Our Opportunities
Salary: £60,562 to £64,711 per annum including market supplements
Contract: Permanent
Working Pattern: 37 hours per week
Office Base Location: County Hall North, Horsham
We have two exciting Team Manager opportunities within our Children We Care For Service, offering the chance to make a real difference for children and young people while working alongside some of the most passionate, skilled and dedicated practitioners in children's social care.
Whether you are an experienced manager who thrives on leading and developing people, or you have a passion for driving excellence in permanence planning and improving long-term outcomes for children, we have a role for you:
Team Manager - Children We Care For
This is a fantastic opportunity for an inspirational leader who is passionate about developing others and creating a culture where excellent practice thrives.
You'll lead a talented team of social workers and support staff, providing high-quality supervision, support and challenge. You'll have the opportunity to influence practice, celebrate success and help your team achieve outstanding outcomes for children and young people.
As a Team Manager, you'll play a vital role in nurturing a positive and supportive team culture where practitioners feel valued, empowered and inspired to do their best work.
Team Manager - Children We Care For (Permanence Focus)
This exciting role combines operational leadership with a strategic focus on permanence and long-term planning for children.
You'll be at the forefront of driving permanence practice across the service, ensuring children achieve stability and lifelong connections without delay. Working closely with teams, managers and partner agencies, you'll champion best practice in care planning, permanence planning and adoption, helping to shape service development and strengthen outcomes for children.
Our ideal candidate will bring significant experience of permanence and care planning, permanency planning meetings and adoption, alongside a strong commitment to securing stable, lifelong outcomes for children and driving service improvements in this area.
This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is passionate about permanence and wants to play a key role in influencing strategic practice while continuing to support frontline social work.
If you are ready to lead, inspire and make a lasting impact on the lives of children and young people, we would love to hear from you!
Please indicate on your application, which role(s) you wish to be considered for.
What We're Looking For
We are seeking an experienced and passionate leaders who are committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for children and young people.
To be successful in this role, you will:
- Be a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England, holding a recognised Social Work qualification (Degree in Social Work, DipSW, CQSW or equivalent) and evidence of post-qualifying learning or continuous professional development.
- Have experience of leading, developing and supporting social work practitioners to deliver high-quality, relationship-based practice.
- Be able to motivate, empower and influence others, driving continuous improvement and practice excellence.
- Have strong knowledge and understanding of statutory responsibilities, safeguarding, and Children We Care For.
- Build effective relationships with children, families, carers and partner agencies to achieve positive outcomes.
- Demonstrate excellent communication, interpersonal and decision-making skills, with the ability to manage complex and sensitive situations.
- Be able to reflect on practice, identify and implement innovative solutions within statutory frameworks.
- Have effective people, performance and resource management skills, including experience of working within financial constraints and contributing to budget-related decision-making.
- Be able to travel independently across the county, including to locations that may not be easily accessible by public transport.
For more information about the key skills, qualifications and experience required, please refer to the attached Job Description.
Rewards and Benefits
You'll be joining a service where:
- Children are at the heart of everything we do.
- Teams are passionate, supportive and committed to making a difference.
- High-quality reflective supervision and professional development are valued.
- Innovation, creativity and professional curiosity are encouraged.
- Leaders are empowered to shape practice and influence change.
- Successes are celebrated and staff are supported to thrive.
These are exceptional opportunities to join a service that is ambitious for its children, proud of its practice and committed to helping every child achieve the positive future they deserve.
As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do. Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including:
For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.
About Our Service
Our Children We Care For teams are ambitious for every child and young person. We believe that children deserve the very best opportunities to thrive, develop strong relationships, achieve their aspirations and experience stability, belonging and love.
Our teams are recognised for their passion, creativity and commitment to achieving positive outcomes. Through strong relationship-based practice, effective partnership working and high aspirations for our children, we support children and young people to overcome adversity, recover from trauma and build brighter futures.
This is an exciting time to join a service that is continuously striving for excellence, investing in its workforce and creating an environment where both children and practitioners can flourish.
Further Information
The reference number for this role is CAFHE06356
For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Melanie Bowley (Service Manager) at [email protected]. For issues or queries regarding your application please contact [email protected].
To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and application form. In your application please outline your motivations for applying, explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role and how you feel you can successfully meet the needs of the role. (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to Social Work England registration, an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.
Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application please contact us.
We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.
Job Reference: CAFHE06356
