Service Manager

What will you be doing?

Are you an experienced leader with a passion for driving high‑quality services for children and young people? We are seeking a Service Manager to lead and develop our East Kent Children in Care Service, covering the Thanet and Canterbury districts.

This is a pivotal role within a high‑demand service, responsible for ensuring strong oversight, excellent practice, and robust delivery of all statutory duties for children in care.

As Service Manager, you will:

- Lead and inspire a team of Social Workers, Senior Practitioners, Team Managers and Social Work Assistants across the Children in Care teams.

- Provide clear direction, robust oversight, and operational leadership to ensure the service delivers high‑quality social work practice for children and young people.

- Ensure all statutory responsibilities are met, including compliance with the Children Act 1989 and key safeguarding guidance.

- Oversee and quality‑assure court work, care planning, and permanence planning, ensuring timely and effective decision‑making for children.

- Motivate, support, and supervise staff, embedding a strong culture of learning, accountability, and reflective practice.

- Drive continuous service improvement, informed by audit, data, and feedback.

- Work closely with partners, legal teams, and multi‑agency services to support the best outcomes for children.

- Maintain effective resource and placement management, ensuring spend control and efficient use of resources.

We are looking for someone who:

- Is a strong, visible leader with substantial experience in Children’s Social Care.

- Has proven ability to manage complex situations, including high‑risk cases and legal proceedings.

- Can deliver supervision that is reflective, purposeful, and developmental.

- Brings a ‘can‑do’ attitude, resilience, and the ability to motivate teams through challenge and change.

- Is committed to driving high‑quality practice and achieving the best outcomes for children in care.

Why Join Us?

- Be part of an experienced, supportive management team within a service that places children at the centre of everything we do.

- Lead services across beautiful coastal and historic areas including Thanet’s seaside towns and the City of Canterbury.

- Access ongoing professional development through Kent’s Social Care Academy and leadership pathways.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure application to the Disclosure and Barring service and registration as a qualified Social Worker with Social Work England.

This role is subject to holding a Full UK Driving Licence – The Council is committed to making reasonable adjustments so whilst this job requires the jobholder to drive your application will still be considered if you are unable to drive due to a disability.

About you

If you would like a discussion prior to application please contact Stephen Fitzgerald via email in the first instance on stephen.fitzgerald@kent.gov.uk

About us

Work that works for you and us - let's talk flexibility!

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, faiths and those with caring responsibilities, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note - if you are interested, please apply soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.