet individual needs, working collaboratively with partners and communities to improve access, reduce inequalities, and achieve better outcomes for all.
Encouraging a diverse workforce
Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.
Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).
Why work for us?
As a council, we want to:
- be connected
- be confident
- be innovative and creative
- be diverse and inclusive
- be healthy and psychologically safe
For more information about our values and the benefits of working at the council, visit Why work for us which gives details of our wellbeing support, our benefits including leave and pensions as well as details of our training and development.
How to apply
Please read our Apply for a job at the council pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you’ve submitted your application and at interview.
As part of your application, you will need to provide your education and career history and answer some application/shortlisting questions. Your answers to the application/shortlisting questions are the most important part of your application as they will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our Shortlisting questions guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.
AI advice for candidates
We are interested in hearing about your experience and skills in your own words. While we value people who know how to use AI, we ask that you minimise using it in your application.
We are keen to hear how your experience and skills align to our values and the skills and experience needed to perform well in our roles with clear real examples from you. To support you in this, we have guidance on using the STAR model which can help you ensure you are telling us your whole story. We also provide clarity on the skills we are looking for in our adverts and in the job description/person specification attached to each job advert.
All the applications we receive are read by at least two hiring managers and we do not use AI in this process. Our experience of reading applications is that those that have heavily used AI contain generic paragraphs that are strikingly similar to other applicants’ responses. This makes it extremely difficult to differentiate between applications, and doesn't give us enough evidence of your individual skills. There is a risk that we will therefore not be able to shortlist you. Instead, we recommend you ensure your application stands out by presenting clear examples of your actual skills and experiences in your own words.
Additional information
Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only.
Please note that this post isexemptfrom the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and is subject to a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Check.
We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining. Your contractual location will be the designated council office for your team and travel to and from your contractual location would be at your own expense.
