Adolescent Support Team Manager

Role Responsibility

Are you looking to progress in your career and expand your social work practice in an Ofsted graded Outstanding Authority?

Do you recognise Adolescence as a difficult time? Do you have empathy for families of adolescents, who struggle to navigate the changes?

We’re looking for an outstanding Team Manager who can lead staff to be their best; to meet targets and standards; to go the extra mile for adolescents on the edge of care and facing extra-familial risks. We want a Team Manager who really cares about the Service, about adolescents, and who understands the impact of trauma, and how to respond to contextual harm.  Our Managers support our practitioners to be resilient and persistent; be solution-focussed; look past challenging behaviours; build positive relationships with adolescents and their carers, and to inspire young people to reach their potential.

Salary & Rewards

As a Team Manager in the Service you are entitled to a basic salary of £49,522 to £57,712 per annum. In addition, we can pay up to £5,000 annual market premium payments (subject to eligibility criteria, noted below) when you join the Service.

There is a one off ‘Golden Hello’ payment of £4,000 for Team Managers appointed from outside of KCC (Repayable if individual leaves within 2 years, does not apply to transfers from other teams or divisions)

As a Team Manager you will be entitled to 29 days (increased to 30 days after 5 years service). Kent also give their employees paid time off on / or in respect of the yearly public holidays and also gives 1 additional concessionary day off in the year at Christmas time.

Market premiums explained

£3000 Annual Retention Market Premium Payment (following successful probationary period)

PLUS

£2,000 Car Market Premium (Applies to eligible staff who use their own car to carry out their duties) and paid business mileage

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.

The right team

AST is a front line, specialist social work team within an Integrated Adolescent Service which includes Youth Justice, Early Help, Inclusion & Attendance and Youth Services.

AST assesses and provides statutory support and interventions to adolescents and their families to manage complex situations including extra familial harm and family conflict. There is an element of child in need, adolescent risk management, looked after child and care leaving work across the case loads.

Doing the best for the children of Kent is a team effort and we’ve worked hard to create a culture that fosters excellence and collaboration. The right team needs the right managers. And ours have a well-deserved reputation for being supportive and giving regular, quality supervision. There are also many credible expert practitioners to learn from and you will find them approachable and keen to help. Sharing knowledge is part of who we are. Together, our teams deliver strengthened services and improved outcomes for children.

In the adolescent service we encourage hybrid working – a mixture of office work and working from home, as we recognise the benefits this has on colleagues and their work-life balance, needs of the service and ability to maximise their organisational skills, to support the families on their caseloads. We have a number of offices in the local area, where staff can work from when out in the District as well as a bespoke adolescent building with free parking that is easily accessible from bus and train routes.

The right place

We are proud of our Ofsted rating of outstanding 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. And because one size doesn’t fit all, we offer opportunities that can be tailored to individual, and team needs.

We can offer a wide variety of work that you’re unlikely to find elsewhere. Kent is a large and diverse county, offering a broad range of opportunities to support children and young people from all backgrounds and circumstances. You will be able to work across a range of locations and environments.

We place great importance on professional development that enables you to grow your skills and knowledge to manage a varied caseload. By proactively maintaining your awareness of changes in child development theories, legislation, policies and practices, you will share your knowledge and uphold high standards of social work with your team.

About you

An opportunity has arisen in the North Kent Adolescent social work team which covers the districts of Dartford and Gravesham.

You will be joining a management team that is committed to providing high quality social work services to adolescents and their families. The role requires evidence of extensive knowledge of child in need, child protection, contextual safeguarding, legal processes, including Public Law Outline and pre-proceedings. The successful applicant will need to have the ability to provide a high-quality level of supervision to support the team, management oversight for the children open to your team, be competent in quality assuring the work of your team along with creating and maintaining good team atmosphere and morale.

You will be responsible for chairing strategy discussions, permanency planning meetings and other professional meetings to make key decisions for children in need of our service and protection. Good leadership skills and a proven track record for delivering good outcomes for children and young people is required.

You will also be required to contribute to raising and maintaining standards of professional social work within a social work team, develop areas of specialist practice, offer expert advice to less experienced staff, and support students and ASYEs.

Professionally registered with a degree in social work – CQSW, DipSW or equivalent – you’ll have a variety of post-qualification experience of working with children and families. Your experience should cover systemic practice, and you will need an in-depth understanding of legislative and policy frameworks.

Transport

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wide operational area including travelling around the county of Kent.

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.

Eligibility

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service and up to date registration with Social Work England as a qualified Social Worker.

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.

Contact Details

To find out more about the role or for an informal discussion, please get in touch today by emailing ruth.bachrach@kent.gov.uk or call citing the above job reference on 03000 410013

About the Company

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 and faiths, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

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