Children's Social Work Team Manager

• Develop effective partnership working that is positive and constructive and respectful of differing roles and responsibilities and the value they can bring to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.
• Shape and influence the practice system demonstrating confident analysis and decision making. The post holder will ensure that supervision is reflective, challenging and explorative to enable informed decision making on cases that occur to safeguard children and vulnerable adults, and is based upon best evidence from research to inform complex judgements, promoting professional curiosity and solution focused approaches to problem solving routinely within informal and formal supervision.
• Support team members both internally and externally with partners as part of sharing information and developing safe multi-agency plans.
• Demonstrate effective use of power and authority. Be confident and knowledgeable in child care and family law, and understand the statutory guidance and its processes in order to safeguard and promote the best outcomes for children and vulnerable adults.
• Ensure social work practice is purposeful and effective. Ensure the regular use of quality assurance processes in the scrutiny and development of frontline practice identifying areas for improvement and rectifying these when identified they are needing alignment to enable effective service delivery.
• Recognise and address behaviours that are resistant to change in families, prioritising and acting where immediate action is required and taking steps to safeguard children.

• Demonstrating Resilience: Follows through on commitments made and sticks with a problem or issue until it is resolved.
• Working Together: Personally builds effective relationships with colleagues or partners outside their own area to improve organisational performance and service quality.
• Personal Responsibility: Shows integrity, creates rapport, trust and confidence.
• Positively Aspiring: Drives change by persuading and influencing others and coaches others to take responsibility for change.
• People Management: Is able to inspire individuals to give their best to achieve a desired result and maintains effective relationships with individuals and the team as a whole, to ensure that the team is equipped to achieve objectives set according to the overall business need.
• Communication skills: Ability to communicate in an articulate manner, expressing opinions, communicating key points of an argument clearly, makes presentations and undertakes public speaking with skill and confidence; responds quickly to the needs of an audience and to their reactions and feedback; projects credibility.
• Problem solving and decision making: Uses creative ability to find solutions and whilst considering policy and procedure is also confident in adopting (and justifying)novel or non standard approaches.
• Planning and Organising: Business planning skills with ability to identify and assess risks, manage change and make long term plans which impacts on the whole service.
• Analytical skills: Ability to identify patterns and trends that may impact on decisions and propose realistic conclusions identifying the risks and any assumptions made.
• Financial management: Resource and financial management skills to develop effective planning, financial management and reporting frameworks. Manage allocated resources effectively, delivering business performance and value for money.
• Strategic Thinking: Contributes to the development, implementation and evaluation of strategy to shape future plans
• Creative skills: Ability to think creatively and provide innovative solutions to problems. Has ability to develop new approaches to finding solutions outside of existing parameters. 

We’re the local council for one of the UK’s most vibrant and diverse cities. 

Working for Manchester isn’t just a job – it’s an opportunity to contribute to a city that leads change and transforms lives. Whether it’s strengthening communities or driving innovation in public services, you’ll play a vital role in creating opportunities and shaping a brighter future for everyone. 

Our Manchester is our vision for a fairer, greener, and healthier city – a vision shaped by the people of Manchester. It guides everything we do at the Council and is brought to life through the Our Manchester behaviours:

• We take time to listen and understand
• We work together and trust each other
• We show that we value our differences and treat each other fairly
• We ‘own it’ and we’re not afraid to try new things
• We’re proud and passionate about Manchester

Benefits we offer 

• Generous holiday allowance - Enjoy up to 26 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays. Increasing to 31 days after five years of local government service. Want more leave? You can purchase up to two additional weeks. 
• A buzzing pension - You’ll be enrolled in the UK’s largest local government pension scheme, with plenty of options to top up your benefits. Includes life cover of three-times your salary as a lump sum. 
• Enhanced parental and carers leave - Take advantage of our enhanced family leave options, designed to provide ample time for you to bond with your new born or support your family during critical life events. 
• Brilliant perks - Access a range of discounts, from saving on the weekly shop to holidays and days out with MCR+. Plus discounts on phone contracts, cycle to work scheme, free flu jabs and eye tests, and more. 
• Learn and grow - We are dedicated to nurturing talent and providing you with the tools to thrive. Take part in a diverse set of learning opportunities, from workshops and training sessions through to apprenticeships and qualifications. All this begins with our comprehensive onboarding process. 
• A Good Employment Charter member - We are committed to offering secure, flexible work and embedding fairness into everything we do. We review pay annually, recognize three trade unions, and are constantly working to offer the best possible health and wellbeing support throughout all stages of your working life. 
• Up to 3 days volunteering leave - Give back to the community with three days pro-rate of paid volunteering leave, in addition to existing benefits. 

Creating an Inclusive Team at Manchester City Council 

At Manchester City Council, we’re dedicated to creating a workplace that truly reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We actively welcome applications from people of all ages and backgrounds, particularly from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities, Disabled people and young people. 

Support During the Process

• Interview Adjustments: Let us know if you need any adjustments to demonstrate your suitability during the interview.
• Accessible Formats: Our ReciteMe tool can be accessed through the "Accessibility tools" button at the top of our careers page. This tool offers features like text-to-speech, translation into multiple languages, and adjustable text size and colour to make our site more accessible for everyone. 

Guaranteed Assessment Scheme 

We guarantee assessments for applicants who meet the minimum shortlisting requirements for the role and identify with at least one of the criteria below:

• Members of the Armed Forces members or veterans
• Current or former care leavers
• Have a disability or long-term condition

 When You Join Us 

We’re a Disability Confident Employer, offering:

• A workplace adjustment hub which provides specialist support, advice and guidance to ensure you have the adjustments needed to thrive at work.
• Disabled Staff Network, Neurodiversity Staff Network and Mental Health Staff Network that provides a safe inclusive space to share experiences and opportunities to influence council practice.
• A strong commitment to ensuring all information adheres to accessibility standards and that our workplaces are accessible and disability-friendly.

For more information about the role or any adjustments, email [email protected]. 

What we will need from you if you’re successful 

In accordance with Home Office guidance, successful candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK before commencement of employment. This is not a role we consider to be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route based on Manchester City Council policy. Candidates are therefore encouraged to consider their own right to work options without the requirement for Manchester City Council sponsorship.  

Pre-Employment Checks 

If you are successful in securing a position with us, the pre-employment checks required will depend on the role you’ve applied for. As a guide, these checks may include:

• Proof of Right to Work: You’ll need to provide documentary evidence of your right to work in the UK. Please note, visa sponsorship is not guaranteed for this role.
• References: We’ll require references from your current and previous employer(s).
• Proof of Qualifications: Evidence of qualifications relevant to the role will be required.
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check: A criminal record check may be necessary, depending on the role.
• Proof of Manchester Residency: For some roles, you may need to demonstrate that you reside within the boundaries of Manchester City Council.
• Police Vetting: Some roles may require police vetting to ensure suitability for accessing sensitive law enforcement systems or information.
• Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) Clearance:  BPSS clearance is primarily used for roles that involve access to government data, systems, or assets. It ensures that individuals meet basic security requirements and can be trusted with sensitive information
• Driving Licence: If the role requires driving, we’ll need evidence of your valid driving licence.

These checks are an important part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our workforce and the community we serve. 

Other relevant information 

We want everyone to be able to be themselves at work and give their best. If you need additional support to undertake the duties of the role, we’ll make every effort to source any necessary aids, adaptations or equipment. If, however, any task proves to be unachievable, we will look at redesigning parts of the role. 

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