Team Manager - Ref: CH00824

An opportunity has arisen for a Family safeguarding Team Manager to join our dynamic Family Safeguarding teams within the West Locality in Walsall.

As Team Manager you will be responsible for the leadership and management of a social work team ensuring that vulnerable children and their families receive responsive services that safeguard and promote their welfare.

You will manage a team of up to 6 social workers including a senior practitioner and senior specialist social workers. Within the Locality you will working alongside four further team managers one in duty and assessment and three others within the family safeguarding teams.

Family Safeguarding

Walsall Children's Social Care have adopted the Family Safeguarding Model with support from the 'Strengthening Families, Protecting Children Programme' and investment from the Department for Education. This has involved creating Family Safeguarding Teams that include Social Workers, and Specialist Practitioners to support parents experiencing domestic abuse, mental health problems or drug and alcohol misuse. In addition, we offer a tailored programme of support and intervention, with all work being centred on Motivational Interviewing skills and more effective case recording through the workbook. All staff will receive training in the model and support in its implementation.

The model has been in place for over 2 years, and we are really starting to see the difference, with Ofsted reporting that they saw exceptional practice from social workers, which helps children's experience improve and supports families to make positive improvements in their lives. As a result of this, our numbers of children supported by a child protection plan have reduced by half and children entering care have reduced by 30%. This is just one of a few new and innovative approaches we are implementing to do things differently.

Note: Applicants appointed to posts that require an enhanced DBS clearance must declare any periods of time that they have lived, studied or worked abroad and be prepared to provide an Overseas Criminal Records Certificate (OCRC) or a Statement of Good Conduct (SOGC) relating to anytime they were overseas.

This post is covered by the Government's Code of Practice on the English Language Fluency Duty for public sector workers. The postholder will be required to communicate verbally with customers and provide advice and/or information in accurate spoken English.

Here at Walsall, we want to attract the best talent. That's why - as well as a satisfying and rewarding job - we offer a range of attractive benefits. Working arrangements in most jobs are flexible (you may work flexitime, full or part time and job sharing is usually available) and you can expect generous holiday entitlements, a first class pension scheme and plenty of opportunities for training and personal development., Part of the Black Country, famous for its enterprising and industrial past, Walsall is reinventing itself to become a progressive modern community. The borough is centred around the major town of Walsall, but also includes five smaller and distinctive district centres (Bloxwich, Aldridge, Willenhall, Darlaston and Brownhills), together with numerous villages.

Find out more about Living in Walsall.

Walsall Council is committed to Safer Recruitment.

To achieve our commitment, we will ensure continuous development and improvement of robust recruitment processes and procedures that promote a culture of safeguarding amongst our workforce.

Social Work Matters - Children's Social Worker Recruitment

Our staff are our biggest resources, and we want to invest in them! We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including retention payments for Social Workers and Team Managers in key frontline practice roles in Duty and Assessment, and Family Safeguarding Teams. These start at 10% of annual salary after 2 years working for us, increasing to 12% after 4, and 14% after 6 years.

Across our teams within family safeguarding team managers have the opportunity to work a 9-day fortnight