Team Manager - Gravesham Children's Social Work Services

We have an exciting vacancy within Gravesham Children’s Social Work Service for a Team Manager. The successful candidate will be welcomed into one of our four Teams and will be based at Milton Haig in Gravesend. This post will have direct line management responsibility of a team of six Social Workers and Senior Practitioners and will work closely with the other Team Managers to provide a cohesive Service across North Kent Children's Social Work Services.

For this role, you will not only meet the conditions of the Job Description and Person Specification but will also be highly organised, flexible, and able to work in a fast paced and child-focused environment. This role will also require you to be mobile throughout a wide operational area including travelling around Kent and beyond to support our children and young people.

You will be a champion of social work values, delivering and improving services for children and young people. You will allocate resources and workload and ensure the provision of cost-effective services. Your day-to-day support and high quality caseload supervision will ensure your team can meet the complex and changing demands of the service, as well as enable their ongoing development. Working in partnership with a broad range of agencies, you will contribute to the development of Children’s Services procedures and policies. And, advising on commissioning strategies, you’ll ensure that services are developed and accessible to all children, young people and families needing support, protection and intervention.

The Team
Join Gravesham Children’s Social Work Service – Where Your Expertise Makes a Difference

Gravesham Children’s Social Work Service is a dynamic frontline service comprising 4 dedicated teams. Led by experienced Team Managers, our workforce includes Social Workers, Senior Practitioners, and Social Work Assistants – all committed to delivering high-quality support to children and families.

We work with families from the point of referral, conducting thorough Child and Family Assessments and Section 47 Investigations to identify the most effective ways to safeguard and support children. Our service continues to work alongside families requiring ongoing Child in Need and Child Protection plans, supporting them through to resolution – whether that be stepping down to Early Help, case closure, or progression through the Public Law Outline to initial court proceedings.

About you
Your social work degree – CQSW, DipSW or equivalent – must be supported by professional registration and extensive post-qualification experience. This experience should include supervision, budget management, and joint working with partners in the statutory, private and voluntary sectors. You should be confident in your ability to lead and develop a team. And, with an in-depth understanding of safeguarding procedures, legislative frameworks and social work theories relating to child services, you’ll have the expertise needed to contribute to practice and policy development. In return, we offer an attractive benefits package, a competitive salary and a range of professional development opportunities.

About us
We are proud of our outstanding Ofsted rating and we are continuing to develop excellent services and ensure ‘Children are at the centre of Kent County Council’s culture and practice’ (Ofsted 2022.) As one of the largest Children’s Social Work Service in the country, we offer a comprehensive learning and development framework in Kent.

We want the best for the children of Kent, and this can only be delivered as a team effort with everyone playing their part. So we are creating a culture that fosters excellence and collaboration – a place where social workers are empowered to be creative and share ideas and advice.

Our Package

KCC offers the following:

• Annual retention market premium payment of £3,000 (following successful probationary period);
• £2,000 Car Market Premium (Applies to eligible staff who use their own car to carry out their duties) and paid business mileage;
• A £4,000 Golden Hello (subject to eligibility);
• Up to £8,000 relocation package (subject to eligibility);
• Excellent LA pension scheme;
• 30 Days Annual Leave.

We offer an attractive benefits package and a commitment to ensuring that you achieve a healthy work life balance with flexible working arrangements and an emphasis on health and well-being.

You will also have a range of professional development opportunities including the exciting Social Care Academy and routes for progression.

Eligibility

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service and to registration as a qualified Social Worker with the Health Care Professionals Council.

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 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.

Full driving licence and access to a car is essential as part of the role.

Eligibility

For more information about the role or for a discussion, please contactSonja Leonard, Service Manager on 03000 410341 or e-mail sonja.leonard@kent.gov.uk.