Service Manager – Safeguarding and Professional Standards

Role Responsibility

The Service Manager for Safeguarding and Professional Standards has a privileged leadership role in overseeing the Authority's safeguarding and quality assurance activity. Including leading the Child Protection Chair Service, The Children’s Outcome Analysis (COA), Kent Practice Framework, CYPE Audit and developing emerging initiatives and legislation to practice.

Working within the QA unit is fast paced and adaptive, the units’ priorities directly influenced by local and national contexts. The role benefits from a can-do attitude with the ability to hold multiple projects using excellent organisational, planning and management skills.

You will be responsible for developing, maintaining and leading on audit methodology for the unit ensuring professional practice standards and effective quality assurance mechanisms and systems are in place to achieve excellence and demonstrate a positive impact on outcomes for children and young people.

You will lead, motivate and manage a large team to ensure the delivery of quality assurance in line with the agreed audit scope, timeline of QA unit and statutory legislation. To achieve this, you will utilise appropriate resources and budgets whilst contributing to and supporting effective inter-agency working, including the work of the Kent Safeguarding Children's Multi-Agency Partnership. You will provide advice and guidance to other professionals and deputise for the Assistant Director as required. 

The successful candidate will have the ability to find viable solutions to a wide range of lines of enquiry and interpretations of practice initiatives to deliver quality assurance work leading to direct practice improvement plans. You will possess excellent verbal and written skills with strong interpersonal skills. The ability to provide strategic professional challenge whilst working collaboratively to create transformational change is at the heart of this role.

Other key attributes include substantial knowledge of the legislation and statutory responsibilities that underpin Children's Social Care, including appropriate performance indicators and quality standards.

Kent County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment.  Appointment is dependent on satisfactory and verifiable references.

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

Please note interviews will take place on Monday the 17th of June and successful applicants will be required to prepare a presentation, topic to be sent with interview invitation. There may also be other activities on the day.

Contact Details

If you are interested in this role and would like further information, please contact Leemya McKeown (Assistant Director of Safeguarding, Professional Standards & Quality Assurance) on 03000 422190 or Leemya.McKeown@kent.gov.uk

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.