The starting salary for this position is £46,634 per annum based on a 36 hour working week. This opportunity is offered as a fixed-term contract or secondment ending on 31st March 2024.

Are you passionate about achieving best outcomes for children? Are you highly motivated, driven and ready for a challenge? If you are then this may be the role for you.

In Surrey we are committed to ensuring that where appropriate and possible children are living and educated in Surrey. In order to realise this commitment the 'Coming Home' project has been established to focus on Children Looked After with an Education, Health and Care Plan placed in out of county placements with a view to bringing them back into the county where it is deemed to be in the child/ young person's best interest.

The aim of the 'Coming Home' project is to increase the sufficiency of provision in Surrey for children and young people who are looked after and/or have SEND. It enables better long-term outcomes, with children closer to home and more connected to local communities and support services and also improves value for money as we strengthen our collaboration with local providers and other local authorities to manage the market of provision more effectively.

Due to the present post holder moving on, we are looking to recruit a Step-Down Manager for this Coming Home project who will focus on the social care element of the children identified within this project. They will be working in close collaboration with the Coming Home Project Manager who will be focusing on the SEND element. Joint working will ensure that the focus is on the right children and young people and that any potential moves take place with careful consideration, robust planning and are driven with a clear set of principles that can evidence this is the right decision for the child. Children have moved back to Surrey homes and schools due to the intervention of this project.

The post holder will, in addition, also lead on identifying children in children's homes who are ready to move to a family based arrangement. This aspect of the role involves working with internal and external partners to assess which children are ready for a move to a family and to identify families for these children.

The role will involve working in close collaboration with key stakeholders such as children's social care, health, SEND, parents/carers, children and young people.

To be considered for shortlisting, you will need to evidence the following:

• Be a qualified social worker (who is registered with SWE) and an experienced social work manager with a background and track record in children's services.
• Have good knowledge and a sound understanding of children's social work legislation and care planning.
• Take a partnership and 'strength-based' approach to your work to improve the outcomes for the children and young people we work with.
• Take a service-wide and multi-agency approach to work collaboratively with other areas of Children's Services, partners and external agencies.
• Provide high support and high challenge to colleagues to ensure that care planning practice informs the identification of placements and that children are in their matched placement in a timely way.
• Work in partnership with operational and commissioning colleagues to ensure that the principles of the 'Coming Home' project are adhered to.
• Develop and maintain robust and respectful professional relationships with external providers to ensure high quality, stable placements that are value for money.
• To provide high support and high challenge to colleagues to ensure that care planning practice informs the identification of placements and that children are in their matched placement in a timely way.
• Understand and use data to inform project development, redesigning operational process to ensure the outcomes of the project are timely and efficient.

If you are looking for an exciting and stimulating role that is both ambitious and determined to make a real difference, then we would love to hear from you.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 26th March 2023.

Interviews will be held on 3rd April 2023.

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) will be required for this role.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Benefits

For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit the advert on the employer site.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer of first choice reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all under represented groups.