The salary range for this permanent, full-time position is £68,774 to £73,583 per annum based on a 36-hour working week.

We are excited to be hiring a new Service Manager for our Adolescent Services based in the north of Surrey, covering Spelthorne, Elmbridge and Runnymede. We offer agile working and an inclusive work environment. We would be happy to discuss what this means for you.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Service

Ofsted- April 2024 - "Our service quality and 'comprehensive improvement programme' is having an improved impact for children in need or children who are the subject of a child protection plan in Surrey."

In Surrey we are committed to our journey of continuous improvement and are ambitious in designing services which place children and their families at the centre of everything we do. Building on the Social Care Review- "Stable Homes Built on Love" and Working Together 2023, we have redesigned our Adolescent Services bringing early help and statutory services together into three locality Adolescent Hubs in the North, East and West of Surrey.

In addition, a newly created central adolescent hub will compliment and add capacity to the work in the locality hubs. This includes Youth Justice, Missing, Edge of Care, Intervention Support, Risk and Intelligence and Youth Offer. The Hub will work flexibly to ensure that incoming work flows to the correct service area and will use data to underpin operational and strategic tasking.

As part of the latter phase of the safeguarding adolescent's model, partnership colleagues from Education, Health, Police and other agencies will align to the hubs as part of our commitment towards developing excellent adolescent services in Surrey.Our remodelled service represents a 21st century opportunity to deliver innovative ways of working to address children experiencing harm outside of the home, building relationships with our families and partners so the voices of our young people are heard.

About the Role

As a Service Manager within our Adolescent Service, you will lead the North Locality Adolescent Hub, working collaboratively with other locality and central hubs to ensure consistent practice across the Adolescent Service in Surrey. Your role involves engaging with children and young people in need of help and protection, striving to keep them within their families whenever possible. By employing strengths-based motivational practice, you will address parental issues through a multi-disciplinary team approach.

Collaboration with a range of partners is essential to address factors that increase risks to children and young people. You will ensure that plans are tailored to meet individual needs, enhance resilience, and improve overall care and protection. Building and maintaining effective relationships with colleagues, staff, and partners is crucial. You will work together in a spirit of high support and high challenge, always underpinned by mutual respect.

Your responsibilities also include undertaking quality assurance and case management activities. Regular audits of cases will be conducted to assure the quality of work across your teams, ensuring it remains purposeful and child-focused. By tracking and analysing information, you will identify opportunities to improve practice and service performance.Participation and leadership in multi-agency groups will be a part of your role, aiming to improve outcomes and services while promoting and supporting contextual safeguarding approaches. Additionally, you will provide high-quality supervision and staff development opportunities, ensuring that your staff receive effective support, reflective supervision, and access to opportunities for skill development. Your goal is to foster a high-performance culture focused on improving outcomes for children, young people, and families.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• You are a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England
• Substantial experience of at least 5 years frontline practice with recent statutory (minimum 2 years), early help or Youth Justice experience in a management position
• Ability to promote a learning environment where people's skills and strengths are used and developed
• Ability to build and promote a culture of performance, personal responsibility and accountability
• A strength based relational approach to your practice that always considers the best interests of the child, young person and their family
• Substantial experience of building and maintaining strong partnerships and of developing services in a complex organisation

Surrey Children's Service provides training to ensure competence and professional development. We will ensure that you receive a full induction and monthly supervision.

Contact us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 23/07/2024 with interviews to follow.

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

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.