Team Leader

About Us:

THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF SHOFA’S MARKET 

Children’s Services in Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories. Where courageous and inspiring professionals bring everything to their work. 

Sometimes this even includes heartbreak. Shofa is a shining example. Shofa’s brother suffered with his mental health and died tragically young. She uses his memory as motivation to give Westminster Youth Council members the opportunity to have a voice and get involved in decision making. This passion resulted in in her innovation: The Westminster Youth Market. Here local teenagers learn about entrepreneurship and develop their personal skills. This is an inclusive platform where everyone’s contribution and abilities are celebrated. Inspired by a promising life cut short, Shofa believes without vision there is no direction and every young person should be supported to realise their dreams. 

Please view the extraordinary story of Shofa’s Market here.

The Role:

As a Short Breaks Team Leader you can make your own powerful contribution as you take responsibility for the day-to-day running of the Tresham Centre and our other venues, and lead and manage a team of Play Workers who deliver a programme of activities for children and young people with disabilities and complex health needs. Making important decisions on delivery for all groups and activities, including after school, weekend and holiday play schemes, you’ll ensure all the children and families you work with are offered a highly professional, caring service.

Taking a relationship-based approach to ensure that all the support we provide is family-centred, you’ll be committed to promoting every child’s wellbeing, play and development. Coordinating and planning the activities run from the centre, identifying lead workers for each activity, providing onsite and off-site risk assessments, and promoting activities on our website and to other agencies, you’ll also assess children and young people and input the relevant data into our computer systems.

You’ll have a wide range of additional responsibilities, including reviewing 1:1 support arrangements, ensuring all clubs and activities meet Ofsted regulations, and arranging emergency provision. Identifying any safeguarding issues, engaging with parent forums, and seeking feedback, we’ll also expect you to investigate any complaints and work with social workers, short breaks practitioners, schools and other professionals to ensure we provide excellent and consistent care.

Please refer to the Job Description for more information.

About You:

With a degree or diploma in Childcare/Youth Work/Social Care, or an Occupational Therapy or Community Nursing qualification, you’ll have an enhanced DBS check and at least two years’ post-qualifying experience working with children with disabilities and complex needs in a local authority, health or education sector setting. Capable of assessing needs and developing and delivering plans of interventions, you’ll possess excellent team management skills, and the ability to supervise and set targets for contract and sessional workers.

An inspirational trainer and mentor, and ready to involve parents, carers and children in the development and delivery of services, you’ll have the ability to work pro-actively and preempt, prevent or manage crises. With a well developed understanding of neglect, domestic violence, mental health difficulties and substance abuse, and the impact this can have on children and families, you’ll be warm and approachable, and capable of working with a diverse range of service users.

You should have a good command of written and spoken English and excellent computer skills, and the ability to organise and prioritise your workload. A motivating manager and team worker, you should also be capable of working in a complex environment while demonstrating resilience and commitment to supporting service users as they achieve their goals and outcomes. 
 

What We Offer:

Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to over 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster. Westminster City Council’s strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city’s future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe. 

At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. To find out more about how we do this visit https://www.westminster.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/public-health-strategy-policies-and-reports/equality-duties

As a forward-thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working. 

The Council is a Disability Confident Employer. If you have declared a disability in your application, we guarantee an interview if you meet the essential criteria of the job. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked if you need any reasonable adjustments in order to attend, and we will make these wherever possible.