Service Manager – 18+ Care Leaver Service

Role Responsibility

We have an exciting opportunity for the right candidate to join our Outstanding Care Leaver Service. How would you like to be part of our senior leadership team to help shape the service as it meets new challenges and support a group of passionate and dedicated team managers and personal advisors supporting care experienced young adults?

Do you possess the skills necessary to cultivate positive and constructive relationships with both staff and care-experienced young adults?

Could you help us develop and lead on service developments to improve the outcomes for care experienced young adults?

Could you develop supportive relationships with staff and care experienced young adults  to help them build bright and stable futures for themselves?

Would you like to spend every day at work knowing that you have made a difference in the lives of care experienced young people?

If yes, we have the perfect role for you!

The 18+ Care Leaver Service has a vacancy for a Service Manager (KR13) to join the service. You will be operating from the Thistley Hill office location in Dover. This is an exciting opportunity to become part of a dynamic, forward thinking service which was rated “Outstanding” by Ofsted for its’ delivery of support to care experienced 18 plus care leavers.

We will be starting our preparations for our future Ofsted inspection and an understanding of the new Ofsted inspection framework will be important.

This post provides an opportunity to lead  on a number of key service delivery areas and manage a group of specialist personal advisors. You will also oversee the management of some Leaving Care teams by providing direct high quality social work supervision of a group of team managers in order that they and their teams deliver a quality service to care experienced young adults.

You will also collaborate closely with a colleague service manager who leads on UASC and with two heads of service as part of the senior leadership team (SLT). The successful candidate’s responsibilities will be to provide support, direction, effective management oversight and regular supervision and you will play a key role in delivering and improving the services to our care leavers, championing our commitment to the principles of corporate parenting.

As part of our senior management team, you’ll  have some lead responsibilities for service delivery, you will lead in the delivery of our innovative  education, training and employment offer. You will be instrumental in developing and improving the quality of our transitions processes. This will entail working with colleagues across the directorate and ensuring that young people are held at the centre of our joint planning. You will need to be adept at translating strategic plans into operational goals and will have a clear understanding of corporate parenting principles, whilst helping the service manage its budget.

Please note whilst the office base for this post will be Thistley Hill in Dover, this is a county wide post and there will be an expectation that you have a visible presence at our Worrall House offices as well.

About you

With your social work degree (CQSW, DipSW or equivalent) you must have a professional registration with Social Work England and have 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 should have an in-depth understanding of safeguarding procedures, legislative frameworks and social work theories relating to child services and you’ll need to have the expertise to contribute to practice and policy development.

In return, you’ll enjoy an attractive benefits package, a competitive salary and tailored professional development opportunities and regular supervision with nurturing leadership.

About us

At the 18+ Care Leaver Service is a multi-disciplinary service united in our mission to work together to achieve the very best outcomes for the care experienced young adults of Kent. This is only achieved through teamwork, with each member playing a crucial role. The service has continued to expand and takes a multi-disciplinary approach to support Personal Advisors to meet the needs of a diverse group of care experienced young adults.

The service is currently operating between two office bases: Worrall House Office, West Malling and Thistley Hill Office, Dover.

This is a permanent post. 

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.

Candidates will be informed of the interview should they be shortlisted and meet the person specifications. The recruitment process will involve two interview panels, and there will be an expectation that you give a small presentation on a subject given to you as part of the interview process.

Closing date: Sunday 21st April

Interviews: Friday 3rd May – Invicta House, Maidstone

Contact Details

If you have any questions or would like to talk about this opportunity, please contact Mark Weinel Head of service at mark.weinel@kent.gov.uk or 03000 410956

Package Description

About the Company

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 as soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.